Un Compañero Neotropical

Spanish Edition Acknowledgements
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Now and then a thought enters the mind like a bolt of lightning. The idea to
translate into Spanish John Kricher’s highly acclaimed reference, A
Neotropical Companion, arrived just that way. In retrospect it is probably fortunate
that on the occasion of that initial impulse I did not fully appreciate what a
monumental task such a project would prove to be. More fortuitous, however, is
how willing people were to help! If it were not for the labor-of-love efforts of a tremendous
number of dedicated individuals, the version of the book that you now hold
in your hands might never have existed.
It is difficult to adequately express my heartfelt and most sincere gratitude to the
many people who contributed financial support, translation skills, and editorial
expertise to this project. As a result of their collective efforts, a huge contribution has
been made to education and conservation throughout the Neotropics, a contribution
that will undoubtedly benefit this and future generations. To each and every translator
my heartfelt thanks and appreciation for your enthusiastic contribution of all of
the time and talent you so willingly contributed.
First and foremost special thanks belong to my longtime friend, mentor, and
author of A Neotropical Companion, John Kricher. As a board member of the
American Birding Association, John has been a loyal supporter, donor, and advisor to
Birders’ Exchange since the program’s inception in 1990, along with providing invaluable
council and friendship deserving of the highest esteem.
To talented illustrator and friend of longstanding, William (Ted) Davis, Jr. goes
deep appreciation for allowing Birders’ Exchange to reproduce his skillful drawings
from the original version of A Neotropical Companion. Ted’s kindness and generosity
provided an especially important and valuable contribution to the overall artistry of
the project.
If it were not for Ben Tate, of Princeton University Press, and his enthusiastic support
for this project, the Spanish version of the book would never have become a reality.
Ben was instrumental in obtaining the rights to A Neotropical Companion as a donation
from Princeton University Press to the American Birding Association’s Birders’
Exchange program. Thank you, Ben, for having the vision to realize the importance to
education and conservation in the Neotropics of having A Neotropical Companion
translated into Spanish.
Birders’ Exchange is most appreciative of the generous support received from the
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service International
Programs office.
In addition, major thanks go to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Neotropical
Migratory Bird Conservation Act for the significant financial assistance awarded to
Birders’ Exchange and to The Nuttall Ornithological Club’s Blake Fund.
The significance of the donors who made essential financial contributions to the