I didn't find the shade-grown coffee report mentioned yesterday on Tweeters
"discouraging" at all. It's obvious to anyone seeing a shade coffee
plantation that it would not be suitable for every last bird species in
Central American forests. The point is that shade coffee plantations are
far, far better for birds in general (and probably long-distance migrants in
particular) than the essentially sterile sun coffee plantations that
dominate the scene. I would certainly be surprised to see a Ruddy
Woodcreeper in any coffee plantation, but to witness the foraging of
hundreds of warblers, tanagers, orioles and hummingbirds in blooming Inga
and Erythrina trees in the simplest of shade-grown plantations is enough to
warm the heart of any caffeine addict.

Dick Cannings
1330 Debeck Road
S11, C96, RR#1
Naramata, BC V0H 1N0
CANADA

(250) 496-4049