Bird Banding Expedition & Christmas Bird Count
Loma Alta IBA, Colonche Hills, Coastal Range, South America
December 9-23, 2012
Join Dr. Dusti Becker and Ecuadorian research staff on an exciting birding and conservation project in the coastal cordillera of western Ecuador. Volunteers collect data about birds in a community-owned cloud forest protected area - the Loma Alta Ecological Reserve. Your work advances scientific understanding of cloud forest avian communities and provides local villagers with employment related to conservation. Volunteers participate in the Audubon Christmas Bird Count at Loma Alta.
Loma Alta is home to more than 20 species of hummingbird and 40 of the 55 Tumbesian endemic birds making it an exciting birding destination. In 2004, our research prompted national and international bird conservation organizations to designate the area as an Important Bird Area (IBA). Red-masked parakeets, crested guans, rufous-fronted chachalacas, Choco toucans, gray-backed hawks, and ornate hawk eagles are a few of the regional specialties awaiting volunteers during a project at Loma Alta. The ecology of the endangered Esmeraldas woodstar is an additional focus of our monitoring, providing close-up views of these spectacular tropical gems and other hummingbird species at survey feeders.
Volunteers help set up and monitor mist nets, extract birds from nets, carry birds from nets to a banding station, and record basic ecological data. Bilingual volunteers can strongly contribute to environmental education and ecotourism training. Volunteers have some afternoons free to explore and bird around the protected area, including searching for mantled howler and white-fronted Capuchin monkeys.
The expedition begins and ends in Guayaquil, Ecuador. To apply, complete a volunteer application form (bottom of volunteer page) and e-mail it to Dr. Dusti Becker: dbecker@lifenetnature.org with a brief cover letter - resume (optional).
The volunteer donation of $1500 is partially tax deductible and covers lodging, food, reserve fees, local staff, transportation within Ecuador, and contributes to long-term bird monitoring and community-based conservation at Loma Alta. Airfare is not included.