Beautiful Birds!

So, I thought I’d try my hand at writing a journal entry since Mark relinquished his “adventuring” responsibilities last week while he spent a week back in the US for work. This is Dara. How did the rest of the family hold up in Costa Rica with my improving, but still very limited, Spanish skills? Well, pretty well (if I do say so myself). The biggest mistake I’ve made so far has been asking for a bathroom (servicio) when I really wanted a beer (cerveza)…a little embarrassing, but that was a long time ago already (at least 4 or 5 weeks anyway!)

So while Mark was away, the kids and I entertained ourselves by going to the park and blowing bubbles and chasing pigeons (the kids did the chasing), taking art class (just the kids), doing a nature camp (again, just the kids) and visiting this great place that I'd read about in one of our travel books. Richard and Margot Frisius started a non-profit organization, Amigos de las Aves (Friends of the Birds), in 1992 to concentrate on the conservation and breeding of Scarlet and Great Green Macaws and their re-introduction back into their native habitat in Costa Rica. So far, they’ve released over 60 birds, helping to repopulate areas where these beautiful native creatures were almost gone for good. They also maintain a refuge where they take in hurt birds or maltreated pet birds. Their finca (farm) and breeding areas aren’t open to the public but they’ll invite you in and show you around if you call to make an appointment. I was a bit nervous about calling to set that up, since speaking Spanish over the phone is something I don’t do well (it definitely helps when I can see the person’s mouth moving). But, luckily, Margot (the wife) answered the phone and she speaks wonderful English..probably because, although she was born in Germany, she grew up in the United States since the age of 7. That, I could handle.

So, after a morning of the Bortman homeschool, the kids and I took a bus toward the airport to a small town called Rio Segundo. All the little towns along that road run together and I wasn’t sure where to get off the bus, so I asked the man next to me if he’d let me know when we got there (in Spanish and successfully). Once off the bus, we had a walk up a narrow side street 400 meters, left at the Y and another 300 meters. Well, at least, those were our directions, but of course, in traditional Tico fashion it wasn’t quite that easy, and we only had to ask 3 people along the way if we were going in the right direction.

We finally arrived at a black iron gate with the words Flor de Mayo carved into it. Flor de Mayo is the beautiful estate and summer home of reknowned British botonist, Sir Charles Lankaster (well...reknowned to some folks but, honestly, not to me) and it's where the Frisius' have made their home in Costa Rica. We were admitted into the property by the security guard who makes sure that no more of their beautiful birds are stolen (yes...they've had birds stolen), and Richard and Margot invited us into their home. Richard went off to do some work, and Margot was ready to show us around. She was wonderful. She started off by showing us a parrot named Spud, who quickly climbed onto my arm, and then up on my shoulder. Margot showed the kids that when she sang “How much is that doggy in the window?” the bird chimed in with the “Woof Woof!” part after each line. The kids were enthralled…they giggled and laughed. And then they laughed some more when Spud decided he liked me enough to grab at my sunglasses which were hanging in the neck of my shirt and then to stick his head into my shirt and start crawling inside. We needed some help getting him back out. Boy did the kids love that!

We continued on to hear about the toucans, the aracaris (small birds in the toucan family), the cockatoo, the other various types of parrots, the turtle…all staying in the atrium "refuge" area in the house. These birds were mainly either confiscated from owners who weren’t taking good care of them, or were donated from people who couldn’t care for them anymore. Margot told us the story of each one with obvious love for what they have been able to do.

We also went into a large area at the back of the house where about 10 or 15 macaws of various sizes and colors were flying around together. Margot called it the "baby flight". We were all right in there with these magnificent, beautiful birds. Our favorite was an enormous Hyacinth Macaw, native to South America. It was a gorgeous, royal blue color all over with bright yellow around the eyes…and it was almost as big as Ellie (at least it seemed that way when its wings were spread out!). It was gorgeous, and its name was Figaro. And it cracked a walnut into a million little pieces while we watched...shell and all. That was incredible.

We finished our visit at Flor de Mayo, sitting with Margot in the atrium, talking about their breeding program, and enjoying the company of Sam, the very friendly collared-aracari, who took a liking to Ellie, sat on her lap, and tried to untie her shoelaces. We also were visited by a few other parrots, one of whom had a little conversation with Ari. Richard joined us at the end also and, after a few more educational minutes, we left Flor de Mayo, headed back to the bus and back home. It was a good day. (By the way, you can visit Margot and Richard's website at Amigos de las Aves if you want to learn more about their organization, Amigos de las Aves, and what they do. If you want to visit them when you come to Costa Rica, you can call them at (506) 441-2658 to make a reservation for a tour.)

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