Community Mural

Anarelys and Isbeth working on the mural

Joseph painting his flower for the mural 

Ms. K painting her Poison Dart Frog for the mural 

Ms. K taking a pose for the camera 

Katie painting the Harpy Eagle Panama's national bird

Ms. K setting up on the first day of the mural

Diana, Kerry, Katie, Lucas and Ms. K working on the mural

Carlitos working on the mural 

Diana painting with Angela 

In La Zahina painting the community mural

Young Painters 

                                               

Juan working on the mural

Thomas, Connor, Nicole, and kids from La Zahina 

Painting on the side of the school house cafeteria

The whole group in La Zahina with finished mural

The mural hanging up at the school house in La Zahina 

The whole group in La Zahina

Flycatchers captured during MoSI Banding (2011) and informal banding (2008-2010)



Royal Flycatcher

Onychorhynchus coronatus

Status: uncommon on both slopes

Breeding resident

Caught in 2011 (MoSI) (Lucas O’Malley)

 

Common Tody-Flycatcher

Todirostrum cinereum

Status: Common on both slopes

Breeding resident

Caught in 2008

Trogon captured during MoSI Banding (2011)



Black-throated Trogon(Female)

 Trogon rufus

Status: Fairly Common on both slopes

Breeding resident  

Caught in 2011 (MoSI)

Hummingbirds captured during MoSI Banding (2011) and informal banding (2008-2010)

Violet-crowned Woodnymph

Thalurania colombica

Status: Less common eastward on pacific to eastern Panama Province

Breeding resident

Caught in 2009

Rufous-tailed hummingbird

Amazilia tzacatl

Status: Very common on both slopes

Breeding resident

Caught in 2009

Adventures of a Teenage Field Researcher Part 1: The Great Endemic Frog (actually Toad) Hunt

CREA (Conservation thru Research Education and Action), an NGO (Non-government organization) in Panama and San Francisco, which Marvelwood school has worked with for the past six years, recently received a grant from the Rufford Foundation to study an endemic frog species.  This particular species of Harelquin frogs actually belongs to the True Toads (Family Bufonidae). Believe it or not, not all toads have warty skin!.  These toads are brightly colored and live around stream sides, in mountainous areas in Central and South America. Scientists calculate that approximately 67% of the 110 species of this genus found in the tropics are believed to be extinct.  Habitat loss and the dreaded amphibian Chytrid Fungus disease are believed to be responsible for this devastating news about the Atelopus genus of frogs.

This toad was recently found on the property of CREA’s Cocobolo Nature Reserve (CNR). The focus of  CREA’s grant is take make an assessment of the Atelopus limosus population residing within CNR in Eastern Panama and to generate habitat characteristics through Ecological Niche Modeling. Warren Wilson College will be helping with the GIS modeling of this critical habitat for this frog species.

On the toad hunt where were looking for a particular Harlequin Frog (Atelopus limosus) this frog (toad) is on IUCN’s Red Endangered 3.1 list. This toad is only endemic to certain areas in Panama. In other words it lives in restricted/ isolated habitats.  Not much is not known about this toad species because it hasn’t been really studied very much.

While in Panama Marvelwood students and faculty had the opportunity to work with researchers searching for this frog in the streams running through CNR.  Each day we went on a  “Frog Hunt” where we were led by CREA’s intern research scientist,Sabine Wischnat,  We had to walk up a trail from the secondary forest that leads us up to the primary forest. Passing Net Lanes 10-16 through a large stream where we hiked up huge boulders  that where slippery.  We climbed  over logs that had fallen in the stream from the recent heavy rains and then walked through waist-deep pools in some parts.  We had to constantly be on the look-out for snakes which like to sleep on the rocks.

Kerry was the first to spot the elusive toad during one of our hikes. Sabine showed us how to mark the frog’s position by making a waypoint on the GPS and how to take notes about the sex, size, and surrounding habitat where the toad was found. We took pictures of the toad and its habitat. We also did not touch the toad for our safety and the safety of the toad. The toad might be poisonous, and we might kill it buy infecting it with some type of disease.

During our hike we also found other creepy crawlers which we made sure we photographed for Mrs. Everett!!! We then found a Fer-de-lance snake taking a nap near the stream on some rocks. This snake is a very dangerous snake as it is highly poisonous and can be aggressive if disturbed.   Thank goodness I had my zoom lens, it came in handy to photograph the snake!

Sources:

http://amphibianrescue.org/meet-the-frogs/harlequin-frogs/

Boy these toads sure are tiny!



Atelopus limosus



Fer-de-Lance Snake

The gang taking a break.

A nice scorpion we discovered along the stream's edge.

A centipede being chased by the scorpion!

