Despite the corona crisis, investigations continue in Costa Rica
Despite the fact that there are no students because of the Corona crisis, the research continues (partly).
In the Netherlands, some students are busy analysing data, but also in Costa Rica inventories are still being made. Accompanied by guide Tapa, Hanneke and Maarten walk the transects in different habitats.
The crowdfunding campaign for the local workers of Work with Nature in Costa Rica has been more than successful! Therefore an update of special observations of the past weeks.
Bird research
Several new species of birds have been added to the species list.
In the reserve, the Middle American Screech-Owl was heard for the first time up close, an owl that likes to hide in dense bushes, but makes a unique sound.
The Yellow-Green Vireo could also be added. The bird comes from South America to Costa Rica to breed here. A rarity for the Caribbean lowlands!
On their way back to North America some Canada Warblers entered the reserve. Beautiful little birds that we had never seen before.
After seeing the spectacular Ocelated Antbird earlier this year, it was now the turn of the Bicolored Antbird. The bird species follow swarms of Army Ants. These voracious ants eat anything that moves during their raids, up to lizards and scorpions. The Antbirds follow the ants and pick up fleeing animals before the ants are present.
Al enkele maanden wordt het reservaat bewoond door de Black Hawk-Eagle, een grote roofvogel en uithangbord voor ons regenwoud. Sinds een aantal weken lijkt hij een partner gevonden te hebben want we hebben het koppel nu meerdere keren samen zien rondcirkelen boven het bos. Nu wachten op de jongen!
For several months the reserve has been inhabited by the Black Hawk-Eagle, a large bird of prey and a signboard for our rainforest. Since a couple of weeks he seems to have found a partner, because we have seen the couple circling above the forest several times now. Now we are waiting for the boy!
During bird migration, large groups of birds of prey gather together to migrate back to North America via fixed routes, mostly over San Miguel. In half an hour we saw about 300 Mississipi Kites, 200 Broad-winged Hawks, 400 Swainson’s Hawk and 150 Turkey Vultures fly over.
Reptiles and amphibians research Ook wat betreft reptielen en amfibiën hadden we niets te klagen.
As far as reptiles and amphibians are concerned, we had nothing to complain about either.
Furthermore, it was mainly the time of the poisonous snakes. The dangerous and beautiful Allen’s Coral Snake is usually active at night but was now seen twice during the day.
The Eyelash Viper is becoming more and more common in the reserve. This time we saw a small juvenile, a good sign for the future!
The Rainforest Hog-nosed Pitviper and Fer-de-Lance were passed several times at a safe distance, but sometimes we crawled a little closer for nice pictures.
A new lizard was added to the species list when the compost heap was turned over. The small Leaf Litter Gecko then quickly went back into the avocado husks. New species are often discussed in an app group of former students. When Thomas thought he had seen a similar lizard before, it turned out to be another new species: the Spotted Dwarf Gecko.
On the advice of student Merel, more attention was paid to the Pug-nosed Anole and with success: three individuals have already been observed, one of them during a transect.
From stand-in guide Gerald we got a Red-eyed Leaf Frog that he had brought from the garden. Because a lot of poison is being sprayed in the village, we put the large female in the reserve and since the rainy season is just starting, we can expect new beautiful amphibian sightings soon….
Mammal research
On the mammal front there is also good news.
The now extensive list of occurring species became a little longer again. The rare Northern Naked-tailed Armadillo, aka “The Tank”, stomped through the reserve and was recorded by a cameraval.
It was a while ago again that a couple of Ocelot could be seen together. A sign that this species is still doing very well at Work with Nature!
The Collared Peccary constantly migrates in small groups through its large habitat. Sometimes we don’t see them for months, now two big ones and four small ones pass by.
Help needed
This work too, is under pressure from the current crisis. We are currently running a crowdfunding campaign to keep our workers on.
