Newsletter

SVBC Trip to Tiskita Jungle Lodge

by Jean Schroeder, with birding details by Fred Schroeder.
(Jean and Fred, long-time SVBC members, are also beloved seasonal members of the San Vito community, staying in the Jungle Cabin at Pino Colina.)

July 2011 Volume 5 Issue 2

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Imagine falling asleep in your charming cabina, lulled by the rhythm of the Pacific Ocean below; and awakening before dawn The author and assistant. Photo: Alison Olivieri to the roar of Howler Monkeys in the forested ridge above you! Imagine walking with expert bird leader and friend, Jim Zook, wandering through open areas and fruit-laden orchards, then descending into the rainforest on the stream trail with its enormous lianas and tiny bridges. Our group of nine experienced all of this at Tiskita Jungle Lodge on a 2-night trip, 2527 February. Included were Julie Girard and Dave Woolley, Alison Olivieri, Jean and Fred Schroeder, Doug and Linda Wilson, their niece Jackie, and Jim Zook. Tiskita Jungle Lodge is a remarkable and beautiful place, with wonderful owners and 800 acres of preserve, from the black sand Pacific Linda Wilson not hiking. beach to the canopied Photo: Jean Schroeder old-growth forest above. The cabinas and buildings are made and furnished with products of the forest like mahogany and rosewoodthere is even a rosewood ping pong table in the game room near the bar and swimming pool! Each cabina group has rooms decorated with flowers,

woven bedspreads and molasand a large terrace where we gathered for the San Vito Bird Clubs traditional bocas y bebidas [hor doeuvres and drinks], plus a viewing of Julies amazing photos from Ecuador, shown on Doug Wilsons lap top. Jim Zook, Julie Girard and Fred Schroeder on to something. Photo: Jean Schroeder [See Judy Richardsons article about this trip elsewhere in this issue. Ed.] Macaws crossing the blue sky in pairs, and Birding highlights on Saturday were the Sam, the resident toucan, who was pre-breakfast influx of honeycreepers and rehabilitated and released by the owners but tanagers around the lodge, and the mid- returns now and then to perch on a table in morning surge of raptors over the fruit the dining room. [See photo!] orchards. One after another, in the space of And of course there were the usual half an hour, these magnificent large birds moments of consternation. Julie thought she appearedWhite-tailed Kite, White Hawk, had forgotten her hiking bootsbut they mysteriously turned up in the Schroeders bathroom. Alison did forget hers, so she had to wear Freds. And chigger-wary Fred had to wear Alisons socks. Oh well, just a few examples of rainforest symbiotic relationships at work For all of us, it had been a long-time dream to go to Tiskitaand Tiskita surpassed all our expectations. What a special place, and

"Sam" the Toucan sharing jungle joke with friend Jim Zook.

Photo: Alison Olivieri

King Vulture, Hook-billed Kite, Common Black-Hawk, Plumbeous Kite, and the Broadwinged Hawk. The Stream Trail gave us three species of manakins, two species of antbirds, and the loud but elusive Riverside and Black-bellied Wrens. Sundays early walk featured a Doubletoothed Kite and a Broad-winged Hawk following a Squirrel Monkey troop. We looked for dueling raucous Mealy Parrots above us, and had beautiful scope views of a perched White Hawk emitting its blood-curdling call. Just as colorful were the pairs of Scarlet

Alison Olivieri leading the pack on a forest trail.

Photo: Jean Schroeder

how lucky we were that Julie once again put her excellent organizational skills to work to get us all there. Thanks, too, to Gail and Harry Hull who did the background research for the trip. And how doubly fortunate that Jim Zook could come with us. Not only was he a great trip companion, but thanks to him, we saw, heard, and learned so much. It was another successful San Vito Bird Club trip, thoroughly enjoyed by us all!

Most of the group--Dave Woolley, Jim Zook, Alison Olivieri, Julie Girard, and Fred Schroeder--with one of Tiskita Lodge's owners, Lisbeth Nuez, between Alison and Julie. Photo: Jean Schroeder

Newsletter
El Viaje del SVBC al Tiskita Jungle Lodge
por Jean Schroeder, con detalles pajariles de Fred Schroeder. (Jean y Fred, miembros
del SVBC desde hace mucho tiempo, tambin son queridos miembros estacionales de la comunidad de San Vito, y se hospedan en la Cabina de la Selva en Pino Colina.)

