The list grows. In the previous two editions of A
Neotropical Companion I have acknowledged many folks
who have in various ways contributed to my continuously
growing knowledge base about the Neotropics. These
are still the folks who in so many ways made this book
possible. The list includes former students, many friends
with whom I have traveled, and the talented guides from
whom I have learned. I have received travel support from
Wheaton College (Norton, MA), where I teach, as well
as from the American Birding Association, for whom I
have led tours and run workshops at various Neotropical
venues. I express my gratitude to all of these people
for their assistance and companionship over the years.
In particular and thinking back to how it all began, I
thank, yet again, Fred Dodd of International Zoological
Expeditions for introducing me to Belize in 1978 and for
providing me with a delightful addiction that is satisfied
only by being in the realm of palm trees and toucans.
The New Neotropical Companion stands out from its
predecessor volumes in one obvious way. The book is
stunningly illustrated with some of the finest nature
photography there is. I say this unabashedly, because
many of the images to which I refer were not taken by
me. I approached various friends asking if they would
permit me to use their work in my book. No one turned
me down. Photos began arriving, lots of them. I only
wish I could have included more. It was almost physically
painful to leave some of them out. I know you will
want to just thumb through the book and revel in the
photos— and never mind about the text. But I do hope
you get around to reading the book after admiring the
multiple images that make it special. If one picture really
is worth a thousand words, this volume is indeed a major
expansion. It has come of age.
Therefore, thank you so much to James Adams,
Steve Bird, Beatrix Boscardin, Edison Buenaño, Diana
Churchill, David Clapp, Peter Crosson, Fred Dodd, Carl
Goodrich, Bruce Hallett, Ed Harper, Jill Lapato, Bruce
and Carolyn Miller, Gina Nichol, Nancy Norman, Dennis
Paulson, Scott Shumway, Clay Taylor, Andy Whittaker,
Alex Wild, Sean Williams, and Kevin Zimmer. Your long
lenses and photographic talents have brought the art of
tropical nature to these pages.
Since the publication of the second edition of A
Neotropical Companion, and while collecting information
for this volume, I have been fortunate to travel with some
exceptional guides including Domiciano Alveo, Carlos
Bethancourt, Edison Buenaño, Damien and Camilio
Montanez, Olger Licuy, Marcelo Padua, Benjamin
Schwartz, and Jose Rafael Soto. My good friend Raul
Arias de Para has made my continuing tropical educationa particular joy as I have made multiple and memorable
visits to his Canopy Tower, Canopy Lodge, and Canopy
Camp. Indeed, in my experience, the entire Canopy
Family is “as good as it gets.” Muchas gracias, mis amigos.
I thank my friends Tony White and Elwood Bracy
for introducing me to the Bahamas and its remarkable
habitats and wildlife, and Tony again for arranging a day
in the field with Paul Dean, and Woody for showing me
Abaco.
Dick Payne, Mike Ord, and Terry Moore were terrific
traveling companions, inviting my wife Martha and me
to join them for what was a wondrous tour of Ecuador
organized by Jane Lyons of Mindo Bird Tours (lots of
hummingbirds).
In appreciation for help with Lepidoptera ID, I thank
Marj Rines and Sheri Williamson.
Over the years I have received e- mails and letters from
individuals who have made suggestions for what might
be included in a new edition and who have pointed out
various errors or omissions, and even a few grammatical
hiccups. I thank each of you who took the time and
interest in this book to offer that help to me.
Since the publication of the first edition I have enjoyed
a highly cordial relationship with Princeton University
Press. Again I thank my editor, Robert Kirk, for his
continued patience, guidance, and support. I am proud
to be a Princeton author. And thanks also to Robert
for putting together such a fine team to make this book
happen. I am grateful to Karen L. Carter for stewarding the
project through the complex conversion of manuscript to
book; to Ryan Mulligan for handling the details pertaining
to the multiple photographs; and to the ever- so- amazing
Amy K. Hughes, whose copyediting efforts and unflagging
attention to detail have made this book so much better.
Only I know that. You, the reader, are the beneficiary. So,
thanks big time, Amy. It was a pleasure.
Just a quick acknowledgment to my grandchildren,
Liam and Rory O’Toole, for the fun we have together.
They are really going to enjoy the pictures in this book.
Though Liam is only six years old and Rory only four,
both know what a toucan is.
My wife, Martha Vaughan, has supported and
encouraged me in numerous ways as we journey through
life. During the course of various book projects she
has been a meticulous copy editor and the best of field
companions, and she does remarkably well in patiently
putting up with ongoing authorial angst. Ah, but when
next she asks me whether I have finally completed “that
book,” I will happily answer, “Well, as a matter of fact, yes,
I have.” And that will make her happy, and that is what I
most like to do.Acknowledgments
preface 11