We have our final at 1 pm today, and I think I have time to post a few videos while studying. Here are some of the many memorable moments throughout this trip:
A mass of caterpillars moving as one in Las Cruces:
Coatis in Palo Verde are not afraid of humans:
Palo Verde, A Caddisfly larvae in its leaf-armor, crawling on my professor:
An epic sunrise from the lookout at Palo Verde. This video does not do it justice:
The Howler Monkey video (I 'howl,' it calls back) that I missed on a previous post (volume up, ignore comment : )
And lastly, a short clip on the mudpots of Rincon:
Well, time to go over those notes one last time... what's in a test anyways? Perhaps grades are important but no one should be here because of that. Cheers!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
2 Kinds of Paradise...
...The first one being Rincon de la Vieja.
There is not much to say about Rincon de la Vieja, as it is basically a super fancy resort complete with zip lines, horses, mudpots, volcanos, waterfalls, and manicured gardens. Well, I guess there is a lot to say, and even more to do in Rincon, but we were only able to spend half a day there so perhaps next time I will be able to get to know it better. In the short time we were here though, I was able to visit their well-known mudpots, swim under one of the most spectacular waterfalls, and witness yet another glorious sunset. And I apologize in advance for the disproportionate amount of sunset pictures/mentioning throughout this blog, but none of them are ever the same (and I am perhaps a bit addicted to them).
But now we are in La Selva, and in hindsight that title to one of my previous posts, "BioDIVERSITY," should really be used here. La Selva is a Tropical Lowland Forest, "Where the action is at," to quote one of my professors. There have been Sloths, Tamanduas, Woolly Opossoms, (here are poor quality photos of the Two-Toed Sloth, Tamandua and Woolly Opossom)
Currasows, and Frogs, Snakes, and Birds of all shapes and sizes. I post the above 3 photos because they were taken in roughly the same place, which is just a few meters from our cabins, and on the same day. La Selva is the most productive tropical biology research station, and in an area so busy and relatively fragmented, it is amazing how much one can see right outside the bedroom door, let alone in the forests (on an hour long night hike we saw 3 different kinds of snakes and perhaps even more kinds of frogs).
Lectures were on the Mammals and Herps of Costa Rica, and an overview of La Selva in general. Our group was also taken on an orientation walk by guides (local experts), and it's amazing how much more a trained eye can find in the forest. There was also a really cool talk about bats, including some live specimen caught in mist nets.
But from this point on, there are no more formal walks or lectures... We are preparing our papers and presentations for the final group porject, studying for the final and the practical, and coming up with independent project ideas. I am fairly certain at this point that I will be working with Bullet Ants, which are said to be the most venomous insect and to have a sting that makes it feel like you've been shot by a bullet (or "being injected with boiling sulfuric acid and twisting the needle for 4 hours" for a more colorful description). The added danger, and the fact that many people do not want to work with them, makes it that much more interesting. Don't worry, I don't plan on being stung.
There is not much to say about Rincon de la Vieja, as it is basically a super fancy resort complete with zip lines, horses, mudpots, volcanos, waterfalls, and manicured gardens. Well, I guess there is a lot to say, and even more to do in Rincon, but we were only able to spend half a day there so perhaps next time I will be able to get to know it better. In the short time we were here though, I was able to visit their well-known mudpots, swim under one of the most spectacular waterfalls, and witness yet another glorious sunset. And I apologize in advance for the disproportionate amount of sunset pictures/mentioning throughout this blog, but none of them are ever the same (and I am perhaps a bit addicted to them).
But now we are in La Selva, and in hindsight that title to one of my previous posts, "BioDIVERSITY," should really be used here. La Selva is a Tropical Lowland Forest, "Where the action is at," to quote one of my professors. There have been Sloths, Tamanduas, Woolly Opossoms, (here are poor quality photos of the Two-Toed Sloth, Tamandua and Woolly Opossom)
Currasows, and Frogs, Snakes, and Birds of all shapes and sizes. I post the above 3 photos because they were taken in roughly the same place, which is just a few meters from our cabins, and on the same day. La Selva is the most productive tropical biology research station, and in an area so busy and relatively fragmented, it is amazing how much one can see right outside the bedroom door, let alone in the forests (on an hour long night hike we saw 3 different kinds of snakes and perhaps even more kinds of frogs).
Lectures were on the Mammals and Herps of Costa Rica, and an overview of La Selva in general. Our group was also taken on an orientation walk by guides (local experts), and it's amazing how much more a trained eye can find in the forest. There was also a really cool talk about bats, including some live specimen caught in mist nets.