Much has already been donated, but not enough. Look up: Campaign local workers (in Dutch)
Did you know that 5% of all species of flora and fauna in the world live and grow in Costa Rica? Also, Costa Rica is in the global top 20 countries with the greatest biodiversity! Are you a real nature lover? Then put Costa Rica on your bucket list. But… before you pull your backpack and passport out of the closet, we want to give you a lesson about biodiversity. Maybe you have what it is, but to refresh your memory we’ll explain it to you in this blog. (more…)
Is it possible to restore the original rainforest in a deforested area where cows have been grazing for years? In Costa Rica at least they accept the challenge. This article tells in short how a Dutch foundation in Costa Rica is trying to transform degraded land back into a fully fledged rainforest. (more…)
Most species are between 7.5 and 13 cm in size. You would almost think it is an out-sized bumblebee! Hummingbirds (Trochilidae) are the smallest birds in the world. They are a family of birds of the order swift-like. The family includes more than 300 species. Most species are found in South America. It is so much fun (more…)
What’s with the fur? Why do sloths sleep so much? This month, the three-fingered sloth is the animal of the month at Adopt Rainforest. And what’s more fun than hearing from one of the founders of Adopt Rainforest some fun facts that you won’t find in a standard biology book. Maarten van der Beek is one of the biologists at Adopt Rainforest and lives on the Work With Nature reserve in Costa Rica. (more…)
Now that student Sonny, a pure night tour specialist, is about to finish his internship, a lot of great discoveries are made at the last minute. To top it all off, last week we found a special glass frog in the reserve. This Hyalinobatrachium dianae – Diane’s Bare-hearted Glass Frog was only discovered and described […]
Last summer we were able to open the proverbial champagne bottle again! Despite all external influences, we managed to formalize the purchase of a beautiful and especially strategically important piece of rainforest! It concerns the 9 hectares on which the research center is located. (more…)
Critically endangered parrot species Yesterday the research program of Adopt Rainforest participated in the Censo Internacional de la Guacamaya Verde 2022. Or in English the International Sensus of the Great Green Macaw. Throughout its distribution, dozens of organisations participate in the next days to get an understanding of the current state of this parrot species. […]
Did you know… in the wet months the frogs in Costa Rica show themselves more often? They are less prone to drying out because of the wetness and are singing because many species lay their eggs in the rainy season. Earlier we talked about the glass frogs, but there are many more frogs to be seen in this period. (more…)
Together with Barbilla National Park and the Bajo Chirripó Indigenous Reserve, the Work with Nature reserve forms a “three-country point”. This place is known as Punta de Lanza or Lanspunt. The community consists partly of the indigenous population of Costa Rica and partly of “white people” (modern ticos). Recently, an association has been founded to achieve more together.
When a butterfly flies by, most people do stop for a moment to follow it with their eyes. They often have beautiful colors and the large soft wings compared to the small body make them look almost cuddly. In Costa Rica there are more than 1200 species of butterflies and of course we are very curious about the species that occur in the reservation of Adopt Rainforest.
Costa Rica is known for its beautiful nature, a country with an exceptionally high diversity of plants and animals (one of the highest percentages of biodiversity in the world). A country for the true ecotourist. Over the past twenty years, ecotourism has become increasingly important to Costa Rica. In 2019, there were nearly 3 million tourists in Costa Rica of which 80% are considered ecotourists. (more…)
In the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica most rain falls in May to August. The fact that it rains is good for all life of course, but can be quite difficult for our biologists in the Work with Nature reserve; the paths become muddy, the laundry doesn’t dry and the project is sometimes briefly inaccessible because rivers are filling up. (more…)
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From 25 hectares of grassland to a thriving rainforest
This month chairman Martin and founder Matthijs were at Trees for All’s headquarters to ratify a new cooperation for reforestation of 25 hectares of grassland. One of the largest projects in Costa Rica for the Adopt Rainforest Foundation to date. A total of more than 27,500 trees will be planted. (more…)
In recent years, the reserve of the Adopt Rainforest Foundation has been easy for project manager Maarten to oversee. Two or three times a week he and the students make his rounds through the project area for the biodiversity research. For this research they visit several plots of the area, giving them a good insight into what is happening. Should any illegal logging occur, it is immediately noticed. The same goes for illegal hunting. In addition to the local presence, camera traps are hung at various places in the reserve. These are checked weekly. Should hunters or poachers walk through our reserve, this is quickly noticed.
As far as reptiles and amphibians are concerned, we had nothing to complain about either.