Approximately 350 bird species are found inhabiting the forests, lagoons, canals and beaches surrounding Caño Palma Biological Station. Roughly one-third of these are migrant species returning from North American to spend much of the year in the tropics. Our monitoring program has been ongoing since 1991 resulting in an improved understanding of migrational movement, population status and trends.

Goals:

• * Maintain a long-term monitoring program to study migrant and tropical land and pelagic birds;
• * Provide training opportunities and exchange information with international students, biologists and conservation organizations, and
• * Produce a database available for research and conservation purposes.

This Integrated Bird Monitoring Program combines the use of fine-meshed mist nets to capture and band birds with area searches and migration counts into a long-term monitoring and training program following the recommendations of the Partners in Flight – Aves de las Américas.

• * A total of 3,822 captures from 113 bird species from 1994 to 2006;
• * The most common captured migrant species are Alder and Willow Flycatcher, Northern Waterthrush, Swainson’s Thrush, Kentucky Warbler and Wood Thrush;
• * A banded Gray-cheeked Thrush was re-trapped near Toronto, Ontario 18 months following its capture at the station;
• * North American populations of Prothonotary warblers are found in concentrated numbers, and
• * Monitoring and banding reveal populations of White-Collared Manakins with individuals of at least 10 years old.

Tropical birds comprise a large portion of the world’s total biological diversity, yet knowledge of the reproductive behaviour and ecology of many species inhabiting this rainforest ecosystem is poorly understood.

Goals:

• Increase the knowledge of bird ecology, reproduction and population dynamics;
• Record information of the location and habitat type of breeding sites;
• Increase awareness of bird biodiversity and conservation amongst local people, and
• Provide research opportunities and exchange information with national and international biologists.
  

• Conduct area searches in several aquatic and terrestrial study sites;
• Document location, species, clutch size, hatching and fledging success rates;
• Mist-net, band and collect biometric information, and
• Document spatial and temporal trends and habitat preference.
  

• Observations of over 200 active nests and descriptive life histories in progress;
• Publication on the nesting behaviour of the Rufescent tiger heron, and
• Involvement of national and international students, volunteers and local residents.
  

Volunteers needed at the Caño Palma Biological Station, located within the Barra Colorado Wildlife Refuge and Meso-American biodiversity hotspot. The station is adjacent to Caño Palma, a narrow, palm-filled canal which separates the Station from the Caribbean Sea by a mere 200-300 metres.

The globally endangered green, leatherback, hawksbill and loggerhead sea turtles come ashore to nest on beaches accessible from the station. Living facilities are clean and comfortable but basic. Volunteers, researchers and students share a dormitory which can accommodate 30 people. The rooms are equipped with bunks and the station provides mattresses and bedding. A large airy dining room which connects to the kitchen and office is the central meeting area on the station's one acre compound.

Highlights: Marine Turtle Monitoring and Community-Based Conservation Program No long-term systematic study and resources have been targeted to understand sea turtle nesting patterns within the Barra Colorado Wildlife Refuge apart from the efforts of COTERC. Our turtle conservation efforts began in 2004 with morning surveys on the North Beach to better understand sea turtle nesting patterns, abundance and poaching rate. The program has expanded to include coordinated and intensive monitoring, tagging and community-based conservation efforts.

More information can be found here and on our home page.

Join us for a fun and exciting evening to raise funds and awareness about our work in Costa Rica.

Enjoy... Great Food, Live Entertainment provided by Sabor! (Latin Jazz), Silent & Live Auction and interesting Guest Speakers!

When: Saturday, October 25, 2008, 6:30pm-10:00pm
Where: The Toronto Zoo - the Atrium
Address: 361A Old Finch Ave., Scarborough, M1B 5K7 [Map]
Cost: $75.00
RSVP by Phone: (905)831-8809 or (416)910-4882 or email
Event Poster: -- (Adobe Reader is required)
Buy Tickets: Online from our events page.

WHAT IS COTERC?

The Canadian Organization for Tropical Education and Rainforest Conservation (COTERC) is a registered Canadian non-profit charitable organization based in Pickering, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1991, COTERC operates in both Canada and Costa Rica. COTERC is committed and working actively to protect tropical rainforests.

WHERE DOES COTERC OPERATE?

In Canada, our Board of Directors are biologists, accountants, educators, environmentalists, zoo professionals, media professionals operating from

The Canadian Organization for Tropical Education and Rainforest Conservation (COTERC) is a registered Canadian non-profit charitable organization (#890096183 RR0001) based in Pickering, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1991, COTERC operates in both Canada and Costa Rica. In Canada, our Board of Directors are biologists, accountants, educators, environmentalists, zoo professionals, media professionals -- all committed and working actively to protect tropical rainforests. In Costa Rica, we are based at the Caño Palma Biological Station, which is situated approximately 8 kilometers (5 miles) north of the village of Tortuguero on Costa Rica's north-eastern coast. The Tortuguero area is an ancient flood plain covered by lowland Atlantic tropical wet forest and is biologically the richest ecosystem in Costa Rica. Average daily temperature is about 26 degrees Celsius and rainfall may exceed 6,000 mm per annum.