Month: February 2019

Another beautiful day in Chamela. We started our day at 7:30am with a hearty breakfast of beans, potatoes, and fresh fruit to fuel our bodies for the day. After breakfast, we were given time to work on our Chamela research projects. Our group, Zumbardor Mehicano (including Kayleigh, Darcey, and Yanet) is recording food preference of leaf cutter ants. We walked around the station and surrounding forest area in search of leaf cutter ants. Once we found the long lines of individuals typical of the species, we followed them back to the tree on which they were feeding. We identified these trees based on their bark and with the help of a new field guide thatcher’s Dr. Lougheed purchased for the course. To determine if the ants were selecting for specific tree species, we set out a 5×5 quadrat and counted up the total number of trees (all barked vegetation) versus the number of those being fed on. Following the ant hunt, our group decided to go for a hike down the main trail. Along the way, we saw a variety of wildlife – many birds, lizards, and insects. We finished our hike and took some time to rest and do school work before lunch. During this time, Steve and Javier were busy looking for snakes and other creatures to show us. They were able to wrangle up a tailless whip scorpion (Acanthophrynus coronatus), a Mexican mouse opossum (Marmosa canescens), and a large blue and yellow centipede (name). Everyone was amazed at the remarkable species that have never been seen by us northerners. We were able to take some ‘snaps’ before releasing them all back into their habitats. As Darcey was trying to get a good portrait shot of the mouse opossum, the little creature leaped onto her camera and we all got a good laugh out of that. At 2:30pm, we were treated to a wonderful lunch of rice, salad, and mole chicken (mole a sauce that contains peppers and chocolate)  or a stuffed pepper for the vegetarians/vegans. Afterwards we were given some much-needed time to do more school work in an air conditioned class room. Some of us choose to go on a walk with Steve, Javier, and Evelyn down the main road to see what we could find. We were able to see some beautifully coloured parrots and parakeets flying through the sky with their vibrant green feathers. We returned from our walk sweaty and ready for some food. We had some time until dinner to wash-up, do more work, and soak in the splendour of Chamela. Dinner was served at 8pm, where we ate crunchy tortilla shells with assorted toppings. Once we were finished dinner, we all headed down to the library to listen to Yanet’s presentation on the effects environmental stress in birds. It was very informative and we learned a lot about studies being conducted in nearby Mexican universities. Having exhausted our bodies and our brain’s now overflowing with information, we were all ready to hit the hay. We are very eager for the remainder of our trip. We have learned a great deal and have had amazing experiences beyond our expectations.

What’s that in the forest making those booming noises? Is it an owl? Is it a hawk? No – it’s the Boom Chachalacas coming back at you for blog entry round two! No wait … there are also owls. We awoke this morning to the sounds of two singing owls roosting right outside our windows! As it was the first morning at the Chamela research station, no one had settled into their routines yet. We were all pretty much zombies from the day of travel before. After the cobwebs were shaken off with some strong coffee and the staple meal of cheese quesadillas and beans, we were all ready to start our day.

We began with a hike along some of the local trails, beginning with the main road, Eje Central, and then down Buho to the arroyo to which it leads. Along the way we were introduced to an interesting insect known as the antlion, which creates a pit-like trap in the substrate of the forest floor and waits at the bottom for unlucky visitors. This pit is reminiscent of the Sarlacc pit from Star Wars (minus the tentacles). As we were walking through the forest, we finally understood why Steve and Javier had been cautious about the conditions of the foliage. Hurricane Patricia, which made landfall in October of 2015, left lasting effects on the flora and fauna of the region. Such damage left some areas almost impassable and entry into the forest rather difficult. On our hike we came across an arroyo, or at least what is usually an arroyo during the wet season. It is currently the dry season and as such we saw no water, just the skeleton of where the arroyo usually runs. Within this area we found considerable biodiversity: birds (e.g. San Blas Jay), multiple butterfly (e.g. Interrupted Longtail) and lizard species, and a female scorpion (unknown species) carrying her offspring on her back. We also found an interesting branch with external sap droplets, on which a local bee was feeding. Over the course of the hike, we listened to a few students teach us about the species in this area. We heard about the Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) from Sean, the Magnificent Frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens) from Chenxi, and the White-nosed Coati (Nausa narica) from Sydney.

When we finally made it back to the station, we all rushed to the air-conditioned library to brainstorm some ideas for group projects that we might be able to conduct in Chamela. You’ll be pleased to hear that the Boom Chachalacas have rebounded from the moisture meter tragedies of Las Joyas and found new inspiration in an unlikely place. We are now looking into the patterns of termite activity with respect to tree habitat and how this may have changed along with the intense ecological shift due to the hurricane. After a delicious lunch consisting of do-it-yourself soft tacos, it was decided a group siesta was necessary before we ventured back out into the wilderness to pilot our new studies.

Following this much needed rest, we set off to get some preliminary data and, to our surprise, this time we had a working study and a pattern that seemed to be interesting! While out in the wilderness collecting this data, Steve caught a Mexican Pink Tarantula (Brachypelma klaasi) back at the station and decided to have a photoshoot. Some brave souls (Darcey and Evelyn) also decided to give it a cuddle, whereas others (Claire) could not have been more delighted to have missed the whole event. Regardless, we got some impressive photos of the rarest species of the Brachypelmagenus! When the groups were all exhausted and ready for dinner, we were greeted with some amazing Mexican burgers. After this, Liam gave a fun and enlighteneing seminar on the topic of coevolution and how it helps to shape the biodiversity we see.

