Rara Avis Rainforest Preserve
If you’re as tired of the cold as we are, here is something to look forward to that won’t take until spring: RTPI President & Executive Director Twan Leenders and Affiliate Sean Graesser are in the Rara Avis Rainforest Preserve in Costa Rica through the end of next week with students from the Forman School and from Wamogo Regional High School in Litchfield, CT. They’ll be hiking the trails (yes, this is actually a picture of a trail) in the extremely lush Costa Rican rainforest to study neotropical birds, amphibians, reptiles and other tropical critters. Expect updates...
Read MoreCosta Rica research discussion
Here is RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser and fellow researcher Tyler Christensen in Costa Rica in December 2013 being interviewed by RTPI President Twan Leenders on the Nicoya Peninsula Avian Research project, related initiatives, conservation and why their work is novel and important.
Read MoreLimosa Harlequin Frog
We are anxiously waiting for news from Panama to see how RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser, Science teacher Laurie Doss and her team of high school students from the Marvelwood School in Kent, CT, fared during their 10-day research trip to the remote Cocobolo Nature Reserve. The team is studying and banding migratory birds that winter in the area’s dense rainforest habitat. This is very exciting, but I have to admit that I can’t wait to hear if they had an opportunity to check in on one of the region’s other natural treasures: the Limosa Harlequin Frog (Atelopus limosus)....
Read MoreRed-eyed Tree Frogs
When I’m not engrossed in avian research my focus gets drawn to reptiles and amphibians. While visiting the Karen Mogensen Nature Reserve we found this nice population of Pacific phased Red-eyed Tree Frogs (Agalychnis callidryas). Around the main pool we found a few masses of eggs that were in various stages of development. The next find was particularly exciting for me – individuals in amplexus. That means during the courtship of this species the female carries the male on her back before copulation. We proceeded to find a few other individuals in the immediate vicinity....
Read MoreNicoya Peninsula Avian Research
Coconut palms fringe the white sandy beach. The Pacific Ocean is almost the same deep blue as the sky overhead. Only a few hundred feet inland from this postcard-perfect tropical beach scene the tidal mud is knee-deep and smells like rotten eggs. If the mud wasn’t enough of a challenge, a dense labyrinth of mangrove stilt roots makes it near impossible to walk. Many thousands of people visit the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica each year to enjoy the former scene. RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser and fellow researcher Tyler Christensen make the trip down each winter to spend several weeks in the...
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