But from this point on, there are no more formal walks or lectures... We are preparing our papers and presentations for the final group porject, studying for the final and the practical, and coming up with independent project ideas. I am fairly certain at this point that I will be working with Bullet Ants, which are said to be the most venomous insect and to have a sting that makes it feel like you've been shot by a bullet (or "being injected with boiling sulfuric acid and twisting the needle for 4 hours" for a more colorful description). The added danger, and the fact that many people do not want to work with them, makes it that much more interesting. Don't worry, I don't plan on being stung.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Palo Verde: Land of the Scorpions
There is no hot water in Palo Verde, and it’s great because after a long, sweaty, DEET-filled day outside, or anywhere besides the air-conditioned classroom, that cold water on your back feels glorious. Then again, Palo Verde is glorious. The sunrise over the mountain lookout, which I’ve been up four times…
… the winding Tempisque River, which we just came back from this morning, and just the sheer amount of life that’s literally crawling between every nook and cranny. I kid you not.
So earlier today, back from our Tempisque River Tour, where Crocs swam just a few meters away and White-Faced Capuchins jumped onto our boat, I decided to take a shower. Gone were the chemicals and caked blood from burst mosquitoes. I step out, I grab a towel, I reach for my pants, and I find a Scorpion. I kid you not. The following few minutes were spent by me shouting “Give me back my pants!” and the chatter and squealing from the people outside (who I’d asked to shake the bugger out).
Snakes curl up near the bathroom and Tarantula nests dot the hillside right outside our dorms. Macaws fly across the mountains at sunrise as Howler Monkeys roar back and forth, and at us when we call at them. I made a nice video of that, but I haven't been able to post it yet: the first guttural sound is me, and the reply is the howler. The speaker at the end is another student. Not much to look at, as it was fairly far away, but turn your volume up!
(Go here for video of howler!)
We are all scarred and itchy, and we all anticipate Rincon de la Vieja (mud pots and hot springs!) tomorrow, but I think now we all appreciate a little more… life’s cycles and all its workings, big and small… that it doesn’t start with the rare Jabaroo, but with the humble Mosquito.
On the academic side, 3 studies were done in Palo Verde: one group studied the ‘Optimal Predation Theory’ with Jacanas and aquatic insects, another Seed Dispersal, and my group looked at Pollination. I stood ankle-deep in a marsh, under the sun, and stared at a single plant for 2 hours… and strangely enough, thought it was quite interesting. The Jacana group had to wade through floating islands of cow dung.
We are almost at our final site, a primary feather in the wing of biological field stations (bad analogy, I know): La Selva. I don’t want to think about the end yet, and I won’t because I have 2 tests, 2 presentations and 2 papers in the way, but I know it will jump up on me, just like how June 15th jumped up on me a few weeks ago. I will take each day in stride though, because there hasn’t been a day, not a single one, when I missed home or wanted to be elsewhere. I am exactly where I belong. So, I go, and I will see you all in La Selva.
P.S. I still don’t like mosquitoes very much.
… the winding Tempisque River, which we just came back from this morning, and just the sheer amount of life that’s literally crawling between every nook and cranny. I kid you not.
So earlier today, back from our Tempisque River Tour, where Crocs swam just a few meters away and White-Faced Capuchins jumped onto our boat, I decided to take a shower. Gone were the chemicals and caked blood from burst mosquitoes. I step out, I grab a towel, I reach for my pants, and I find a Scorpion. I kid you not. The following few minutes were spent by me shouting “Give me back my pants!” and the chatter and squealing from the people outside (who I’d asked to shake the bugger out).
Snakes curl up near the bathroom and Tarantula nests dot the hillside right outside our dorms. Macaws fly across the mountains at sunrise as Howler Monkeys roar back and forth, and at us when we call at them. I made a nice video of that, but I haven't been able to post it yet: the first guttural sound is me, and the reply is the howler. The speaker at the end is another student. Not much to look at, as it was fairly far away, but turn your volume up!
(Go here for video of howler!)
We are all scarred and itchy, and we all anticipate Rincon de la Vieja (mud pots and hot springs!) tomorrow, but I think now we all appreciate a little more… life’s cycles and all its workings, big and small… that it doesn’t start with the rare Jabaroo, but with the humble Mosquito.
On the academic side, 3 studies were done in Palo Verde: one group studied the ‘Optimal Predation Theory’ with Jacanas and aquatic insects, another Seed Dispersal, and my group looked at Pollination. I stood ankle-deep in a marsh, under the sun, and stared at a single plant for 2 hours… and strangely enough, thought it was quite interesting. The Jacana group had to wade through floating islands of cow dung.
We are almost at our final site, a primary feather in the wing of biological field stations (bad analogy, I know): La Selva. I don’t want to think about the end yet, and I won’t because I have 2 tests, 2 presentations and 2 papers in the way, but I know it will jump up on me, just like how June 15th jumped up on me a few weeks ago. I will take each day in stride though, because there hasn’t been a day, not a single one, when I missed home or wanted to be elsewhere. I am exactly where I belong. So, I go, and I will see you all in La Selva.
P.S. I still don’t like mosquitoes very much.
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