Hi Tweets,

We just returned from snow-free Costa Rica and due to the weather
related rescheduling of so many CBCs in the Northwest, we would like
to tell you of the CBC that we participated in on 14 December, as well
as an Earth Watch Institute research project that we worked since 1
Dec. Our base was at the University of Georgia?s tropical research
station at Ecolodge San Luis a few kilometers from the Monteverde
Cloud Forest Preserve.

The project and CBC involved 6 different family-operated 1-hectare
shade-grown coffee plantations in a cooperative called Finca La Bella
near San Luis.

For our portion of the CBC on four of the plantations our list of
birds observed included the following: Emerald Toucanets, Blue-gray
and Summer Tanagers, Golden-olive Woodpeckers, Brown Jays, Yellow-
faced Grassquits, Clay-colored Robins, Grayish and Buff-throated
Saltators, Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds, Tropical Kingbirds, Social
Flycatchers, White-tipped Doves, Blue-crowned Motmots, Blue-and-white
swallows, Wilson?s Warblers, Gray-crowned Yellowthroats, Groove-billed
Anis, Orange-chinned Parakeets and Baltimore Orioles. As of yet we do
not have a complete list of all of the birds observed by other teams
in the Monteverde area, but last year the count was number 6 for
species observed worldwide with 306 species observed. Though not part
of the CBC we also saw the Resplendent Quetzal.

A typical day on the EWI research project involved observing and
recording all bird species while walking 100 meter transects through
the coffee plantations for 45 minutes each hour for 4 hours. We also
observed and recorded flower and fruit resources available to birds
and insects. We counted pollen grains deposited on the stigmas of
coffee flowers and collected insects. Exclosures were also set up to
exclude insectivorous birds from coffee plants. The diameter at breast
height (DBH) of all non-coffee trees was measured in all 6 plantations.

The project had three objectives as follows: 1) To determine if
constant resource availability increases bee diversity in shade-coffee
plantations. Recent research indicates that pollinator diversity and
especially solitary bee presence may increase coffee yields.
Pollination is an important ecological service that can benefit
farmers directly through better quality coffee and an increased coffee
harvest. If results from this portion of the study indicate that
choosing shade tree species, which provide bees with year-round nectar
resources, can conserve bee diversity in shade-coffee plantations then
farmers may be more willing to increase shade tree diversity on their
farms.

2) To determine if constant bee-pollinated flower availability
increases pollen deposition on coffee flower stigmas in shade-coffee
plantations.

3) To address whether or not constant fruit availability increases
frugivorous and partially frugivorous bird abundances in shade-coffee
plantations. Previous studies have shown that shade-grown coffee
increases bird abundances over sun-grown coffee, however the amount of
increase varies with the composition of the shade layer. More specific
information is needed to understand how shade tree management
influences bird populations, especially bird species that disperse
seeds. Frugivorous birds are often species, which are especially
important for nature tourism because these birds often display the
bright coloration people, have come to expect in tropical birds.
Frugivorous birds may be especially affected by deforestation because
they may depend wholly or partially on fruit resources throughout the
year. Farmers with coffee plantations, which can support populations
of birds that consume fruit, may not only, receive higher prices for
their coffee through certification programs, but they may also add
income through nature tourism.

It was a great experience involving long hours of walking many
kilometers of steep, rocky muddy terrain, with almost constant
horizontal misty rain, high winds and long hours in the lab counting
pollen grains through microscopes. Interaction with our team of 6 was
exciting and international with Peru, South Africa, Australia and
Wisconsin represented. There were large numbers of neo-tropical
migrants in the plantations including many species of wood warblers.
Perhaps the most interesting part of our experience was getting to
know the 6 Costa Rican families who owned the plantations and welcomed
us whenever we visited their fincas. Their coffee was absolutely
delicious and we will endeavor to purchase coffee directly from them
instead of through layers of middlemen.


Don and Sandi McVay
dmcvay at cmc.net
Snowy Seattle (Queen Anne)