That’s all for the Boom Chachalacas, signing off again, this time with a working project and full bellies.

En Español

Blog day 8- Group 3

After celebrating the first night of the Carnaval in Autlán, we woke up early for complimentary breakfast and packed our bags for the next part of our adventure. We set off at 9 am and began for Chamela, first stopping at a beachfront town called Melaque. Along the drive, we noticed a drastic change in vegetation as we moved closer to the coast. The trees became shorter and thinner in stature, and palm trees and cactus began to dominate the landscape. We parked by the beach and headed down to enjoy a swim in the Pacific Ocean where we greeted by diving brown pelicans (Pelacanus occidentalis), double crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus), common tern (Sterna hirundo), magnificent frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens), and beach venders selling souvenirs. After a very delightful swim and candid photoshoot, we enjoyed a delicious lunch on the beach along with some much-needed cold beverages. We took this opportunity to walk through the streets, talking to locals and testing the large variety of banana species this area has to offer. We did our best to dust off the sand before heading to another small beach town called Manzanilla. Manzanilla hosts a natural mangrove estuary, home to many American crocodiles (Crocodyls acutus)and other species that occupy these brackish waters. Freshwater inlets coming in from higher elevations collide with the salty waters of the Pacific Ocean to create wetlands where Mangrove trees dominate. These trees have unique physiological abilities in order to survive in saline waters where many other plants cannot survive. Here we saw another collection of bird species, such as the great egret (Ardea alba), yellow crowned night heron (Nyctanassa violacea), and great-tailed grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus). We also had the opportunity to hold a baby crocodile (with supervision of course)! Darcy then gave a short presentation on the American Crocodile, noting that these animals have multiple eyelids for hunting underwater, and nostrils that can close in order to remain submerged for long periods of time. After completing the mangrove walk, we grabbed some snacks to fuel us for the week ahead before departing to the Chamela field station. Upon arriving we were delighted with the brightly coloured facilities of the field station that would be our home for the next week. We quickly ran to our rooms to unpack, and began to notice the flora and fauna of this dry forest which had been damaged in years prior during a hurricane. We were immediately greeted by coatis geckos, flocks of parrots, a tarantula (YIKES), a pair of hawks, and armies of army ants. The views of the mountain range and forests surrounding the field station will be something to look forward to every day of our stay. We continued investigating until dinner-time, where we enjoyed a Sunday night dinner of delicious tacos in the cafeteria. After dinner, we headed to the air-conditioned auditorium for the rest of the night to attempt to do some homework and update our families on our adventures as the geckos clicked in the ceiling. We can’t wait to venture around this beautiful station.

En Español

Día 8 – equipo 3

Después de celebrar la primera noche de carnaval en Autlán, nos levantamos temprano a desayunar y empacar para continuar con nuestra siguiente Aventura. Saliendo con rumbo a Chamela a las 9am con el plan de visitar primero un pueblo en la playa llamado Melaque. Los árboles de la zona son más cortos y delgados y se comenzaron a ver palmeras y cactus dominando el paisaje. Una vez que llegamos a la playa, nos fuimos todo el grupo a disfrutar y nadar en el Océano pacífico donde nos dieron la bienvenida un buen número de pelícanos (Pelecanus occidentalis), Cormoranes (Phalacrocorax auratus) Charranes (Sterna hirundo) y Fragatas (Fragata magnificens), ademas de un buen número de vendedores de artesanías en la playa. Después de una rica nadada y sesión de fotos, nos fuimos a comer una deliciosa comida en la playa con unas muy necesitadas bebidas frías. Después nos aventuramos a caminar por las calles del pueblo para conocer la gente y aprovechar para probar todas las variedades de plátanos que encontramos en el pueblo. Hicimos lo mejor posible para sacudirnos la arena antes de irnos a otra playa cercana llamada La Manzanilla donde hay un estero y manglar, hogar de numerosos cocodrilos (Crocodylus acutus) y otras especies que habitan estas aguas salobres. Agua dulce que baja de las montañas, se encuentra con las aguas del océano pacífico para crear aguas salobres donde dominan los manglares. Los árboles tienen habilidades fisiológicas únicas para sobrevivir las condiciones Salinas que otras plantas no pueden soportar. Observamos además otro buen número de especies d aves, incluyendo la Garza nocturna de Cabeza amarilla (Nyctanassa violacea), Zanates (Quiscalus mexicanus) y garzones blancos (Ardea alba). Más Adelante, tuvimos oportunidad de tomar cocodrilos en nuestras manos (supervisados claro está)! Darcy nos habló también sobre las características de los cocodrilos, enfatizando en que estos animales tienen varias adaptaciones para cazar bajo el agua como los nostrilos que se cierran para permanecer mucho tiempo bajo el agua. Después de que terminó nuestra caminata por el manglar, nos fuimos a comprar botanas para tener reservas en nuestro viaja hacia la estación científica de Chamela. A nuestra llegada, nos alegramos de ver los encendidos colores de los edificios que serían nuestro hogar la siguiente semana. Rápidamente nos instalamos en nuestros cuartos y empezamos a observar la característica flora y fauna del lugar de este bosque seco dañado recientemente por un huracán. Nos dieron la bienvenida los Coatis, Geckos, loros y tarantulas (Hayyyy!) un par de Gavilanes y ejércitos de hormigas.

