PO
Box 9021, Wilmington, DE 19809, USA
E-mail: font@focusonnature.com
Phone: Toll-free in USA 1-800-721-9986
or 302/529-1876; Fax: 302/529-1085
Links
to upcoming FONT birding tours
in Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala, and Honduras
"Alexander
Skutch,
a Naturalist in Costa Rica"
by Armas Hill
(with a directory of birds in Dr. Skutch's writings)
Alexander
Skutch on his Costa Rican property
(photograph by Alan Brady)
In January
2005, we conducted a FONT tour in Costa Rica for the first time when Alexander
Skutch was no longer alive. When we passed through the southern Costa Rican city
of San Isidro de General, it just did not seem the same.
A few kilometers west of that city, we encountered our first Fiery-billed
Aracaris of the tour. It reminded me that Alexander Skutch named his homestead,
"Los Cosingos", after a local name for that bird (in the photograph
below).

Something
throughout our January '05 tour that couldn't help but be noticed was the large
number of tourists traveling about the country using the book, "A Guide to
the Birds of Costa Rica", co-authored by Alexander Skutch & F. Gary
Stiles.
Recently, also in January 2005, Ken Allaire, of New York, NY, USA, contributed
some more information to this web-site. From his note, we added to the listing
below another book: "Trogons, Laughing Falcons, and other Neotropical
Birds".
Ken also noted that Skutch's was the only treatment of bill-combat behavior
among aracaris that he has found (in the publication the "Condor"), a
behavior that Ken has filmed in Panama.
(A photograph of the Fiery-billed Aracari is above.)
Thank you, Ken, for your contribution, and if anyone else has something that can
be added to this tribute to Dr. Skutch, we'd be appreciative.
The
following account I wrote last year (in 2004), following the passing of
Alexander Skutch.
In May of 2004, Dr. Alexander
Skutch died. He was nearly 100 years of age. In 1904, he was born in Baltimore,
Maryland.
Back in 1935, he was in Costa Rica. During November of that year, he
stepped off a little trolley in San Jose (Costa Rica's principal city), with a
knapsack on his shoulder, and headed toward a small airport, with a ticket in his
pocket, for a flight to the small southern Costa Rican city of San Isidro de
General. It was near that city where he settled in 1941, naming his farm
"Los Cosingos". And it was to be there that he would live for so many
years, until his death.
In one of his many books, "A Naturalist on a Tropical Farm", published
in 1980, Skutch wrote of the naming of his farm: "After long cogitation, I
called my farm "Los Cusingos", for (the birds,) the Fiery-billed
Aracaris, which are found only on the Pacific side of southern Costa Rica and
across the border in Panama. I was not totally satisfied with this choice, but
settled for it because certain other birds that I admired more lacked names that
my neighbors knew and could pronounce. Now I am convinced it was a good choice;
these agile colorful toucans have persisted here, while other, less wary birds
have disappeared."
This year, Alexander Skutch was buried at his farm "Los Cusingos".
I had the very good fortunate to visit Dr. Skutch at "Los Cusingos" a
number of times. My first visit there was in 1983. During our FONT tour this
year, in 2004, I opted for the first time when with a tour in the area not to
visit. While in the Costa Rican mountains, I met a young lady from Japan, who,
with a friend from that country, was enjoying the thrill of seeing a male
Resplendent Quetzal. She told me, at the time, that she had just been (as a
visiting naturalist herself) at Dr. Skutch's farm, "Los Cusingos". She
said, sadly, that he really was quite frail.
I remember all of my visits to "Los Cusingos". I always enjoyed the
beautiful place and the wonderful birds. But I always enjoyed the most my time
with Dr. Skutch. It was more fulfilling for me to sit on a rocking chair on his
porch, and listen to him speak, as others were running around the grounds
looking at the birds. And I do remember well the time, when even though it was
mid-day, he excitedly said to look at the bare tree in front of us. A
Turquoise Cotinga was perched there.