July 2011 Volume 5 Issue 2

Imagnese quedarse dormido en su encantadora cabina, adormecido por el ritmo

Fred Schroeder in front of main entrance to the Lodge.

Lunch in the Lodge and the back of Peter Aspinall's head. Photo: Alison Olivieri

The Pacific Ocean near the entrance to the Tiskita Jungle Lodge property.

All photos this page by Jean Schroeder unless otherwise noted.

del Ocano Pacfico debajo; y despertar antes del amanecer por el rugido de los monos aulladores en la montaa sobre usted! Imagnese caminando con Jim Zook, experto lder pajarero y amigo, caminando por reas abiertas y huertos cargados de frutas y, a continuacin, bajar al bosque por el Sendero de la Quebrada, con sus enormes lianas y pequeos puentes. Nuestro grupo de nueve experiment todo esto en Tiskita Jungle Lodge en un viaje de dos noches, del 25 al 27 de febrero, al que fuimos Julie Girard y Dave Woolley, Alison Olivieri, Jean y Fred Schroeder, Doug y Linda Wilson, su sobrina Jackie y Jim Zook. Tiskita Jungle Lodge es un lugar

hermoso y notable, con unos dueos maravillosos y 320 hectreas de reserva, desde la playa de arena negra del Pacfico al dosel del bosque maduro ms arriba. Las cabinas y edificios estn hechos y amueblados con productos del bosque como caoba y cocobolo -incluso hay una mesa de ping pong de cocobolo en la sala de juego, cerca del bar y la piscina! Cada grupo de cabinas tiene and Alison habitaciones decoradas con flores, Doug Wilson, Julie Girard, Fred Schroeder, Dave Woolley,hidden.) Olivieri on the Tisktia Jungle Lodge grounds. (Jim Zook is colchas tejidas y molas -y una amplia suyas, por lo que tuvo que usar las de Fred. Y terraza donde nos reunimos para las tradicionales bebidas y bocas del San Vito Bird Fred, preocupado por las coloradillas, tuvo que Club, adems del show de las increbles fotos usar las medias de Alison. Bueno, slo unos de Ecuador de Julie, vistas en la computadora pocos ejemplos de relaciones simbiticas del bosque lluvioso trabajando... de Doug Wilson. [N. del Para todos nosotros, ir Ed. Vase el artculo de Judy a Tiskita ha sido un sueo Richardson sobre este viaje en desde hace mucho tiempo -y este Boletn] Tiskita super todas nuestras Entre los atractivos del expectativas. Qu lugar tan sbado destacan la afluencia de especial, y qu suerte tuvimos mieleros y tngaras alrededor de que Julie pusiera a trabajar del albergue justo antes del una vez ms su excelente desayuno y el aumento de Squirrel Monkey near the Lodge. capacidad organizativa rapaces sobre los frutales a para llevarnos all. Gracias, media maana. Una tras otra, estas grandes y magnficas aves aparecieron en el transcurso de tambin, a Gail y Harry Hull que averiguaron media hora gaviln bailarn, gaviln detalles para el viaje. Y doblemente afortunados de que Jim blanco, rey de zopilote, gaviln Zook poda piquiganchudo, gaviln cangrejero, acompaarnos. elanio plomizo, y el gaviln pollero. No slo fue un El Sendero de la Quebrada nos dio gran compaero tres especies de saltarines, dos especies de viaje, sino de hormigueros y los ruidosos pero difciles de que gracias a l, ver sotorreyes pechibarreteado y vientrinegro. vimos, omos La caminata matutina del domingo depar y aprendimos un gaviln gorgirrayado y un gaviln pollero mucho. Fue otro persiguiendo una tropa de monos ardilla. Lisbeth Nuez and Peter Buscamos los estridentes loros verdes sobre Aspinall, owners of the Lodge exitoso viaje del San Vito Bird nosotros, y en el telescopio tuvimos una and perfect hosts. Club, disfrutado hermosa vista de un gaviln blanco posado por todos nosotros! emitiendo su llamado. As tan coloridas fueron las parejas de lapas cruzando el cielo azul, y "Sam", el tucn "residente", que fue rehabilitado y liberado por los propietarios pero que regresa de vez en cuando para posarse sobre una mesa en el comedor. [Vea la foto!] Y por supuesto los momentos habituales de consternacin. Julie pens que haba olvidado sus botas de montaa -pero misteriosamente aparecieron en el bao de los Schroeders. Alison s olvid las

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