La vista de las montañas y el bosque alrededor de la estación es algo que nos llama a la aventura en los próximos días de nuestra estancia en Chamela. Continuamos investigando los alrededores hasta la hora de la cena, donde nos ofrecieron deliciosos tacos. Después de cenar, nos fuimos al salón de clases con aire acondicionado por el resto de la noche para intentar hacer algún trabajo y tareas y poner al corriente a nuestras familias de nuestras aventuras mientras los Geckos llamaban desde el techo. Estamos ansiosos por iniciar un nuevo día para aventurarnos en este magnifico lugar.

Hola again from Sean, Hector, and Chenxi!

This morning we left Autlán for an early windy mountain drive, a little car sickness, and a wide variety of breakfast tacos in the town of Villa Purification. Jésus (Surname), an agricultural professor at the University of Guadalajara, met us there to speak about the history of the town itself and local crops, as did the former director of the Las Joyas Biological Station. The town was founded in 1530 and was thereafter a node for Spanish trade, with a direct link to the Philippines. Mangoes, oranges, and pineapples, and importantly, a special technique for growing pineapples in the shade, defined this locality for the following centuries.

Pineapples have been cultivated in Mexico for 2-3000 years, but cultivars have been widespread, originating in South America, for around 6000 years. The plantation that we subsequently visited touts a shade cultivar of pineapple that thrives in semi-deciduous forest of large trees, with banana, orange, coffee, and native tree species mixed in (and some HOT chilis, wild vanilla, and starfruits growing among them). These pineapples are adapted to time their flowering with the loss of leaves on the covering trees, and these leaves in turn fertilize the following fruit. Plantations such as these serve as crucial corridors for wildlife, and foraging habitat for others. The importance of such agricultural landscapes in conservation is particularly important in a country with high levels of endemism, and was very evident from our experience at this plantation (we spotted a pygmy owl as we prepared to depart).

We returned to Hotel Autlán to rest, but nothing could have readied us for the spectacle we were privileged to next. Carnival is an especially important festival to this agricultural city of 60 000, but what we witnessed was nothing less than the brilliance, colour, and joy of Latin Mexico in the buskers, tractor-pulled-floats, dancers, bands, and horse-riders that paraded past our hotel and on into town’s core. We were the only gringos, and drew our own stares and questions, as this attraction was never intended for any tourist. The owner of our hotel recognized us as we tried in vain to glimpse the action from the crowded street, inviting us to watch from the roof of the hotel, where we purveyed the succession of performers (some of which had travelled from larger cities to partake) in bewilderment, and the sun sank below the horizon, throwing pink light on the lively revelers. As the parade winded down, we ventured back into the packed streets to continue the festivities in food, drink, dance, and song. It was certainly a time of our lives that, though difficult to describe in words, none will soon forget.

Adios!

Sean, Hector, and Chenxi

Español. 23 de Febrero

Hola de nuevo de Sean, Héctor y Chenxi !

Por la mañana salimos de Autlán en una expedición muy temprano, con viento  y algo mareados por el camino sinuoso recorrido por las montañas, para visitar el poblado de Villa Purificación, donde llegamos a desayunar unos tacos suaves. Jesús, un profesor de agroecología de la Universidad de Guadalajara, nos platicó sobre la historia del pueblo, sus tradiciones y sobre su manejo agrícola, también nos acompaño en anterior encargado de la Estación Científica Las Joyas.

El pueblo se fundó en 1530 y fue un lugar importante para el comercio con España y principalmente con las Islas Filipinas, dando lugar a una mezcla de especies frutales traídas de Asia, que junto con las de América enriquecieron la diversidad agrícola local, particularmente se habló de una técnica especial usada por siglos para el cultivo de piñas bajo sombra.

El cultivo de piña llegó a México entre hace 2 a 3000 años, pero la piña se cree que fue domesticada desde hace 6000 años. La plantación que visitamos se ubica bajo la sombra de grandes árboles nativos de selva mediana subperenifolia, donde además se encentran platanares, naranjales, cafetales, fruta estrella y otras especies de árboles nativos donde también se encuentra vainilla y arbustos de chiles picantes. Las piñas del cultivo de sombra, están adaptadas para florecer cuando se caen las hojas de los árboles, las cuales se convierten en fertilizante para las plantas de piña. La importancia de tales agroecosistemas, es muy relevante para la conservación, ya que sirven de conexión con otros parches de selva, formando corredores biológicos que dan refugio a la vida silvestre, condición muy importante sobre todo en un país con alto grado de endemismo, lo que fue muy evidente por nuestro encuentro con un tecolotito bajeño (Glaucidium brasilianum), justo antes de retirarnos.

Regresamos al hotel en Autlán a descansar, pero nada pudo ser mejor al saber del espectáculo que estábamos por atestiguar. Carnaval es una importante festividad, particularmente para este pueblo dedicado a la agricultura que a pesar de sus 60,000 habitantes demostraron un espectáculo lleno de luces, color y alegría en el desfile de carnaval adornado por múltiples carros alegóricos representados por tractores y caballos muy adornados y sobre los cuáles se realizaban diversos bailes y malabares al son de la música desfilando al frente de nuestro hotel a su destino en el centro de la ciudad.

