Blogpost written by Eleanor Flatt, Restoration and Biodiversity Monitoring Research Field Assistant and Birder. [caption id="attachment_10882" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Black-cheeked ant tanager, endemic to the Osa Peninsula; photo by Manuel Sanchez[/caption] In the 1900's, the first Audubon Christmas Bird Count was conducted in 25 areas with 27 birdwatchers in the US & Canada. 100 years later, the tradition has expanded to over 2,200 areas in 20 different countries. The Osa Peninsula is one of these locations and this year marked its 8th annual Christmas Bird Count. Data collected from Christmas Bird Counts form...
News + Stories
Blogpost by Patrick Newcombe, Volunteer and Student Researcher My time at Osa Conservation’s biological station was an incredible experience, full of birds, nature, and exploration in the tropical rainforest. It was particularly meaningful as I got to follow up on my highschool ornithology research in the Osa and present it at the Society for Neuroscience conference in Washington, D.C. [caption id="attachment_10804" align="aligncenter" width="387"] Society for Neuroscience Conference[/caption] Over 30,000 people from 80+ countries attended the annual meeting, which filled DC’s convention center. I presented a poster that included my research on...
Blogposts written by Cornell College students Cornell College visited our biological station for week-long field trip. While at the station, they collaborated with our science team, carried out primate point count surveys every morning and afternoon, and participated in the sea turtle program. The primate data collected will be analyzed and paired with the dung beetle research we have been carrying out, investigating the patterns of this link. The students worked incredibly hard trekking through the jungle for hours and we can’t thank them enough. Below is a series...
Blogpost by Luis Carlos Solis, Asistencia Técnica Each year from the middle of December through early January, Christmas bird counts are organized worldwide. These counts consist of the identification and registration of the number of bird species observed in a given period of time. This tradition has been established in the world of bird watchers and is taught to each new generation. The Osa Peninsula is no exception to this tradition, as different organizations collaborate in December for one day to participate in tracking the progress of endangered species and...
Uncategorized / 29.11.2017
Participa con nosotros – Educación a través de la observación de aves: “Dar alas” al conocimiento
Blogpost by Luis Carlos Solis, Asistencia Técnico Cada año a mediados del mes de diciembre y principios de enero se organizan a nivel mundial conteos navideños de aves los cuales consisten en la identificación y registro del número de especies de aves observadas en un lapso de tiempo determinado; es así como se establece una tradición en el mundo de los observadores de aves la cual es transmitida de generación en generación. La Península de Osa no es la excepción, donde organizaciones de toda índole en el mes de diciembre colaboran...
Uncategorized / 21.11.2017
Spider Monkeys: Reforesting the Rainforests
Blog by Danielle Connor, Undergraduate Student at University of Exeter Earlier this year, I spent many hours following the endangered spider monkey in the Osa. As part of a new project being carried out by Osa Conservation and my own research with the University of Exeter, I looked for sleeping sites and latrines to better understand the ecological role of spider monkeys in seed dispersal and their potential to regenerate rainforests. [caption id="attachment_10440" align="aligncenter" width="422"] A spider monkey hangs from a tree[/caption] Spider monkeys live in fission-fusion societies that split into smaller...
Uncategorized / 15.11.2017
The Battle: Sea Turtles vs. Predators!
Blogpost by Manuel Sanchez, Sea Turtle Conservation Program Coordinator Nature is not always kind; sea turtles face a multitude of life threatening obstacles that reduce their chance of survival throughout their lives. Predation of eggs, hatchlings and adults by numerous predators is just one of the risks. Raccoons, coatis, opossums, crabs, dogs, birds and ants attack nests to indulge in an egg or a young sea turtle. Once the hatchling emerges from the nest, the challenge continues as hawks, pelicans, frigate birds, crabs and fish await a bite-size meal....
Aquatic Health, Community Outreach, Uncategorized / 07.11.2017
Rios Saludables First Workshop in Colegio Puerto Jimenez
Blogpost by Hilary Brumberg, Ríos Saludables Program Coordinator Students in bright blue uniforms dip nets into a small stream and retrieve soggy masses of leaves, branches, rocks, and candy wrappers. They comb through the leaves with plastic spoons, and excitedly pluck small insects and crustaceans from the foliage and place them into the stream water filled ice cube tray - our fancy specimen holder. The students rush the specimens over to our identification station, a tree stump bearing a laminated booklet with dozens of pictures of aquatic critters. They methodically scan each...
Uncategorized / 31.10.2017
Farming alongside apex predators
Blogpost written by Eleanor Flatt, Restoration and Biodiversity Research Field Assistant Many intensely biodiverse tropical rainforests are not only inhabited by wonderful wildlife but also by people who call it their home. In these areas, farms offer opportunity to grow crops or maintain livestock in order to provide income for their families. In an ideal world, these two landscapes would be separated and conflicts would not exist. However, located where the rainforest meets farm, there is a matrix where the flora and fauna interact and where human-wildlife conflicts...
Blogpost by Ruthmery Pillco Huarcaya, Biodiversity & Conservation Projects Coordinator and Botanical Assistant After a long but successful morning collecting specimens for the botanical garden we headed back to the station, excitement and rumbling stomachs in tow. Suddenly, one small plant close to the trail caught my eye. I curiously approached it, going in for a closer look. What was it? I called over our botanical assistant Marvin to pick his brain. Immediately he smiled with happiness and enthusiastically screamed: “It is a passiflora, collection number 11 for the...