Alexander Skutch in
1983.
(photo by Alan Brady)
Alexander Skutch really was
"A Naturalist in Costa Rica". That was the title of what's probably my
favorite of his books in my library. It was published in 1971, and relates of
some of his tropical travels prior to "Los Cusingos", and then his
settling there in southern Costa Rica. In the book, there are a number of
black-and-white photographs.
That book is divided in two parts:
Part I: "A Naturalist's Wanderings", with these chapters:
Into the Wilderness
Homemaking Amid the Forests
A Fragrant Summit
Two Drops of Blood
Backwoods Neighbors
The Mountain of Death
The Snake Eater
In Quest of the Quetzal
Winding Creek
The Hummingbird's Brook
Los Cusingos
Part II: "A Naturalist's Homestead", with the chapters:
A Farm in the Wilderness
The House
The Garden and Its Birds
The Lives of Some Tropical Flowers
The River
Forest Trails
A Last Home of Mystery
The Coffee Grove
Social Insects, Their Homes and Enemies
Farming Without A Plow
Butterflies and Moths
In the Caribbean Lowlands
Conclusion: Vicissitudes of a Valley
Appendix 1: Birds of Los Cusingos and the Valley of El General
Appendix 2: The Author's Published Writings

(photograph by Alan Brady in 1983)
Alexander Skutch was a prolific writer about nature, particularly about birds
and other nature of the Neotropics. Back in 1971, in that appendix of "A
Naturalist in Costa Rica", 6 previous books were listed (including his
renowned "Life Histories of Central American Birds" published in 1954
with the Cooper Ornithological Society), as were an incredible 139 articles that
he had written up to that time, beginning in 1926.
I remember when I met with Alexander Skutch in 1999 (when he was well into his
nineties), his proudly telling me that he was still writing a couple
books.

Alexander Skutch
with Mrs. Skutch and Armas Hill of FONT (left)
at the
Skutch's home "Los Cusingos" in Costa Rica
during FONT birding
tour in
March 1999.
So many of Dr. Skutch's writings about birds (mostly tropical birds) I find to
be interesting and informative. What I plan to do here, and it take a little
while to do, is to give a list of particular birds, or bird-groups, noting as
reference the Skutch writing relating to the particular bird or group. In those
writings, there's a wealth of well-written information.
That will follow, but first, here's another list, of books that Skutch authored,
most of them in my library:
"A Naturalist in Costa Rica", 1971, Univ. of Florida Press.
"The Life of the Hummingbird", 1973, by Crown Publishers, Vineyard
Books.
"Parent Birds and Their Young", 1976 & 1979, Univ. of Texas Press.
"A Bird Watcher's Adventures in Tropical America", 1977, Univ. of
Texas Press.
"A Naturalist on a Tropical Farm", 1980, Univ. of California Press.
"Nature through Tropical Windows", 1983, Univ. of California Press.
"Birds of Tropical America", 1983, Univ. of Texas Press.
"Life of the Woodpecker", 1985, Ibis Publishing Co.
"Antbirds & Ovenbirds", 1996, Univ. of Texas Press.
"Trogons, Laughing Falcons, and other Neotropical Birds", 1999, Texas
A&M University Press.
In many of Dr. Skutch's books, the drawings and the color illustrations were by
Dana Gardner. The color illustrations in "The Life of the Hummingbird"
were by Arthur Singer.
Known to many is the excellent "Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica"
co-authored by Alexander Skutch and F. Gary Stiles, published in 1989, and used
by many birders visiting Costa Rica today. There are editions in English and
Spanish. The color illustrations are by Dana Gardner. Dr. Skutch was surely
responsible for much of the good background information in that book relating to
the nests and habits of the birds.
Some other books by Alexander Skutch
(not in my library) include:
"Birds Asleep", illustrated by N. John Scmitt
"Origins of Nature's Beauty"
"Life of the Flycatcher"
"Life of the Tanager"
"Orioles, Blackbirds & their Kin"
Some of the notable chapters in
Skutch's books that have been noted above include:
In "A Bird Watcher's Adventures in Tropical America", 1977:
Through Mexico by Train
Birds on a Guatemalan Mountain
Among Ecuadorian Forests
Through Peruvian Amazonia by Gunboat
The Emerald Land
Bird Watching during a Revolution
The Most Hospitable Tree
Birds on a Venezuelan Farm
Birds and Ants
The Dawn Songs of Tropical Birds
Epilogue: The Appreciative Mind
Some photographs in
Costa Rica in 1978,
by Armas Hill
Birds (and Bird-Groups) in
Alexander Skutch Writings:
Great Tinamou: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America
Little Tinamou: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America
Gray-headed Chachalaca: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America
Marbled Wood-Quail: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America
Gray-necked Wood-Rail: a chapter in A Naturalist on a Tropical Farm entitled "The Singing Wood-Rail"
Scaled Pigeon: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America
Red-billed Pigeon: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America
Short-billed Pigeon: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America
Band-tailed Pigeon: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America
White-winged Dove: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America
Ruddy Ground-Dove: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America
Squirrel Cuckoo: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America
Lesser Ground-Cuckoo: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America
Groove-billed Ani: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America (particularly interesting)
Common Potoo: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America
Hummingbirds: a chapter in A Bird Watcher's Adventures in Tropical America, entitled "The Charm of Hummingbirds"
the hummingbirds called Hermits: a chapter in A Naturalist on a Tropical Farm, entitled "Scarlet Passion-flowers and Hermit Hummingbirds"
Stripe-throated (formerly Little) Hermit: a chapter in "Nature through Tropical Windows"

