Avian Biology
Spend your Maymester studying bird biology in the rainforests, volcanic areas, cloud forests and black sand beaches of Costa Rica. With more than 400 bird species – including parrots, toucans, motmots and hummingbirds – you’ll definitely have something to tweet about this summer.
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Going into the trip, I believed I was in for a relaxing two weeks after a grueling past semester. I expected to learn bundles about the country and birds and enjoy every moment, but I did not expect the experience to change my outlook on my future. I have always known I wanted my future…
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All the itineraries and research in the world could not have prepared me for all the beauty and experiences I had in Costa Rica. A typical day was to get up at the crack of dawn and going off on a new adventure. This ranged from seeing a volcano, to being at an animal sanctuary…
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I had never been out of the United States, so everything from flying alone to having limited phone service was new to me. We started out in the city and came just at the beginning of wet season so there was no avoiding getting soaked throughout the trip. That was when I really appreciated my…
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Costa Rica is known for its breath taking landscape, with beautiful mountains and streams. We hiked many, many miles on this trip to witness these beautiful landscapes. There was one hike, that really tested all of us though, especially myself. This hike was a 3-4 mile hike uphill to Karen Mogensen Reserve. This is called…
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Costa Rica was absolutely breathtaking, from the hikes to the national parks, from the waterfalls to the rivers, and from one side to the other. However, one aspect of my trip that was above the rest was the food! It was so good! Our first day there, was a morning buffet at a hotel we…
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These were three of my favorite birds we got to see on the trip, as well as three of my favorite pictures taken. The first picture is of a golden hooded tanager. They have twelve different colored feathers. It’s not necessarily a rare bird but it is definitely beautiful. The second picture is of an…
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This picture was taken after a long day of exploring Solimar and hiking through the forest to find the spectacled owl nest. Solimar is one of the largest cattle ranches in Costa Rica. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many cattle in one place. The farm is made up of mostly Brahman cattle and…
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Although it was supposed to be a birding trip in Costa Rica for two weeks, we saw far more than just birds. We saw everything from the terrifying bullet ant to the peculiar peccary. I had no idea what that was, but our guide explained that it was related to the American deer despite the…
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While in Costa Rica we would go to new locations every few days to try and find new species of birds. Every trip was a new adventure! Most of the roads in Costa Rica are only wide enough for 2 cars and are gravel. Since the country is very mountainous and hilly many of the…
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During my Avian Biology trip in Costa Rica my class would hike every day to enjoy nature and find elusive birds however, one hike in particular stood out from the rest. The purpose of this hike was to reach the lodge at the Karen Mogensen Nature Reserve. This hike occurred on day five of the…