Tuesday, February 21

I had a long day ahead of me, starting with breakfast at 6:30am. I was out of bed by 5:30 so that I could walk some of the trails at the Center before taking a shower. Only a few hundred meters down the first trail, as I was coming around a corner, a large crested black bird was crossing the path: a male Great Currasow. Soon after, his partner followed. In less than 24 hours, I had seen both a guan and a currasow, two groups of birds (both in family Cracidae) that had alluded me in Latin America.

Our first stop of the day was at the ITCR branch campus to discuss my ideas for the program with an agronomy professor. This was the first time I was able to meet Alberth, Eugenio's assistant and a crack birder. While Eugenio spoke with an acquaintance, Alberth was describing some of the aspects of campus, including a crocodile farm where Boat-billed Heron were nesting just across the road. This has been an annoying blank on my life list, but the tress were full of them in easy view.

Boat-billed Heron

Our meeting lasted almost two hours, conducted nearly entirely in Spanish. It must have been the excitement of the curassow, but I think I performed quite well and understood nearly everything that was said. While many things were discussed, I think the most important idea we developed was a capstone project as part of the program. After students learn some economic theory from me and learn about successful operations while in the field, we thought it would be great for them to then meet a group of producers looking to solve a business problem. Based on what they have learned over the program, they then work in teams to propose a solution. Basically, a practicum to finish off the project. I really think this idea has great potential.

After lunch, Eugenio and I headed to Finca Educativa Don Juan. I clearly broke my brain during the last meeting because suddenly I could not finish a sentence in Spanish. Somehow, I could suddenly understand the German being spoken at another table. Go figure. Although I failed miserably in communicating, the stop was well worth it. On two acres, they organically grow enough food to feed nearly 40 people per day! Even the cow manure that is produced during milking is placed in a digester to generate methane that is then used to heat the serving trays.

The economics are surprisingly simple. Don Juan produces basic crops (cassava, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc) that do not generate particularly high premia for being organic. Instead, he makes his operation profitable through market power. Instead of bringing his goods to the consumer, the consumers come to his goods. And no one sees a deformed organic tomato on the shelf. Instead, they taste delicious fresh tomatoes that have been chopped and added to a salad.

Visitors have the option of showing up in the morning, working on the farm, harvesting fruits and vegetables, milking cows and then at lunch, the staff prepares food using the ingredients they have collected. A significant contemporary problem is that too many people think that food magically appears in the supermarket. The experience of actually working to produce a meal from it basic starting point I think would be a tremendous educational experience and something like this should definitely be included in the program.

We returned to the Center around 3:30, leaving about an hour to rest and an hour to bird before dinner.  I was having a terrible time locating birds and really thought my time on the trails was a giant waste. This was only exacerbated by the horrible light that exists in a dense forest setting. Only afterwards did I discover that I had actually done pretty well. The woodcreeper I spotted was actually a new find: Wedge-billed Woodcreeper. A hummingbird I was unable to identify in the field was also new: Violet-crowned Woodnympth. Finally, a pair of large woodpeckers turned out not to be Lineated. Instead, I had finally gotten Pale-billed Woodpecker.  Of course, none of the pictures of these birds are particularly good. Indeed, they are quite bad. But, any picture counts.

And as I had hoped, with an amazingly productive day in terms of developing the program, I was also able to add 5 lifers in less than 2 hours of actual birding time squeezed in around meals.