One of the purposes of this blog is to fulfill a request made by the YIIP team to cover six themes over the course of the summer. One theme that I feel is particularly appropriate to utilize in this blog, is the theme of "something I will remember". In the last five weeks of my internship there have been many memorable occasions. Some beautiful, pleasant, and even magical. Some have been painful, stressful, and maybe even a little dreadful. Nonetheless, all of these moments I am sure will be burned into my mind for the rest of my life.
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| Cerro de la Muerte |
So, I will start with the beautiful. My internship has slowly morphed into an experience I have failed to anticipate. It has brought me to many different locations in Costa Rica from the jungles of the Caribbean coast, to the Central Valley of San Jose, to the Highland region reaching 2500 meters. Just yesterday, I returned to INBio in Santo Domingo, from a week-and-a-half visit in Cerro de la Muerte (the Highlands). Here, I stayed and worked from a in a beautiful family-home-come-research-station that is owned by my supervisor's own family (Pablo Elizondo). Throughout the day, clouds quietly envelope the station, and there is a cool calm that settles over the place. In the evenings, the two of us (me and my co-worker) warmed ourselves with a wood-stove (there is frost sometimes in the night) and used the time to catch up on some humming-bird band making, whilst listening to some of my favourite music. There is truly something special about this place. Not only is it stunning, but also, the community is home to some of the warmest people I have met since being here in Costa Rica. It was also heart warming to meet the family of, and be in the home of my own internship supervisor, and get a glimpse of what it might be like for a young person growing up in this country.
Although this beautiful landscape gave me a sense of peace and tranquility, it also has a bit of a dark side that I would be smart not to mention, and allow you readers to be filled with envy over my amazing experience. However, since I already gave away that there is indeed another side to the story, I must continue to tell you about the cruel and heartless ways of mother nature! Coming into this internship, I must admit, I have been slightly softened by my years of living in the city. I have forgotten what a difficult place the "wilderness" is, and I think I may have simply chalked up this difficult side to just being "what Manitoba is like" (my home in the Prairies). I also think that my years of city dwelling has caused me see nature as something to enjoy... like a well kept park. Anyway, back to these memories that will be forever burned into my brain...
During my second day working in the beautiful hills of the Cerro de la Muerte, I was trying my best to climb the hills as fast as I could to gather the birds from the mist-nets for banding. In approaching one of the nets, I heard a melodic hum in the distance. Not realizing the goings on around me, I continued to go about my business and start removing three squawking birds out of one particularly busy net. After wrapping my hand around the body of one of the birds I suddenly felt a burning sensation that was quite unusual... and then I felt it again, but this time stronger. I turned over my hand and see an interesting looking wasp stabbing me with its stinger. I yelped a little, and with a shaky hand I finished retrieving the other birds. Leaving the net, I removed the stinger only to be stung again by another. I ran from the net flapping my arms like a fool and running up the hill with a bagged bird hanging from my mouth (umm, not standard procedure).
Later that day, swollen handed and all, I climbed down the hill to another net (there are about 20 at this station, quite a lot for two people to handle on such a wide spread and hilly terrain). I realized that I had become slightly lost en route to my destination, and found myself in a bit of a black-berry bramble. Trying my best to squeeze out of a very uncomfortable situation, I headed towards a fence I thought best to climb over, to get myself on track. Pushing through the patch, I got some black-berry thorns stuck in my skin... exactly where my wasp stings were, then, upon reaching the fence, I began to climb over but my boot gets caught on something. Here I find myself straddling the wire fence... only to realize that it is indeed an electric fence, and yes, this location seemed to be up and running!
After climbing back up the hill to vent my concerns to my coworker, it suddenly started to rain... as it always does in Madre de Selva. A little rain is a little rain to most, but here, it can be the death of birds if they are caught in a net. This means we must run down the hill, and as quick as possible, remove the birds, and close the nets. Overhead, lightning cracked a little close for comfort, and in my hands I held a metal pole in the which the mist nets are hung. I just shook my head, and my life flashed before my eyes. I really thought that with the luck I had that day, that those would be my last moments. Luckily, I survived to tell you that, I have come to realize that, Mother Nature can sometimes be a bit of a b*@ch!
You will be happy to know that after that rocky day, there were some days of smooth sailing. I am lucky enough to look back and laugh at how horrible it had been, but in the big picture of this summer experience, I have had many many fantastic memorable moments. One very good experience I feel I must mention, quickly, was the night I got to walk the beach with the turtle researchers. Seeing a green turtle creating a nest and laying eggs is something I will never forget. These animals are truly majestic. There is a lack of words to explain the quiet sureness and trans-like state they seem to be in when choosing a place to nest and slowly creating it. It is truly heart breaking to see nests dug up, and their eggs stolen the following morning.
Now, I will end my long winded entry, but not without showing you a small collection of photos from the past month. Stay posted, more to come.
(P.S. Grandpa I hope you are feeling better, and Grandma, I hope you like the pics!)
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| White tent bat I found in a net (I did not take it out... someone else did!) |
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| My York cup of coffee for my early start bird-banding. |
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| Turtle skull collection at Caribbean Conservation Corp. in Tortuguero. |
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| My temporary home in Cerro de la Muerte. That is Chris swinging a machete around like a crazy person. Note the rad vehicle to the right. | |
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| I think this is a Hercules beetle. Apparently they can get much bigger than this. |
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| Your typical leaf cutter ants working hard as always. |
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| My supervisor Pablo discussing Motmots with the cameras. |
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| A Blue-Crowned Motmot up-close (beautiful!) |
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| A Collared Redstart, i think my favourite little bird. |
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| Being bitten by a Ruffous Browed Pepperstrike |
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| Feeding a Lance-billed Humming-bird some sugar water. |
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| Teaching some Costa Rican youth the ins and outs of bird banding. |
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| Writing data on this ambiguous Mountain Gem Humming-bird |
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| This is how big the freakin' Humming-bird bands are... and I made them with these hands! |
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| Climbing the hills... |
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| A Motmot not in our hands, but in the trees |
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