support the salvanatura birdathon

Last year, I suggested a great program to support: the Institute of Bird Population's MoSI (Monitoreo de Sobrevivencia Invernal - Monitoring Overwintering Survival) Program. This project helps support about 150 bird monitoring stations located across the American tropics. The goal is to learn more about physical condition, habitat use and survivorship over the winter, and how various factors impact subsequent breeding activity.

There are a number of MoSI stations in El Salvador, and five are actually operated year found: one in dry forest at Parque Nacional El Imposible, two sites in cloud forest and pine-oak at Parque Nacional Montecristo (El Trifinio), and two sites at Parque Nacional Los Volcanes, in cloud forest and a coffee-finca.

Although I have not travelled there yet, I feel some sort of attachment to El Salvador. Way back when, I got my start in ornithology at Manomet Center for Conservation Science (then the Manomet Bird Observatory) in Massachusetts. One of my fellow students was Oliver Komar. Arguably, he went on to bigger and better things than I did: he's the science director of SalvaNATURA, El Salvador's conservation organization.

I run into Oliver at various conferences, and am always happy to support his extremely dedicated work. One project I've donated to the last few years is their birdathon. The sixth annual SalvaNATURA Bird-A-Thon will take place on October 25th and 26th, and supports bird monitoring at these locations.  Last year, there were 19 participants in 6 teams that tallied 262 species of birds. They've set up a web site/blog that has further information and instructions on how to donate. It's a great cause!