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Nicaraguan birds/ coffee



Hi all. With the recent thread talking about birds and coffee I wanted
to invite birders to join Dave Davenport and myself on our 3rd Annual
'Expedition Nicaragua' trip from March 19-28, 2004. This excursion
spends 7 days in the Matagalpa region of central Nicaragua on the Finca
Esperanza Verde...a shade-grown coffee plantation nestled in the
mountains where Cafe San Ramon is produced. This farm is associated with
the Durham-San Ramon Sister Communities Project...so it has strong
Carolina connections. We will stay on the plantation, and take day trips
to different environs in the central highlands and valleys. We expect
upwards of 200 species of birds, including Toucans, Trogons, Parrots,
Motmots, Bell Birds and more, including lots of neo-trops spending their
winter here, as well as Howler Monkeys, Sloths, and Reptiles and
Amphibians, etc. We spend a good deal of time getting to know the people
of San Ramon and include 2 nights of home stays; along with listening to
folk music, enjoying local food, learning to prepare nacatamales, etc.
Later we visit a region with dry tropical forest, an active volcano, a
cloud forest atop a dormant volcano, and more, while staying in the
colonial resort town of Granada on Lake Nicaragua.
Eco-tours to enjoy the tropical splendors of Nicaragua are new and we
feel pretty good about helping the locals develop an appreciation of
their natural heritage and how it can become an economic asset for them.
If you are interested in learning more about our excursion let me know
and I'll send you a packet. You can learn more about the Finca Esperanza
Verde by checking out their web site:
<http://www.durham-sanramon.org>
John Connors @ NC Museum of Natural Sciences