Éramos los únicos “gringos” y llamamos sin intención la atención de la gente sabiendo que no estaba planeado para turistas. El dueño del Hotel observó que estábamos tratando de darnos paso entre la multitud de gente para observar el desfile y nos invitó a que subiéramos al techo del hotel, donde tuvimos vista privilegiada para ver la variedad de grupos participantes, algunos de ellos llegando de otras ciudades para participar en el carnaval. Al tiempo que desfilaban pudimos ver el atardecer  que con tonos rosas iluminó las danzas de los participantes. Ya para terminar el desfile, bajamos del techo para internarnos entre la multitud de gente para ir a comer, beber, bailar y cantar. Ciertamente fue una experiencia de vida difícil de describir con palabras, pero que ninguno olvidaremos.

Adios!  Sean, Héctor y Chenxi

Hello! Its Jamie, Sydney and Gerardo with day 6 of the Mexico field course.

We started off the day with some bird watching (for those feeling up to the 6.30 morning) and setting up of mist nets to try to catch a few more species. We saw a mountain trogon (Trogon mexicanus) and tufted flycatcher (Trogon mexicanus) before a fantastic breakfast of eggs, pancakes, and bacon. After breakfast we checked the mist nets to find a green-striped brush finch (Arremon virenticeps) and a Golden-brown warbler (Basileuterus belli). As we finished packing, we gathered on the grass for species accounts of some of the wildlife we saw over the past few days, presented by the students. Kayleigh spoke about the Bell’s false brook salamander (Pseudoeurycea bellii), a large lungless salamander endemic to Mexico that uses a lightning-fast projectile tongue to catch insects. Evelyn talked about the Green-striped brush finch, another endemic species to Mexico that we caught in the mist nets earlier in the morning. Finally, Jamie talked about the Crested guan, a large game bird that we just saw the day before!

After the talks we said our goodbyes (and thank you’s) to some of the staff. While it was terribly sad to say goodbye to the station after such an exciting few days, we were looking forward to the next stage of our adventure as we squeezed into the backs of the pickup trucks, beginning our descent to Autlán at around 10.30 am. The highlight of our ride down was a family of peccaries that we glimpsed crossing the road behind us. We also saw a variety of birds including some short-tailed hawks (Buteo brachyurus) and black vultures (Coragyps atratus).

We made it down by about 1.00 pm and moved into our rooms at the Hotel Autlán, went for a refreshing swim to wash off the dust, and took advantage of hotel wifi to catch up on some overdue emails. We had the afternoon to explore the town and get a bite to eat down in the main plaza. Almost every street was full of people setting up stalls, rides, and stages for the upcoming Carnival. We had a much-needed meal and briefly reconvened at 5.30 to discuss the plan for the coming few days and ordered pizza. The evening featured the first rainfall of the trip, so we enjoyed the pizza undercover outside of the hotel restaurant and some students had another evening swim before a relaxing night of indoor work/chatting.

Until next time!

J/S/G

En español

Dia 6

Hola, Nuevamente los saluda Jamie, Sydney y Gerardo en el día 6 del curso en México.

Empezamos el día con observación de aves (para aquellos con ganas de levantarse temprano a las 6:30) y se colocaron además redes trampa para tratar de capturar algunas especies más. Observamos un Trogón de montaña (Trogon mexicanus) y un Mosquero canela copetón (Mitrephanes phaeocercus) antes del fantástico desayuno de huevos, pancakes y tocino. Después del desayuno checamos las redes y encontramos un rascador dorso verde (Arremon virenticeps) y un chipe ceja dorada (Basileuterus belli). Cuando terminamos de empacar para nuestro regreso a Autlán, pasamos un rato antes en el pasto para platicar de algunas de las especies silvestres asignadas para describir y que observamos en los días anteriores, en esta ocasión, presentadas por Kayliegh quien hablo acerca de la salamandra Mexicana de los volcanes (Pseudoeurycea bellii), una gran salamandra sin pulmones endémica de México que usa su lengua como un rápido proyectil para capturar insectos. Evelyn habló acerca del rascador de dorso verde (Arremon virenticeps) y otras especies endémicas de México que capturamos con ayuda de las redes por la mañana. Finalmente, Jaime habló acerca del Choncho (Penelope purpurascens), un agran ave que observamos el día anterior.

Después de las pláticas nos despedimos (y agradecimos) al personal de la estación. Fue terriblemente triste decir adiós a la estación después de increíbles experiencias en pocos días, estábamos mirando el siguiente paso de nuestra aventura cuando acomodábamos nuestras maletas en la camioneta. Comenzamos nuestro descenso a Autlán a las 10:30 am, las luces frontales de la camioneta bajando deslumbraron una familia de pecaríes cruzando la carretera justo frente a nosotros. También observamos una variedad de aves incluyendo aguilillas de cola corta (Buteo brachyurus) y zopilotes negros (Coragyps atratus). 

Llegamos a Autlán a la 1:00 pm y fuimos directo al Hotel para instalarnos en nuestras habitaciones, después fuimos a nadar para refrescarnos y quitarnos el polvo. Tomamos ventaja del Wifi del hotel para descargar los mails atrasados. Después pasamos la tarde para explorar el pueblo y comer algo en la plaza principal. Casi todas las calles estaban llenas de gente sentadas en bancas, coches y gradas preparadas para el carnaval. Luego fuimos a comer antes de una breve reunión a las 5:30pm para discutir el plan de los siguientes días y ordenar pizza. Una tarde destacada con la primer lluvia del viaje, entonces disfrutamos de la pizza en el restaurante del hotel y algunos estudiantes nadaron de nuevo en la tarde antes de una relajante noche de trabajo y platica en el interior.

