Nov. 26 - Dec. 4, 2012

Costa Rica is more than just a tropical paradise. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) are North American breeders that migrate to the Neotropics. Until 2011 scientists thought the Costa Rican population overwintered on the Pacific Coast, but internationally renowned educator-naturalist Bill Hilton Jr. and his tico colleague Ernesto Carman Jr. discovered a new concentration at Ujarrás on the Caribbean Slope, where these tiny birds apparently pollinate commercial plantings of Chayote squash. As a “citizen scientist” on this nine-day expedition you’ll help capture, band, and observe hummers as part of “Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project.”