Green-breasted Mango (Anthracothorax prevostii) by Twan Leenders
This Green-breasted Mango (Anthracothorax prevostii) from Costa Rica will not be showing up at U.S. feeders this year but Ruby-throated Hummingbirds will be arriving in our yards shortly. Spring is actually going to happen, I promise, and this is a great time to clean out any birdhouses or feeding stations you have and be sure you’re set for the next several months.
Read MoreChecking on the Limosa Harlequin Frog
Twan and I are currently checking in on the Limosa Harlequin Frog (Atelopus limosus) population in Panama in our continued effort to survey their health and status. This past January I visited them and brought back the great news that their population was still holding steady. During the time I surveyed them I found four adults, six sub-adults, and 17 metamorphs. I even found adults higher up in the preserve than previously spotted leading to the suspicion that the population may be increasing. This theory is something we are exploring and will try to confirm during this trip. When we...
Read MoreJumping Spider (Phiale formosa)
Sean saw this black and white Jumping Spider (Phiale formosa) while setting up mist nests in Rara Avis Rainforest in Costa Rica. He took the opportunity for this great Meet Your Neighbours photo.
Read MoreRTPI Staff Teaches Litchfield High School Students in the Costa Rican Rainforest
Between February 24 and March 7 RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser and Director Twan Leenders traveled to the Costa Rican rainforest again to teach Connecticut high school students about the importance of rainforest conservation as part of the Forman School Rainforest Project. This unique hands-on biology course based out of the Forman School in Litchfield, but also catering to high school seniors and juniors of local public high schools, is currently in its 22nd year. Every year a group of 12-14 students travels to the remote (and difficult to reach) rainforest preserve Rara Avis, where they work...
Read MoreCrowned Tree-frog (Anotheca Spinosa)
RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser notes, “This years Reps and Amps team observed 58 species over the course of two weeks in Rara Avis Rainforest Reserve in Costa Rica and added a new species to the 22 year-old cumulative list. This is an impressive task when the list includes over 130 species. The Crowned Tree-frog (Anotheca Spinosa) was found six times during the population surveys, an impressive number for this very elusive species. This points to the continued upward trend of this populations stability in Rara Avis and the surrounding area.”
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