Hasta la próxima ¡¡

Today was our last full day at the Estación científica Las Joyas. We started off the day like every other- the few early riser when out to bird watch, while others took advantage of the extra few minutes of sleep. At 8am we all gathered in the dining room for some delicious breakfast enchiladas and fruit; coffee included of course. After finishing up our meal, we started preparing our packs to hitch a ride to the top of the mountain in pickup trucks. Throughout the drive up, we observed the flora get more coniferous at higher elevations. There was a variety of flowering plants with unique and beautiful colours that differed from the flora at the lower altitude of Las Joyas. When we arrived at the top, we were amazed with the view. As we gazed out from the mountain we could see for miles. The mountain was so high up that we were virtually level with the clouds. We spent some time here taking photos and basking in the glory of the spectacular view. After a sufficient amount of picturesque views, we rearranged ourselves for the 2 hours trek back to the station. Before leaving the mountain, we were able to see a diverse variety of hummingbirds. On the hike down, we kept our eyes peeled and vigilantly flipped rocks in hopes of finding snakes or salamanders- sadly, we did not find any. We did however get to see a female Guan with a vibrant red throat. She walked in front of us on the trail for quite some time and we were able to get some good snaps. Following the hike, we were given time to complete data collection needed for our final projects. Our group is studying how the location of zea diploperenus correlates to the position of the sun on disrupted man-made paths (west/east and north/south). At 2:30 we returned and washed up before lunch. Lunch was served at 3pm as always. There was a delicious corn stew served to all, with chicken for the omnivores and mushrooms for the herbivores. Following this we had about an hour of repose before we returned to the field to collect our last set of data samples. We returned at 5:30pm for a brief lesson on statistical analysis, then headed up to a cabin for three more seminars presented by Jamie, Leah, and Kayleigh. The seminars sparked some very interesting conversations about ecotourism, agriculture, and the effects of the formation of the isthmus of Panama. We went down to have dinner at 8pm. To our delight, we were treated to a tasty noodle and veggie dish. Then students who wished could join Steve and Javier in the bat hunt. We hiked up into the near forest, where we turned off all our head lamps. Javier used prerecording of owl sounds to summon the owl. We successfully induced a smaller owl to respond (Eastern screech owl). Alas, no larger owls were fooled by our tricks. The long and sensational day warranted for a good night’s sleep. We will be sad to be leaving Las Joyas tomorrow morning, but are excited for the adventure that Autlan and Chamela have in store for us!

En español

Hoy fue nuestro ultimo día complete en la Estación Científica Las Joyas. Comenzamos nuestro día como los anteriores, los tempraneros nos fuimos a observar aves, mientras otros aprovecharon para dormir unos minutos más. A las 8am nos reunimos en el comedor para un delicioso deayuno de enchiladas verdes y fruta, sin faltar el café por supuesto. Después del desayuno, nos fuimos a preparar mochilas para una excursión hacia las montañas en un viaje sinuoso y agitado por las montañas en la camionetas pickup. Durante el viaje observamos que la vegetación dominante a mayor elevación era de bosque de pinos. Observamos una variedad interesante de plantas con flores con colores diversos y únicos, diferente a las plantas observadas a elevaciones más bajas en las Joyas. 

Cuando llegamos a la cima nos sorprendimos con la maravillosa vista desde donde podíamos ver el paisaje por millas. Estábamos a tal Altura que literal, estábamos al nivel de las nubes. Pasamos un buen rato explorando y tomando muchas fotos mientras tomábamos el sol en el sitio con tan gloriosa y espectacular vista. Después de nuestra sesión de fotos, nos reunimos para iniciar nuestro descenso caminando por alrededor de dos horas hacia la Estación Científica. A lo largo de nuestra caminata, nos mantuvimos vigilantes, al mismo tiempo que levantamos piedras y troncos en búsqueda de serpientes, salamandras u otros animales de los cuales tristemente no encontramos ninguno.

No obstante, pudimos observar un Choncho (Penelope purpurascens) con una garganta roja muy brillante. Pudimos observarla por un buen tiempo mientras permanecia el sendero y tomar muchas fotos. Después de nuestra llegada se nos dío tiempo para poder continuar con la toma de datos para los Proyectos. Nuestro equipo decidió analizar como el teozintle (Zea diploperennis) se relaciona a la posición de coordenadas geográficas y la relación con la radación solar sobre caminos y veredas usadas por humanos. Regreamos a las 2:30 para lavarnos antes de comer. Comimos a las 3pm como siempre. Nos sirvieron una sopa de elote con pollo para los omnívoros y con hongos para los herbívoros. Después de la comida tuvimos una hora de Descanso antes de regresar a nuestros sitios de trabajo de campo para colectar más datos. Ya a nuestro regreso a las 5:30pm, tuvimos una pequeña clase sobre análisis estadísticos y luego al salón de clases para escuchar tres seminarios más presentados por Jamie, Leah y Kayleigh. Los seminarios trataron temas muy interesantes sobre el ecoturismo, agricultura y el intercambio de fauna durante la formación del Istmo de Panamá.  A las 8:00pm nos fuimos a cenar un delicioso platillo de fideos con vegetales asados. Mientras unos se quedaron a limpiar la cocina, otros se unieron con Javier y Steve para la captura de murciélagos. Poco después, nos reunimos para ir a buscar tecolotes usando unas grabaciones que Javier usa como señuelo para atraerlos. Tuvimos éxito en atraer a un Búho oriental pequeño (Psiloscops trichopsis). Otros búhos grandes no respondieron a los llamados. El largo día pero sensacional nos garantizó una Buena noche para dormir. Estamos tristes de que nos iremos de las Joyas mañana en la mañana, pero a la vez emocionados de la siguientes aventuras que nos esperan en Autlan y Chamela !

