February 2023: A Bird in the Hand

Rangers and college students observe a bird being analyzed. Photo by Oswaldo Saballos.

Your gifts helped study and protect migrating birds this month. Thank you!

CONSERVATION IN ACTION

More than 350 species of birds travel from North America to tropical regions every winter. These are known as neotropical migratory birds. Their survival depends on a safe journey and bounteous winter stay in the tropics. Research has shown that the migratory period is often when these creatures face the greatest risk of death.

Thankfully, you are making a difference for these feathered friends through science, environmental education, and habitat protection.

Royal flycatcher in a ranger's hand. Photo by Jarinton Garcia.

Over the past four months, your support helped biologists study neotropical migratory birds at our MoSI bird-banding stations in western Nicaragua. Birds were temporarily captured in nets, their species and age were determined, and leg bands were applied. In the future, other birders can re-sight the banded bird (already, we have recaptured the same ovenbird 4 years in a row!). Data collected at these stations is open source and is used by researchers to analyze bird survival.

Children observe ranger Marlon Sotelo recording data.

Junior Rangers learn from a ranger at the MoSI site.

Our bird-banding stations double as a learning space. Three college students from UNAN-Managua attended last month’s MoSI monitoring session at the Mono Bayo Reserve. It was a unique opportunity for them to see first-hand how birds are captured, carefully measured, and then released back into the wild. You also helped three groups of Junior Rangers visit these MoSI bird-banding stations. Each group of kids was treated to a forest hike and opportunities to not just watch the biologists work with the beautiful birds, but also to employ binoculars and birding books themselves to identify birds at the Mono Bayo Reserve.

Bird research would not be complete without the important step of protecting avian habitats. That is why we are grateful to you for your support for our community ranger program. The winter months are the dry season, when wildfires and hunting threaten habitat. Our rangers were able to counter these threats this month because of the funds our donors recently sent. Thanks to you and the IUCN-Netherlands for supporting habitat protection in the Paso del Istmo Wildlife Corridor!

Western tanager. Photo by Oswaldo Saballos.

Thank you
for helping migratory birds!

Gorgeous ocean sunset from a hillside in El Salvador. Photo by Sarah Otterstrom.

Coming this November:
A donor trip to El Salvador!
Sign up here to be among
the first to know more.

Alejandro holding his camera. Photo from Alejandro.

TEAM MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

A few years ago, Alejandro de Jesús Velásquez Aguilera was a nature guide who loved birds and enjoyed participating in our Christmas Bird Count and Global Big Day events. He jumped at the chance to help with our projects about three years back and has since become a permanent team member.

In spring, he focuses on cyanoptera macaws and yellow-naped amazon parrots, often climbing high into the air to check on the chicks in their nests. In the fall and winter, Alejandro helps monitor willow flycatchers and other migratory birds. The Junior Rangers in northwestern Nicaragua enjoy learning from him and the other rangers.

We are deeply grateful to have Alejandro on our team. Thank you for supporting his work!

Empowering Hope mural. Photo by Eliza Woolley.

IN GRATITUDE

Have you ever wished for an app just for people who want to use their skills to help nature? You're in luck!

Key Conservation is a new app that allows people to directly interact and volunteer with conservation efforts across the globe. We are very grateful to be included as a starting participant. You can check us out on the app already, where we share some current projects, overviews of main study species, and more!

Earlier this month, two of our team members traveled to San Diego to celebrate the launch of the app. It was our pleasure to meet Megan Cromp, Key Conservation's founder and director. We also admired their “Empowering Hope” mural (above), which is a beautiful representation of their key aims to inspire people to get involved in conservation.

Make Your Own Profile & Follow Us on the Key Conservation app!

Salvadoran participants and Zoo Boise staff show off their workshop certificates. Photo by Gene Peacock of Zoo Boise.

IN THE NEWS

This past summer, three Zoo Boise staff members traveled with us to El Salvador to educate and train animal care professionals working with rescued spider monkeys under the auspices of the country’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN). They shared with them ways to increase the welfare of rescued wildlife and establish working relationships with the animals. Thank you to our donors for supporting this wonderful collaboration and our work in El Salvador.

Zoo Boise recently published an in-depth article about the trip, including an amazing anecdote about how a technique presented in the workshop helped a rescued spider monkey named Pancho. Check it out here!

Thank you for supporting wildlife in many places!

Surfer catches a wave in El Salvador. Photo by Javier Alejandro Ramos Arias.

PARTNERS MAKE IT POSSIBLE

We are grateful and excited to receive a World Surf League PURE Grant together with our partner Oriente Salvaje. This grant will support our joint efforts to stop plastic pollution in prominent rivers and engage the local youth and surf community in conservation actions. Together, we aim to not just deploy river barriers that prevent plastic from entering the ocean, but also to collaborate with local communities on the mindful use of plastic. These endeavors contribute to the mission of the We Are One Ocean coalition, of which we are a member.

Later this year, the World Surf League will hold its second Pro Tour in El Salvador. Working with the surfing communities will help keep their surf breaks clean and ensure that tourism is sustainable and long-lasting. We are proud to be grant recipients and look forward to leveraging the sport of surfing to increase protections for our ocean.

Donate for Clean Seas!

Thank you for your support!

INSTAGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Thank you to all the photographers who contributed photos used in this e-newsletter. These include but are not limited to Javier Alejandro Ramos Arias, Gene Peacock and Paso Pacífico staff Jarinton Garcia, Sarah Otterstrom, Oswaldo Saballos, Alejandro de Jesús Velásquez Aguilera, and Eliza Woolley.

2023 badges: Effective, Vetted, Top-ranked Organization (GlobalGiving)