White-crested Coquette: a chapter in "Nature through Tropical Windows"
Black-headed Trogon: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America
Baird's (or Vermilion-breasted) Trogon: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America (this species nearly endemic to the Pacific side of southern Costa Rica)
Mountain (or Mexican) Trogon: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America (a species in the highlands of Guatemala)
Black-throated Trogon: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America (this species ranges from Honduras to Argentina)
Collared Trogon: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America
Orange-bellied Trogon: in the chapter re Collared Trogon in Birds of Tropical America
Resplendent Quetzal: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America (a lot of good info)
Amazon Kingfisher: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America
Green Kingfisher: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America
Turquoise-browed Motmot: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America
Broad-billed Motmot: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America
Rufous Motmot: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America
Blue-crowned (or Blue-diademed) Motmot: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America
Blue-throated (Green) Motmot: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America (species occurs in the mountains of Guatemala & Honduras)
Rufous-tailed Jacamar: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America
Puffbirds (particularly the White-whiskered Puffbird or Softwing): a chapter in A Naturalist on a Tropical Farm, entitled "The Patient Puffbirds"
Black-breasted Puffbird: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America (species occurs in the former Canal Zone in Panama)
Prong-billed Barbet: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America
Keel-billed (or Rainbow-billed) Toucan: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America
Collared Aracari: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America
Fiery-billed Aracari (the bird "Los Cusingos"): a chapter in Birds of Tropical America

Emerald Toucanet: a chapter in Birds of Tropical America
Golden-naped Woodpecker: a chapter in A Naturalist on a Tropical Farm, entitled "Family Life of the Golden-naped Woodpecker" (this species occurs on the Pacific side of southern Costa Rica and adjacent Panama)
Woodcreepers: a chapter in A Bird Watcher's Adventures in Tropical America, entitled "The Woodcreepers of Tropical America"
Bicolored Antbird: a chapter in A Naturalist on a Tropical Farm
Black-faced Ant-thrush: a chapter in Antbirds & Ovenbirds
Cotingas: a chapter in A Bird Watcher's Adventures in Tropical America, entitled "The Cotingas: A Study in Contrasts"
Boat-billed Flycatcher: a chapter in "Nature through Tropical Windows"
Blue-and-white Swallow: a chapter in "Nature through Tropical Windows"
the House Wren: two chapters in "Nature through Tropical Windows", relating respectively to the bird's first-year & second-year
Bananaquit: a chapter in "Nature through Tropical Windows"
Speckled Tanager: a chapter in A Naturalist on a Tropical Farm
Black-striped
Sparrow: a chapter in "Nature through Tropical Windows"
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Birds during Previous FONT Tours in Costa Rica
Mammals & some other Wildlife in Central America
A Costa Rican
rainbow during a FONT tour.