The fourth day started like all previous ones, with the early birds getting up to watch the other, early birds. However, today was slightly different today we set up mist nets to get closer looks at all of the birds we had until now been watching from afar. We had groups check every half hour to make sure that none of our avian comrades were in the nets for too long. While we were in the middle of checking these, we were served the most delicious breakfast burritos, of which a few of us had two.

After we all stuffed our faces, Javier showed the group the myriad of ways that scientists handle and take measurements from the birds that were caught in the mist nets. Some of these included; teaching us how to handle birds properly, how to take wing, tarsus and beak measurements, how to check for moulting and ectoparasites, how to check for breeding, how to weigh the bird, how to band, how to examine fat stores, and how to take blood samples. We learned that all of these data help us to better understand the physical condition of the individuals and how that relates to population diversity and dynamics. Just a bit of the diversity that we were able to capture with the mist nets included; the Russet Nightingale Thrush (Catharus occidentalis), Golden-browed Warbler (Basileuterus belli), Green-striped Brush Finch (Arremon virenticeps), Audubon Oriole (Icterus graduacauda), and Amethyst-throated Hummingbird (Lampornis emethystines); which had the most beautiful iridescent colouration on its throat. Those students who were eager enough, were given the chance to properly handle and get a closer look at some of our avian amigos. We even got the chance to witness the natural biological process of excretion specifically on Liam’s hand, an Oriole ordeal if you like.

We then split off into our individual project groups to collect pilot data. Our group was hoping to look at competition between woody tree species and how it relates to the moisture availability. We hypothesized that larger trees would be using more of the soil moisture in an area and predicted that this would shape the density of competing neighbours. A pattern was forming in our data up until we learned one of the most important aspects of fieldwork, always bring at least two of everything. So, with heavy hearts and a broken moisture meter, we trudged back to the field station with Chamela on the mind.

Our spirits were raised when we realized what was for dinner, a delectable corn and chicken stew (mushroom for the vegetarians and vegans of course). When we were finished devouring dinner, we were greeted with the delightful sight of flames dancing in the firepit. As we all began to gather around the flame, we waited impatiently to hear that a bat had been caught in our mist nets that we had re-set. Unfortunately, we found no frickin’ bats because it was too frickin’ cold. We did however find out that Hector and Liam both know guitar rather well and ended the night serenading the animals to sleep with classical Mexican and maybe not-so-classical sing-along songs. This is the Boom Chachalakas, signing off for another 5 days. We’ll see you in Chamela next, hopefully with a new study concept.

En español

El cuarto día comenzó con los anteriores, con los pájaros tempraneros levantándose yendo temprano a observar a las otras aves. Sin embargo, hoy fue diferente ya que se colocaron redes para atrapar algunas de las aves que solo observábamos desde lejos. Nos organizamos en grupos para checar cada media hora y evitar que las aves estuvieran por largo rato atrapadas en las redes. Entre chequeos, nos fuimos a desayunar un rico desayuno preparado con burrtitos, que hasta algunos comimos hasta dos.

Después de tan delicioso desayuno, Javier nos instruyó en las variada formas en las que los científicos realizan las métricas y manipulación de aves capturadas. Algunos aspectos fueron, el cómo agarrar bien las aves en la mano, la forma de medir las alas, tarso, picos, y también sobre la muda y sobre ectoparásitos, además de condición reproductiva, el peso, cantidad de grasa y cómo obtener muestras de sangre.  Todas estas variables importantes para entender aspectos de la dinámica de poblaciones y de la diversidad.

Entre la diversidad de aves capturadas estuvieron el Zorzal occidental (Catharus occidentalis), Chipe ceja dorada (Basileuterus belli), Rascador dorso verde (Arremon virenticeps), Bolsero de Audubon (Icterus graduacauda), y el Colibrí garganta ametista (Lampornis amethystinus) con un clor violeta iridiscente muy hermoso en la garganta. Todos aquellos estudiantes que quisieron, tomaron aves en las manos  para sentir la emoción de manipular a nuestros amigos pajariles. Así tuvismos oportunidad de experimentar en propia mano, claro la de Liam la excreción de un pájaro amigo.

Ya después nos reunimos en equipo para trabajar en los proyectos piloto para determinar si funcionarían nuestras ideas. Nuestro equipo propuso trabajar sobre la competencia entre árboles y como se relaciona al nivel de humedad del suelo. Nuestra hipótesis fue que los árboles más grandes utilizarían más humedad de un área prediciendo que esto afectaría la densidad de competidores vecinos. Empezamos a observar un patrón de nuestros datos hasta que nos dimos cuenta de un aspecto muy importante, traer dos aparatos medidores de humedad, pues el primero se rompió. Así que corazones deprimidos, nos dimos ánimos para comenzar de nuevo en Chamela.

Nuestro ánimo resplandeció cuando supimos que nuestra cena sería una sopa de elote con pollo o de hongos para los vegetarianos claro. Cuando terminamos de cenar nos alegramos con una fogata llena de música y buenos tragos. Ya que casi todos estábamos reunidos, estábamos impacientes por capturar murciélagos en la red. Desafortunadamente no atrapamos ninguno ya que estaba muy fría la noche. Para nuestra fortuna, descubrimos que Héctor y Liam resultaron buenos cantando y tocando la guitarra alrededor de la fogata con canciones mexicanas y canadienses. Al ritmo de Boom-Chachalacas, listos para otros 5 días.

