Had a great first day in the first of many trees. I deployed three cameras about 80 feet up in a Dipteryx  tree. Somehow I'd forgotten how much work this is - it took about 3.5 hours from the start of the ascent to the moment I got my feet back on solid ground! Is there a reason no one else is doing this? Hoping for the best with these ones, many more to come!

Biting critters are part of the game when you decide to do research in any forest, particularly the tropics. Because I'm told that DEET can damage the nylon ropes that I use when I climb, I try to minimize my use of repellants. Instead I always wear a long-sleeved shirt tucked into my long pants, which tuck into my socks, which minimizes potential points of entry. It makes for very sweaty walks in the forest, but it usually works…usually. Yesterday I made the mistake of treating myself to a little ventilation while I walked (i.e. I untucked my shirt) and then never tucked my shirt back in…

…thanks Julia, couldn’t have said it better myself. Upon return I found myself covered in bites from tiny red harvest mites, also known as chiggers (pictured below). The bites aren’t painful and itch slightly less than mosquito bites, but I have certainly learned my lesson. Apparently your body eventually gets used to the bites so the welts become less of a problem over time, but from here on out I will keep myself tightly covered at all times…or perhaps just throw caution to the wind and take a daily DEET bath.

Black box provided for modesty. I also found ticks later in the day, but they would have been underneath a different modesty box and this just isn’t that kind of blog.

Getting everything ready for the first deployment day. There's me!

Hey!

I just got back from the forest and had the BEST DAY EVER! Seriously, this may have been the best day I've ever had in Panama, and it almost didn't happen. I was really tired this morning and thinking about just taking another day off from the field to rest, but I got myself up and twiddled my thumbs for a little bit before finally committing to walking a short bit of trail to look for a few more trees. 

AND THEN...

On the very first trail I saw a few capuchin monkeys running around in the trees above me! The capuchin populations have been low lately and this is only the second time I've seen them in all the hours I've spent in the forest, so that was really special. 

AND THEN...

I turned onto the next trail that I've been meaning to get to all week. As soon as I turned I noticed a big pile of brush and fallen branches right next to the trail. I thought I heard something, so I stopped and listened to the tiniest little growling sound that was right in the middle of the brush pile! I didn't know exactly what it was, but it was definitely a cat. It was like in The Lion King when baby Simba is trying to roar at the hyenas! I wasn't quite sure whether it was an adult version of something small (i.e. an ocelot) or the baby version of something big (puma, jaguar). The latter is pretty unlikely as there isn't known to be a breeding population of pumas on the island and I think there has only been one jaguar documented in the 90-year history of the island, but still. Just as I was contemplating this, I heard a...

I nearly soiled myself! Luckily I was wearing dark-colored underwear, so even if I had, no one would ever have to know…

Turned out it was just a howler monkey above me, but in the midst of thinking about cats, that was not where my brain went. After I collected myself, I decided not to press my luck and kept going, not wanting to disturb anything. Later on when I got back to the research station I told the resident mammal specialist about it and said that it was likely a baby ocelot. What a discovery, right?! They set up a camera near the area, so hopefully they’ll get some mom-and-baby photos soon! 

AND THEN...

I went a bit further down the trail and stopped to write down all the things I had just seen. When I looked up there was the PERFECT tree for my project. I am only looking for one species and I’ve been having a hard time finding them in certain places on the island, so this was a valuable find research-wise. I started taking measurements and marked it on the GPS, when I saw a PERFECT-ER tree right nearby! So I walked over to that one and it truly was amazing - all sorts of great branches and that connected to other trees, big limbs to climb - everything! But then I took out my binoculars and looked at what I thought was a termite nest only to find - AFRICANIZED KILLER BEES!!! Well, actually, I wasn’t completely sure at the time, but I talked to a bee researcher when I got back and he said that there are basically three types of bees on the island:

1. Stingless bees that are docile but have formic acid in their saliva, so if you do happen to get on their bad side they can still do a lot of damage.

2. Native honey bees that are pretty much your average bee (i.e. not something to mess around with).

3. Africanized honey bees, which have invaded the area and are extremely dangerous if you disturb them! I have heard some horrific stories (one in particular from my climbing instructor) about these guys and I have no intention of ever having such a story of my own to tell.  

Conclusion: No go. No matter what kind of bee it was, I don’t want to go anywhere near them. Oh well, cross that one off the list.

AND THEN....

I was heading back on the last trail of the day and found the PERFECT-EST tree! I walked over to take measurements, but just as I was about to put the measuring tape around it, I saw it was covered in bullet ants!!! You may not have heard of bullet ants before, but they are exactly how they sound - terrible. I actually got bit by a bunch of them the first time I came down here and it was insanely painful. They have giant mandibles and I think they also have formic acid in their saliva, so it burns for a long time after they bite. Cross another perfect tree off the list :-(

AND THEN...

When I was almost back to the station I heard some spider monkeys running through the trees above me, and I looked up just in time to see a monkey literally SOARING right above my head! Limbs stretched out, tail flailing in the air! It was almost like I was watching it in slow motion. So amazing.

AND THEN...

When I got to the dining hall they had beets at the salad bar for the first time since I've been here! I. Love. Beets. I'm gonna be pooping magenta for a couple days, but it's totally worth it.

Anyway, just wanted to fill you in while everything is fresh in my mind. Hope you’re having a good day!

Kevin