student: May 2009 Archives

The last day had a productive final round of sampling even with the frequent rain. Many new butterfly species were recorded including many individuals of a rather uncommon species typically only found in intact forest. Upon reviewing the notes and data for the butterflies the highest areas of diversity were, as expected, in the disturbed forest patches that did not have tree monocultures. The tree plantations especially the teak stands were very low in butterfly diversity. The butterflies of the teak areas were the most common species that were present to nectar on the lantana. The tiger pattern mimetic complex of Heliconians, Ithomiines, and a single Charaxinae was very well represented in the two main disturbed forest patches. For the ants diversity was greatest in the forest patch bordering bird points a-n. There were several dominant species of ground dwelling ants. Their dominance should lessen as the restoration process continues and the leaf litter becomes thicker. This gives less dominant species more available niches and microhabitats to live and forage in, and it makes it more difficult for dominant species, like the fire ant Solenopsis geminatta, to establish colonies.

Well, we've come to the end of our research and it was a sad but really awesome end. Today was a test for me and at first I was a little bit nervous about it but it turned out really well. This is because I did not have Geovanni with me to help me identify the birds today. However, I did have Dr. Brown for the first half which was amazing and we got alottt of the birds down. For the last half I did on my own which went wayyy better than I expected it to go. I am sad that I am leaving tomorrow, but I am happy to go back to dallas. Yesterday was our free day. We lots of cool animals on our boat ride including the golden monkey and a snake bird. They were awesome. Going through Canuonegro reminded me of going through Essequibo River back home. It was a really sensational experience. Taking all the trees and weather and animals was just very sensational. Costa Rica has been an amazing experience and I am really happy I came. All the people here are really nice and really hospitable.The tour guides are really passionate about what they do and everyone seems to have this really great appreciation for life. Anyway, I am off, not feeling so well right now so will pack and go to bed. Until next time, Esta muy pura vida y adios. 

Well, we've just about finished the last day. For scheduling reasons we swapped Field Day 5 with the free day, so yesterday the group spent their field day with a boat trip along Cano Negro. The students are posting their comments, but this year we saw quite a few good views of unusual birds, Caimens, and all three types of monkey (howler, white faced, spider). This was followed with an hour in La Fortuna, and some time at the reserve that Giovanni is managing.

Here is a photo of the students on the boat trip (from left: Nick, Aliza, Kathryn, Natalia):



Today, the final field day, has been a day of tidying things up. We retrieved the last HOBOs (automated water temperature samplers), and both Aliza and Nick have been collecting their last field data. I've also converted the Trimble data into a form that can be used by Aliza and Nick in their write-ups. I've created a new map with bird nest locations. The plan is to add bird nest locations each year as their own layers, so it should be possible to compare the number of bird nests over time. Marcy reports that there are a lot more bird nests this year than in the 2008 field season. This is good news. An intermediate version of the map should be online before we leave Leaves and Lizards. Aliza is preparing a set of photographs for each bird nest point. I shall publish these later in the week after we return. I'll post a note when these are completed.

Well there was no new changes to the hummingbird nests today unfortunately. It's been doing pretty much the same thing. However, we've seen some new birds. It was unbelievable and fun. After breakfast I did three things that I have never really done before in my life. Well not too well anyway. I horseback rode an amazing horse named Bomberro and I horseback rode a hiking trail andddd I swam in a waterfall. It was soooo much fun. It was great. However tiring but it was great. Everyone was feeling a bit better today but still a little off but it's been a great day and I think everyone has really enjoyed today. Oh wait. I forgot. We recorded 15 birds nest on the GPS which is pretty amazing for birds including the Green breasted mango, Squirrel Cuckoo and many many more. We still have a few left to do. But it's gonna be great. I am so exhausted but I am so happy for tomorrow. Until then, Esta Pura Vida y Adios. 

It was an awesome day. Starting pretty early may not have been very easy but once up I was ready to go. We finished all our bird counts early today and we've seen so many new amazing species of birds including alot of the bird nests that we're going to try to gps and put on the map tomorow. We saw a swallow nest, blue gray tanager nest and we finally saw the Cuckoo and it's baby. We also saw a baby Antshrike. It is awesome and just really great. The afternoon was spent hiking through the jungle practically and after a few slight scares because a my team members got hurt by stings and so on, it became a wonderful hike through undisturbed forest. We saw two snakes - a coral and another as well as a Manakin and Nun bird. They are sooo beautiful. Hiking through the Orlandos brought alive my Jumanji experience because I was just waiting for Anacondas or other really koooll animals but there were none unfortunately. Overall it was a great day with new wonderful experiences. Can't wait for tomorow. Until then, esta Pura Vida y adios.

The entire Costa Rican experience is so amazing so far. It is impossible to summarize it all in one blog entry. Even though we either had no sleep or little sleep on Sunday, we all got here safe, encountering little to no problems.When we got here we travelled around a little visiting a few places - The Fortuna Park and the surrounding towns. We travelled through Monterey and arrived at Leaves and Lizards at about 6.00 pm, three of us having no idea the adventure that awaited us here. We all settled in comfortably and took an early night, even though sleeping was hard to do since we are all so excited. On Monday, every one got a lot of rough work and preparation for the rest of the week. It was amazing. Geovanni, Dr. Brown, and I discovered 56 species of birds and many of them were new from last year. On Monday as well, we hiked up Mount Arenal, the active volcanic mountain in the pouring rain. It was a refreshing experience. When we came down the Mountain, we watched it erupted. Mount Arenal is so magnificent. Tuesday was equally exciting. I discovered a Green Breasted Mango, a species of Hummingbird for my hummingbird study. Even though sitting in the scorching heat with many ants and bugs and dogs, it was well worth the experience. I learned a lot about the nesting habits of the Mango. One thing that was especially interesting about the Mango is not only it's territorial behavior when it is nesting but also the fact that the male Mango is the only parent that was observed so far incubating the young. We've seen so many new bird species from last year, including the Breasted Mango as well as nine plus species of hummingbirds and a few that can't come to mind right now. The rest of the experience is very refreshing and thrilling. Hiking through forests and encountering bugs, possible snakes and the RAINFALL is all an extremely wonderful experience. My Darwin experience - standing beneath this fully shaded tree and still getting wet from the rainfall. It is really intense. The Costa Rican food is amazing and some of the best I have had in a few months. Dr. Brown and Mr. Marsden have helped us so much and Steven and Debbie have been so hospitable to us as well as Madesia. Gotto go. Until next time, hasta la vista.

We are in the middle of our last preparation for our trip for Costa Rica. I am really excited and kind of nervous, hoping everything I need to do gets finished properly and accurately. Today is pretty exciting because I had to wake up at 6 am to go bird watching with Dr. Brown and Natalia. It was a very good learning experience and I learned a lot about birds. I even remembered a few of the bird sounds, which I am happy about. Natalia learned a lot about testing the soil color and pH, which is good experience for her. I am a bit more confident about my preparations but still a bit unsure and nervous about what I need to do. In class today, we learned how to use the panoramic photos and designed our objectives and goals for the trip. We're currently working on our timetables, materials and datasheets. It is exciting. Hope all goes well. Also, I am so happy that my lab assistant and I have so much in common. She's so smart and pretty and interesting, I want to be her, even though she told me to say this to amuse her friends. HaHa. :P