Nos veremos en Chamela pronto, esperamos con nuestro nuevo proyecto.

Today we woke up bright and early before sunrise to go birdwatching in the mesophyllus forest. We began our day with spotting a pair of mountain Trogons (Trogon mexicanus), white throated thrush (Turdus assimilis), a white eared hummingbird (Hylocharis leucotis), a sparkling-tailed hummingbird (Tilmatura dupontii), and an Audubon’s Oriole (Icterus graduacuada) within the brush. We then returned to eat a delicious hardy breakfast of cheesy enchiladas (with great vegan options). After breakfast, we had a quick debriefing on yesterday’s bird classification comparing field observations to the field guides provided. We then geared up and headed back onto the trails of the mesophyll forest to begin daily activities. We first stopped at a picturesque stream to search for amphibians and invertebrates within the leaf litter around the stream; we found a leaf litter frog, several flatworms (platyhelminthes), and a centipede. As we continued along the trail, we noticed several trees with conspicuous lineations of holes within the bark of the trees. Javier explained to us that these holes are a result of yellow-belly sapsuckers, which are a type woodpecker who places many holes around the tree to create a sap-trap for attracting and capturing insects! We stopped at several more streams to continue searching for creatures, and further along on the trail our instructors organized a habitat structure activity. This consisted of learning how to use simple but powerful field equipment such as clinometers for measuring hill slope, densitometer for measuring canopy cover, and a soil moisture meter as just a few examples. We practised using these tools in preparation for our individual group projects which we are underway in designing. Along this hike we continued our thermal ecology activity, measuring the temperatures above and below coverboards, as well as the ambient air temperature as we went. We ended our hike back at the biology station when Javier found the first snake of the trip – a Mexican brown snake (*Storeira sp.)! After a quick break to get reorganized for our next activities, groups split off to begin working out details pertaining to individual projects, using our newly discovered tools to aid in this practice. After a delicious sushi lunch, everyone had the opportunity to work on their seminar presentations, or take a well deserved break period. This also allowed us to gather our thoughts regarding our projects to present to the rest of the group for feedback. Overlooking the remarkable landscape, we sat down and helped one another refine our hypotheses for our major projects. Data collection and statistical analyses were rationalized among faculty and students . Each group made an official name to represent themselves, such as the “Boom-chalacacas”, and the “BRO-meliads”. We then listened to three seminars presented by Chenxi, Darcy, and Gerardo regarding the biodiversity and species of Mexico. Finally to end the day, we had a DIY sandwich dinner in the cafeteria in the glow of our headlamps, taking the time to make sure we cleaned up after ourselves to show our appreciation to the amazing kitchen staff here at Las Joyas. Can’t wait for another exciting day, and begin data collection for our projects! Adios!

En español

Buenos días del quipo 3 en el día 3.

Hoy despertamos con entusiasmo antes del amanecer para ir a observer aves en el bosque mesófilo. Iniciamos el día observando un par de Trogones (Trogon mexicanus), Zorzal de garganta blanca (Turdus assimilis), un colibrí de oreja balca (Hylocharis leucotis) y el Tilmatura dupontiiy tambien un bolsero de Audubon (Icterus graduacauda) entre los matorrales. Regresamos a la estación a desayunar un plato fuerte de enchiladas suizas (con opción vegana). Después continuamos con la identificación de aves del ejercicio del día anterior comparando nuestras observaciones con las ilustraciones de las guias de campo. Ya que terminamos, nos preparamos para irnos de nueva cuenta de excursion al bosque mesófilo a continuar nuestras actividades.

Primero paramos en un arroyo para burcar anfibios; encontramos ranitas, varios gusanos planos (platelmintos) y un cienpies. Continuamos después nuestra caminta por el sendero y notamos que algunos árboles tenian unas líneas con cavidades pequeñas sobre la corteza. Javier explicó que se trataba de agujeros hechos por un carpintero conocido como chupasabias (Spyrapicus varius) que hace los agujeros para que la sabia de los árboles fluya y atraé a los insectos que a su vez son comidos por el carpintero. Continuamos más Adelante para seguir buscando animals y para realizar una actividad de descripción de estructura de habitat. La práctica consistió en aprender a usar herramientas como clinómetros, densiometros para medir cobertura de follaje y medidores de humedad de suelo. Practicamos para prepararnos en los proyectos de equipo que estamos diseñando. A lo largo de la caminata, continuamos con las medidas del experiment de ecología térmica, tomando temperature fuera y dentro de las plataformas de madera sobre el suelo y la ambiental.

Terminando nuestra caminata, Javier encontró la primera serpiente, una Storeira sterorides. Después de un Descanso, nos organizamos en equipos para continuar nuestros proyectos, usando las herramientas que aprendimos a usar. Después de una sabrosa comida a base de sushi nos dieron tiempo para prepararnos en la presentación de seminaries o solo descansar. Tamien tuvimos tiempo de discutir ideas de proyectos para presentarlas al resto de la clase y tener retroalimentación. Disfrutando el asombroso paisaje, nos sentamos a refinar nuestras hipótesis para los proyectos. La toma de datos y el análisis estadístico fue discutido entre instructors y estudiantes. Cada equipo se present con sus nobres oficiales de equipo, como el equipo “Boom Chachalacas” o las BRO-meliads.

