Birds know no borders, but they do know how to survive. With an intelligence beyond human capacity, many locally familiar birds — the Baltimore oriole, wood thrush and chestnut-sided warbler — which visit the North Fork during their northward spring migration, or stop and breed here during spring and summer, make a perilous journey every year back to Central and South America to overwinter there. 

A recent ornithological study revealed a disturbing fact: these migrating birds are suffering severe declines in their populations due to rapid deforestation in Latin America, much of it at the hands of drug cartels. Inspired by a bequest from longtime North Fork Audubon Society board member and supporter Rick Kedenburg, NFAS formed a committee to explore how we can help these birds in the places where they spend eight months each year beyond the North Fork.

Fast-forward to our recently signed “Sistership Agreement” with Aves Honduras, a group committed to creating and protecting land preserves in critical bird habitat areas. By encouraging active private ownership by indigenous people and promoting eco-tourism, we can help protect these lands from deforestation by nurturing an appreciation for these birds in both their breeding and winter homes. 

Spectacular birds

To see for ourselves if this were a worthy endeavor, twelve of us — including our scholarship wildlife biologist and nature photographer, Mary Bertschi, recently visited Honduras to assess these existing and proposed sanctuaries. We are delighted to share Mary’s insights as well as her photos of the spectacular birds we saw there.

Honduras is the most mountainous country in Central America, with approximately 75% of its territory covered by mountains, shaping biodiversity patterns as well as accessibility challenges across the network of sanctuaries. The country also sits at a remarkable biogeographic crossroads, marking the northernmost range limit for many South American species and the southernmost limit for many North American ones, which helps explain why a relatively small country can support such extraordinary avian diversity of over 800 species.

In almost every sanctuary we visited, we saw neotropic migrants, birds like the Baltimore oriole that are a backyard staple on the North Fork in the summer. These long distance migrants, like Orchard orioles, Summer tanagers, wood thrushes, and hummingbirds, among dozens of others, rely on health ecosystems across continents to survive.

We witnessed first-hand the other half of their lives, foraging for insects among coffee plants or flitting high in the treetops in the rainforests. We also saw a cornucopia of other remarkable birds unique to Central and South America, such as the Lovely Cotinga, Bare-throated Tiger Heron, and Orange-billed Nightingale Thrush.

The incredibly rich biodiversity at each site showcased the care and intention Aves Honduras was exercising when adding new sanctuaries to the project, as each site seemed to be critical wintering habitat for many of these long distance migrants. 

Sanctuaries

During our trip, we visited both new and established sanctuaries. The established sites painted an exceptional picture of AH success: cohesive signage, accessible infrastructure, well designed trails, and viewing platforms and blinds. This infrastructure enables visitors to learn about birds, experience the landscape, and truly understand the journey of some of our globally migrating birds.  The newer sites illustrated additional funding needs such as more accessible roads to reach their properties, trail design improvements, educational signs, and kiosks.

Our 8-day tour was led by an exceptional guide, Isis Castro. A former board member of Aves Honduras, Isis now directs her own company, Choose Honduras. In addition to her great depth of ornithological knowledge and experience, her contagious energy, commitment to support communities, and flawless organization made the trip an absolute pleasure. It was an enriching and authentic experience that overcame any occasional hardship associated with traveling cross-country in a poor Central American country.

At the end of the tour, we met with Oliver Komar, Board President and Professor of Ecology and Natural Resources Management at Zamorano University in Honduras to discuss the parameters of a potential partnership. He is an ornithologist and co-author of the Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Northern Central America who specializes in wildlife management. His Aves Honduras team joined us for a dinner and discussion hosted at the Kellogg Zamorano Center. The hospitality and commitment of his team was inspiring. Aves Honduras encourages other NFAS members, and other local Audubon Societies to tour Honduras. We highly recommend this unique and meaningful experience. 

Lessons Learned

Important insights emerged during visits to the sanctuaries. Many of the trails and visitor facilities we used while exploring the properties had originally been designed either through projects funded by USAID or by local conservation professionals who had received training through programs connected to the United States Forest Service (most likely funded by USAID). These earlier initiatives helped establish strong foundations for protected areas, including trail design, land stewardship practices, and visitor management.

However, it also became clear that while these early investments successfully built capacity and infrastructure, there is now a gap in funding for maintaining, updating, and expanding these systems, as USAID has shut down as of July 1, 2025. Many sanctuaries continue to rely on trail networks and design principles that originated from those programs, yet resources for upkeep and improvements are limited.

This experience illustrated how international collaboration can evolve over time. Early government-supported initiatives helped develop the expertise and initial infrastructure that made some of these sanctuaries possible. Today, partnerships between organizations, such as this sistership between our organization and Aves Honduras, can help sustain and build upon that foundation.

By supporting trail improvements, visitor infrastructure, and educational resources, these collaborations help ensure that protected landscapes remain accessible, well-managed, and valued by the communities around them. In doing so, they strengthen the long-term protection of habitats that migratory birds depend on throughout their annual journeys.

We will be showcasing Mary’s photos at our upcoming Annual General Meeting on June 2nd. This special event is open to members only, if you aren’t a member yet, click here to join!

Peggy Lauber is president of the North Fork Audubon Society. Mary Bertschi is a wildlife biologist and nature photographer.