Need a little advice... (1 Viewer)

Hello everyone! Just wanted to get a little advice on my project in Belize. The displays for the visitors' center are coming along quite nicely, thanks to some really great photos that were donated by some of you. I was wondering if anyone could offer me any ideas about what you all as avid birders would find interesting or like to see if you were to visit a bird sanctuary. Our space and supply list is a bit limited. Anything we create for the center has to be made here, for the most part, and brought down to Belize. We have a really great display on deforestation and its effects on human and wildlife populations. There will be posters made up highlighting some features of birds: one on nesting, one on diet and hunting, one on physical characteristics such as beaks and feathers, one on mating and eggs, one on migration and range of the bird, and a special poster on the importance of preserving natural habitats for birds and for all animals. We are doing all of this, however, from a student perspective. I want to know what it is that you want to know. What would a birder on vacation in Belize want to learn or see at a sanctuary visitors' center? I would appreciate any advice you are willing to offer. Thank you all for your time!

When visiting any new reserve with a vitisors centre I always like to find out a bit about the reserve itself, it's history and the reason for it being where it is. Information boards are a good way of doing this. Other obvious things include a list of the birds that can be seen preferably with when and whereabouts on the reserve. ID boards in reserves are often a good feature. Board depicting a map of the reserve is a good idea, repeated at various points around the reserve and in leaflets to hand out. A bird sightings board updated daily, by staff and visitors is a good feature as it shows what's around when people visit.

It appropriate a bird feeding station close to the visitor centre is usually a good feature appealing to visitors of all ages.attraction to have for visotrs of all ages.

What Ian said, especially a checklist of the birds a visitor can expect to see, in the form of a leaflet that can be carried.

As an adjunct to the bird sightings board, you might also want to consider a guest book where visitors from around the world can sign in with their name, country, date, and any special bird they've seen. This serves two purposes: Getting the visitor more personally involved, and it'll give you data on how many people come and from where if you ever need to demonstrate the global importance of the reserve to your local/regional officials.

Good luck with your project. :t: Hope you'll keep us posted, and maybe even share a few photos of your reserve?

A decent map that will actually show you how to get round the site, not one of those awful sketch diagrams that most places use

Thanks everyone. I will pass these suggestions on to the rest of the class. Of course I will post the photos of the center and all the great wildlife we see when we return in late June. thanks again!