The campaign promoting shade-grown coffee as good for birds has grown quiet in recent years. The point remains well-made; there is strong continuing need to promote bird-friendly habitat. And this is the kind of birding to be found in a shade-coffee plantation.
Gail Mackiernan, a birder from Maryland, recently returned from a birding trip to Guatemala. She spent time on coffee plantations where shade is an important factor. This means native trees are left standing, not cut down to increase the number of coffee plants to be grown.
What did she see? Note the species that we enjoy here in spring and summer. She writes: "We stayed at two places, Los Tarrales Reserve, a shade coffee farm and ecolodge on the slopes of Volcan Atitlan and at Tikal in northern Guatemala. The shade coffee plantation was full of Eastern neotropical migrants. Especially common were Tennessee, Nashville, Magnolia, and Black-and-White warblers, and some Redstarts, Baltimore and Orchard orioles, many, many Swainson's Thrushes, and over 100 Western Kingbirds. We tallied 24 species of neotropical migrant warblers there.
"The plantations also held a fair number of Western Tanagers and a few Summer Tanagers. We saw flocks of 30-50 Indigo Buntings (with a few Painteds mixed in) in the plantations. The most common vireo was Warbling. Empid flycatchers were also common in the plantations and forest edge, and we had a great time (hah!) sorting out the species -- most were Least, and "Traill's" -- and of these about half appeared to favor Alder. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were the most common hummer out of some 12-14 species seen.
"Our guide Josue said that the Guatemalan government is going around to the various coffee growers and trying to get them to plant shade trees that are better for birds, those which produce good fruit, for example.
"A short visit here really brings home the importance of this habitat for migrants," Ms. Mackiernan wrote.
Shade coffee is much more available now that it was eight or 10 years ago. Your supermarket most likely has it. Your favorite coffee shop probably does. Ask for it. Shade-coffee plantations make a difference. They make a difference for "our" birds.
Coffee from the Los Tarrales Reserve, mentioned above, is purchased by Starbucks, although it might not be marketed as shade-grown. (Shade coffee, in addition to being good for birds, tastes better, too.)
