Photo ©
Patricia Castillo
In August and September of 2018 a series of two day-long bird and environmental conservation workshops were held in 5 different municipalities in the region of Rio Palo, Cauca, Colombia: Miranda, Caloto, Corinto, Silvia, and Jambalo. The goal of the workshops was to get everyone excited about citizen science and encourage them to become involved in conserving the birds and their local environment.
The workshops included fun activities from the BirdSleuth International curriculum as well as activities from Corpopalo. The participants were inspired to take actions to improve the environmental conditions of their community. The workshops offered presentations like, “Conserving the Flight of the Wild Birds in the territory of the Rio Palo Region.” Participants had the chance to talk about the importance of environmental education as a tool to convey local culture as well as communicating the goal of conserving nature. The presentations also spoke about urban birds in their communities as well as discussing Merlin Bird ID, a mobile app to help identify birds.
During the activities of the second day of the workshops, the day began with a bird watching tour! The participants were very excited as they learned how to use the binoculars, the field guide manuals and how to keep the field records of the day. They observed many species of birds, including Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola), Cotúa Neotropic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus), many tanagers, Pale-legged Hornero (Furnarius leucopus), parakeets, flytraps (Dionaea muscipula), Southern Lapwing (Vanellus chilensis), hummingbirds, Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica), herons, Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus), Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis), Venezuelan Troupial (Icterus icterus), woodpeckers, Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica), Smooth-billed Ani (Crotophaga ani), Eared Dove (Zenaida auriculata), Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus), raptors, and many more!
The environmental activities helped to connect participants to the natural world around them. During the workshops, participants became more aware of the biology and ecology of their local birds as well as the habitats of the birds. We invite you to scroll down and look at the beautiful pictures of the activities conducted in each municipal district!
Activity Pictures in the Miranda Municipal:
Activity Pictures in the Corinto Municipal:
Activity Pictures in the Caloto Municipal:
Activity Pictures in the Jambalo Municipal:
Activity Pictures in the Silvia Municipal:
Thank you to all the participants who attended the workshops as well as Patricia Prieto and Jhon Fredy Casamachin who prepared the presentation and led the workshops in the five different locations.