2^nd Annual International Migratory Bird Festival & Birding Marathon, 2015

This year, the Annual Migratory Bird Festival in the Osa kicks off with a “Birdathon” on Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7, as well as the main event of a birding tour that takes place Saturday, March 7 at the town hall at 6:00am. Since this is a peninsula-wide festival, “satellite” activities will take place in Drake, Carate, Rancho Quemado, El Progreso, El Tigre, Bahía Chal, San Juan and other communities in the area.

Learn more about the festival here, and here.

2014 Christmas bird count registers 434 species in the Osa Peninsula

Last December, Karen Leavelle and her organization Osa Birds led a team of volunteers through Corcovado National Park, Carate, Dos Brazos del Río Tigre, Río Nuevo, and Puerto Jiménez to conduct the annual Christmas bird count. A total of 434 bird species were registered including the registration of an endangered and endemic species, the Black-cheeked ant tanager (Habia Atrimaxillaris).

Read more here (article in Spanish).

Rediscovery of Critically Endangered streamside frog in Costa Rica

A new study published in mongabay.com’s open-access journal Tropical Conservation Science reports the rediscovery of two new populations of the South Pacific streamside frog (Craugastor taurus) in southeastern Costa Rica, marking the first sighting of the species since 1997.

For more information, read here.

Fishermen in Golfo Dulce implement new, improved system for fishing

Fishermen in the Golfo Dulce are working in conjunction with the Costa Rican Fishing Federation (FECOP) and the Costa Rican Institute of Fishing and Aquaculture (INCOPESCA) in testing new, more efficient fishing methods for Pacific white shrimp. These new methods include smaller, artisanal fishing vessels with specialized nets that capture white shrimp while reducing the capture of other, juvenile species of fish.

Read more here (article in Spanish).

Inauguration of the Osa-Golfo Dulce Interdisciplinary Laboratory

On February 6, the Osa-Golfo Dulce Interdisciplinary Laboratory was inaugurated in El Campo, Agua Buena de Osa. The Laboratory is a result of the collaboration between the Neotrópica Foundation and the University of Costa Rica, and will serve as a research hub for the arts and sciences, engineering, health, and agriculture.

For more information, see here (article in Spanish).

Or please contact:

UCR: Gerado Cortes: 2511-8758, piosa@ucr.ac.cr

Neotropica Foundation: Adriana Hidalgo: 2253-2130, ahidalgo@neotropica.org