Friends of the Osa is proud to announce a selection of courses to be held at the Osa Biodiversity Center in December of 2007 and in dates to be determined throughout 2008:

Wild Cats of Costa Rica: Their Natural History & Conservation

Course Instructor: Aida Bustamante, Dr. Luke Hunter (tentative)

Where: Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica

When: TBD 2008

Cost: $950 per person (does not include any airfare)

For more info: info@osaconservation.org

Friends of the Osa is now offering a unique, hands-on learning experience focused on some of the most endangeredtropical wild cats. Participants will engage in a full immersion one week short course in Costa Rica’s richest rainforest.

The Osa Peninsula of southwestern Costa Rica boasts the greatest expanse of Pacific tropical rainforest remaining in Central America. Not surprisingly, wild cats such as jaguars, ocelots, mountain lions, margays, and jaguarundis can still be found here at relatively high abundance. Friends of the Osa is committed to the protection of these cats and their habitat, and invites you to come learn more!

Over the course of one week, participants will work with a Costa Rican carnivore specialist who has devoted her academic endeavors to studying the wild cats of Central America and with a South African who is among the world’s leading experts in wild cat conservation. Participants will be provided first hand exposure to cutting edge camera trapping techniques and technologies, diet analysis through scat sampling, cat tracking and other field methods used by cat biologists.

Lectures and lively discussions will focus on natural history, ecology, and conservation issues regarding these magnificent animals. There will also be daily field excursions with the chance to see these amazing cats in the wild, and a guarantee of observing many other species of endangered wildlife. A tentative field trip is being planned to see ocelots and jaguarondis undergoing rehabilitation at nearby Caña Blanca Wildlife Sanctuary.

The course will be held in our newly built research station in the heart of diverse rainforest and a short walk from pristine tropical beach with thousands of nesting sea turtles. This choice location offers a great opportunity for safely encountering cats and other large mammals in the wild.

Heliconius (c) Roy Toft

Birds of the Osa: Natural History & Conservation

Course Instructors: Michael J. Parr & Byron Swift

Where: Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica

When: TBD 2008

Cost: $1,100 per person (does not include any airfare)

For more info: info@osaconservation.org   

The Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica is a birding hotspot. It contains more than 400 species of birds including a number of rare, endemic, and threatened species.

Visitors to the Osa will take advantage of the rare opportunity to see the Mangrove Hummingbird, Yellow-billed Cotinga, and Black -cheeked Ant-Tanager, three endangered species which have their global strongholds in the Osa. The Osa also has an exceedingly flamboyant avifauna with large populations of Scarlet Macaws, as well as hummingbirds, tanagers, and even tropical seabirds offshore. In addition, students will observe and study the significant populations of large raptors, including Harpy Eagles.

Participants in the trip will be immersed in a variety of tropical habitats ranging from majestic Pacific rainforest to wet mangroves, coastal lagoons, and raffia palm swamps.  

Our newly built research station, which lies in the heart of the magnificent rainforest, will house all the participants. The station is surrounded by abundant wildlife and pristine habitat, providing a great opportunity for encountering birds and other animals in the wild.

This one-week course offers a superb birding experience, lively discussions of bird conservation and an opportunity to learn about the natural history of tropical birds.

(c) Roy Toft

Scarlet Macaw (c) Roy Toft