Virtual Costa Rica: Have breakfast with scarlet macaws via Parrot TV

I mean, the headline pretty much says it all. But the Macaw Recovery Network is tackling the COVID-19 crisis head-on with a YouTube channel full of lectures, bird footage and, yes, a chance to watch scarlet macaws frolic around their eating platform on Sundays while you have your own breakfast.

The Recovery Network’s mission is “to recover endangered neotropical parrot populations through leading a network that develops and implements best practices in conservation.” Tours at their Punta Islita Wild Macaw Reserve, on the Nicoya Peninsula, are suspended because of the COVID-19 crisis, so like many nonprofits in Costa Rica, they are suffering an economic impact. This is a great way to check out their work, plan a future tour and even support them, if you’re so moved!  You can “adopt a macaw chick like Walt” or “help Elvira and Scarface breed in the wild.” (Honestly, I’ve never heard a better donation pitch in my whole life. Read more here.)

So subscribe to Parrot TV… and if you’ve got some beans and rice in the pantry, whip up some gallo pinto this Sunday and join the macaws for their morning nosebag. Let me know if you watch Parrot TV this week!

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook! If you want to learn more about how to support Costa Rica during the crisis, visit my COVID-19 section, updated regularly – or for ways to enjoy Costa Rica from afar, visit Virtual Costa Rica.