Many of our birds come from beyond our borders. Migrants visit us during the breeding season and winter in Central and South America. There are several thousand resident bird species you have to travel to see. Dr. Ragupathy Kannan, Professor of Biology for the University of Arkansas, Fort Smith is known internationally as a champion in exposing birders to birds beyond our borders. He has led many trips to Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, India and Trinidad and Tobago to mention a few. Dr . Kannan selflessly uses these trips to provide funds for the Arkansas Trust and scholarships for bird research. Many of us have joined his trips and were introduced to birds, habitats and cultures, beyond our borders.
My trips expose birders to birds, habitat, and cultures and supports ecotourism. The successes of ecotourism are obvious when you experience the excitement of residents showing their owls, hummingbirds, Trogons, or other species they have been protecting. Travelers see new birds and our breeding birds in their winter habitat. They become aware of the challenges and how birds make a living. For 10 years, my trips to Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Cuba have done that. Last March in Ecuador I reminded the group that many species we saw in Ecuador would be coming through my yard in April and some would stay to nest. Bab Dioum said: “In the end we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.” Theodore Roosevelt said: “The wildlife and its habitat cannot speak, so we must and we will.” Dr . Kannan, I, and others are teaching and speaking for wildlife and its habitats. North America has lost three billion birds since 1970 and each year, 4% fewer birds cross our Gulf. I want to see, learn, and understand the birds we have while we still have them. You can gain a better understanding of the challenges our birds are facing by birding beyond our borders. My next trip is to Colombia in February 2027. If you want to experience birds beyond our borders, go on one of Dr. Kannan’s trips or contact me.
Jerry Wayne Davis
Hot Springs, AR
