Costa Rica.......2005 Part 2

[bugboy]

Well after a week at the breeding center I travelled down to one of the release sites with a friend and 10 macaws. We flew down in a twin propeller engine plane to the southern pacific peninsula and changed planes to a single engine plane. To fit the macaws onto the second plane with us we had to remove most the seats leaving just 3 in place for us and the pilot, I got to sit in the co-pilots seat! We then flew across to the release site at Tiskita Jungle Lodge, Golfito. The landing strip was a patch of cleared forest that was 'mown' maybe a few times a month.

The birds were released into a pre-release aviary in the middle of the rain forest where they would live for about 10 days to get used to their new surroundings and get to know the Macaws that already lived in the area from previous releases. Days were spent monitoring the birds, making sure they were behaving normally, collecting local fruits to get them used to their new wild diets and wandering around the forset and coast taking in the scenary and trying to photograph anything that moved whilst avoiding things that could hurt you.

The Jungle Lodge itself is geared up to eco-tourism, twitchers were regularly spotted with guides pointing out the local birdlife but of more interest to me was a large white sheet strung up every night lit up with a light. I would visit that every morning as early as possible to see some cool moths.

Close to the aviary was where we slept, a wooden platform on stilts with a tin roof and running water from a natural spring. You got the full rain forest experience, woken up every morning at 5am by cicadas, followed by Howler monkeys and the macaws, and every evening the heavens opened and you got drenched, which always felt wonderful since you had been sweating all day.

[bugboy]

Last set of pics.

[Charles Nicol]

Lovely pics bugboy

it is great that Costa Rica's natural marvels are being exploited responsibly.

Charles

[bugboy]

Yes, although the reasons for the breeding program for the macaws is the same old story of human encroachment and exploitation for the pet trade, Many of the parrots at the breeding center were ex pets. It's all swings and roundabouts. On the plus side the released populations are doing very well now.