Tanagers captured during MoSI Banding (2011) and informal banding (2008-2010)

Bluegray Tanager

Thraupis episcopus

Status: Very common throughtout the country

Breeding resident

Caught in 2011(MoSI)

Crimson-backed Tanager (male)

Ramphocelus dimidiatus

Status: Common

Breeding resident

Caught in 2011(MoSI)

Crimson-backed Tanager (Female)

Ramphocelus dimidiatus

Status: Common

Breeding resident

Caught in 2011(MoSI)

White-shouldered Tanager

Tachyphonus luctuosus

Status: common on pacific slope from canal eastward

Breeding resident

Caught in 2011(MoSI)

Plain-colored Tanager

Tangara inornata

Status: Common on the pacific slope

Breeding resident

Caught in 2011(MoSI)

Red-throated Ant-Tanager (male)

Habia fuscicauda

Status: Uncommon

Breeding resident

Caught in 2011(MoSI)

Golden-hooded Tanager

Tangara larvata

Status: Common on both slopes

Breeding resident

Caught in 2008

Motmot's captured during MoSI Banding (2011) and informal banding (2008-2010)



Blue-crowned Motmot
Electron platyrhynchum
Status: fairly common on pacific slope
Breeding resident
Caught in 2010



Rufous Motmot
Baryphthengus Martii
Status: Common from pacific slope from western Panama province eastward
Breeding resident
Caught in 2011 (MoSI)

Broad-billed Motmot
Electron platyrhynchum
Status: Common on pacific from western Panama province eastward
Breeding resident
Caught in 2011(MoSI)



Neotropical Migratory birds captured at the new Cocobolo MoSI station.

Kentucky Warbler
Oporornis Formosus
Status: uncommon in eastern Panama early September to late April

Nonbreeding resident

Acadian Flycatcher

Empidonax virescens

Status: Fairly Common transient and winter resident mostly September to late April

Nonbreeding resident

Northern Waterthrush

Seiurus noveboracensis

Status: very common trasient and winter resident late September to late April

Nonbreeding resident

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Dendroica pensylvania

Status: Uncommon in eastern Panama mostly late September to early April

Nonbreeding resident

Cocobolo's New MoSI Banding Station

MoSI: Monitoreo de Sobrevivencia Invernal (Monitoring the Winter Survival of Neotropical Migratory Species)

Marvelwood is probably the first high school in North America to help establish and run a MoSI station in Latin America.  Working with scientists from CREA as well as local students and adults from the community of LaZahina, Marvelwood Students helped map CREA's new MoSI station in the Cocobolo Nature Reserve during there visit this year.  Between February 3rd through February 5th students were in the field from sunrise to sunset monitoring nets and processing both resident and migratory birds.  During the banding period we captured 154 new birds, representing 61 different species.

This year the new MoSI station will only be able to operate two pulses (a pulse consists of three days of consecutive banding spaced at least three weeks apart throughout the wintering season)   due to the heavy rains and mudslides in November and December.  The roads leading to Cocobolo were not cleared until mid-January and new roads to the station had to be created.  Next year the station will be able to operate the standard three or four pulses.

The group taking up poles to set up mist nets

Clearing net lanes

Sean  (A Marvelwood Alumni) demonstrating how to process birds properly  

A bird stuck in a rather unqie way in the mist net

Kentucky Wabler, One of MoSI's 25 target birds

Zach Raden and Lucas O'Malley processing a bird

Two girls that we help raise schlorarships for to continue their schooling past sixth grade.

Rough GoogleEarth map of COCO station created from GPS waypoints and track logs taken by students using  Garmin MAP 60Cx GPS devices donated by a current parent.

What is the MoSI program?

"About half of the bird species that breed in the temperate forests of North America over-winter in the northern Neotropics. Although these species spend more than half the year on their tropical wintering grounds, little is known about their habitat needs while there. IBP and partners across the northern Neotropics initiated the MoSI program in the winter of 2002-03 to begin to provide information on the habitat needs of migrant birds in the tropics. Through winter 2008-09, more than 60 cooperators have contributed data from > 140 stations to the program. These stations have been operated in 14 countries stretching from Mexico to Colombia (see figure below).

Distribution of banding stations that have registered with the MoSI program as of winter 2009-10.

 

MoSI Program Goals

MoSI is designed to address monitoring, research, and management goals.

The monitoring goal of MoSI is to provide estimates of overwintering apparent survival rates, annual apparent survival rates, and indices of physical condition for a suite of 25 landbird species in a variety of habitats and geographic regions.

Research goals of MoSI include (1) relating survival and physical condition to habitat, weather, and climate variables, (2) linking winter and breeding (from MAPS) population parameters, and (3) developing predictive population models.

Management goals of MoSI are to (1) use research results to inform habitat conservation and management, and (2) evaluate management applications.

Migratory Connectivity

In addition, to primary MoSI goals (above), biological samples and measurements collected at MoSI stations contribute to our knowledge of migratory connectivity - i.e., the determination of where local populations of breeding migratory birds spend the winter (and vise versa). MoSI cooperators have contributed thousands of cloacal swab and feather samples to the Center for Tropical Ecology at UCLA for genetic and stable isotope analyses aimed at linking breeding and wintering populations (read more here). Wing measurements taken at MoSI (and MAPS) stations also show patterns of spatial variation in body size that can lend insight into migratory connectivity. (www.birdpop.org)"