Para finalizer el día, escuchamos tres seminarios presentados por Chenxi, Darcy y Gerardo sobre la biodiversidad y especies de México. Finalmente, cenamso sabrosos sandwiches preparados en el comedor por nosotros a la luz de nuestras lamparas personales, tomando tiempo para asegurarnos de dejar todo limpio y mostrar nuestro agradecimiento por el fabulosos personal de cocina de Las Joyas. No Podemos esperar por otro emocionante día y de colecta de datos de nuestros proyectos. Adios !

Hello everyone! This is Jamie, Sydney, and Gerardo with the first full day of our Mexico field course.

We woke up for at 8.00 am on Sunday for breakfast on a clear, sunny, 30-degree morning at the Hotel de Parque in Guadalajara, one of the major cities in western Mexico. The street was closed off for a weekly morning walk, making for a pleasant meal on the patio outside of the hotel. We then boarded a 12-seater bus for a 4-hour drive rolling terrain through a mix of agriculture,  dry forest and oak woodlands to the town of Autlán de Navarro. Along the way, we saw fields of blue agave (used for making tequila) while passing through a number of small towns and villages. We arrived at 1.00pm at a small campus of Guadalajara University where we stocked up on snacks and traded our comfy van for a pair of pickup trucks to make the 2-hour ascent to the Las Joyas Scientific Station in the Sierra de Manatlan.

We gained roughly 900m of elevation and witnessed drastic changes in vegetation and the surrounding climate. On the way, we stopped first at a 18^thcentury church in the town of Ahuacanun, adjacent to the conservation area. Here we learned about the history of Mexican colonization its road to independence. We also learned about the ‘ejido’ system, wherein local communities own the surrounding land (as opposed to the government) and have control over the management its resources. The government provides incentives and alternatives to promote sustainable management of the land and wildlife within. We stopped later on at a series of charcoal ovens. Oak trees are selectively harvested by locals, chopped into timber, and sealed into these ovens in the absence of oxygen to form charcoal to then be sold commercially.

We finished out dusty ride at 4.00pm and had a late lunch before beginning an activity looking for species interactions (animal-animal, animal-plant, plant-plant) in the environs of the station buildings. We spent an hour observing local vegetation and wildlife and describing species interactions that occur between them as a group. At 8.30pm, we had a late dinner of quesadillas and called it a night, exhausted after the long (but very fun!) day.

Adios!

En español

Hola a todos! Es Jaime, Sydney y Gerardo con el primer día del curso de campo de México.

Nos levantamos el domingo a las 8:00 para el desayuno en un día claro y soleado, a 30 grados en el hotel el Parque en Guadalajara, una de las ciudades más grandes del oeste de México. La calle estaba cerrada por una caminata semanal organizada cada domingo que hizo un placentero desayuno en el patio fuera del hotel. Después abordamos la camioneta de 15 pasajeros para nuestro viaje de 3 horas a través de bosque seco para ir a Autlan. A lo largo del camino vimos campos de cultivo de agave y pequeños pueblos. Llegamos a la 1:00 pm al pequeño campus de la universidad de Guadalajara en donde nos detuvimos para comprar algunas botanas. Luego nos subimos a un par de camionetas de la universidad para nuestro viaje de dos horas de ascenso a la estación biológica de las joyas.

Subimos aproximadamente 900m de elevación y observamos un cambio drástico en la vegetación y el clima. En el camino paramos en una iglesia del siglo 18 en el centro del poblado de Ahuacapan, adyascente al área de conservación. Ahí aprendimos acerca de la historia de colonización e independencia de México. También aprendimos acerca del sistema ejidal, donde las comunidades locales son los dueños de la tierra (opuesto al gobierno) y tienen control del manejo de la tierra. El gobierno da incentivos y alternativas para promover el manejo sustentable para la tierra y la fauna. Después paramos en una serie de hornos de elaboración de carbón. Los árboles de encino son cosechados por las comunidades locales, partidos en leña y sellados en estos hornos en ausencia de oxígeno para formar el carbón que luego es comercializado.

Finalizamos nuestro polvozo viaje a las 4:00 pm y comimos tarde antes de empezar una actividad observando interacción de especies en los alrededores de la estación. Estuvimos una hora observando la vegetación local y la fauna silvestre, describiendo las interacciones que ocurren entre estos grupos. A las 8:30 pm, tuvimos una cena tardía y reunión nocturna, cansados después de un largo (pero divertido) día.

Adiós!!

For those of us still in Kingston, it was an early start, assembling in front of Biosciences at 1:30 am for a bus trip to Pearson International Airport. We arrived just after 4 am to the mayhem at the airport as it is reading week and winter vacation for many. We waited for other students to arrive. Evelyn J (there are two Evelyn’s on the trip!) and Chenxi made their way to Terminal 3 for a trip to Guadalajara via Mexico City while the rest of us endured the very long security and US customs lines – just making our flight to Houston as the gate closed. We arrived in Houston and then had a mad dash to another terminal, again just making our flight as the gate closed. We arrived in Guadalajara at around 2:30 to be met by Javier and his students Yanet, Hector and Gerardo. Meanwhile Evelyn and Chenxi had a much less harried flight but arrived 3 hours later in Guadalajara. We all piled into a University of Michoacan bus accompanied by Javier’s field truck filled with our bags and field equipment. We arrived at the Hotel del Parque, settled in and showered, and then had dinner in the hotel restaurant. A long day but excited to be in Mexico once again – by Javier and Steve’s count this is version 10 of our Mexico field course.