Update: Mel's Near Death Experience

(Check out cool GJL armpit hair above:)

Okay I am just going to start this out with a shout out to my dear friend Erin Drake, who will not be at all surprised by this at this latest story about my hard core biking skills! So I was a little distracted after a hard days work in the lab & after some serious stats courtesy of our latest La Selva arrival Dwight (& of course dear friend Chris...

Check Out Brenda's New Post (Link to Right)

I am famous now.

Oh the Cloud Forest

Monte Verde- the Cloud Forest

Just returned to La Selva from an adventure in the cloud forest of Monte Verde- & I am tired! ~ a 5 hr bus ride from here & 3 days strait in the field, with much up, down & over hiking & trail blazing. I have a ever deepening respect for a well wielded machete! Made some new friends (a couple of them park employees with afore mentioned machetes). We are starting some work for/ with the Tropical Science Center so collected soil samples from another (besides here at La Selva) tropical wet forest & also tropical dry forest at a lower elevation. Didn't get to see to much animal wildlife, due to the speed of the trailblazing I think. It is such an amazingly beautiful spot, I would love to return & spend some time viewing.

I think that I will continue this story later lest I fall asleep...

Here is a link to the Tropical Science Center's website w/ some info about the cloud forest-
http://www.cct.or.cr/english/reserva_monteverde/historia.php

The Tree Frogs- Don't Try This At Home

7/14/08
So I never wrote about my long night spend wading through the swamp looking for mating tree frogs. It's actually been well over a week now but it was quite an experience, although not for the faint of heart. One does wear rubber boots on this type of venture, but when wading in crotch high swamp water these boots are of small comfort only. Ryan, a new La Selva friend of mine who is studying the feeding habits of toucans, & I had got to be quite good at spotting the tree frogs in El Suampo (as we like to call it, truth be told this is also where some of the crew's drinking & mild trash talking takes place). So when offered the opportunity to tag along & perhaps even help on some research regarding these cool little creatures I jumped at the chance. The recent spotting of a Fer-de-Lance in this new (to me) swamp wasn't really mentioned until the water had hit my thighs, & only one researcher had actually had a leech attach itself- oh well, well worth it just for story value if nothing else!

So the Red Eyed tree frog evidently comes down from the trees to breed & then moves higher up in the canopy again- females only once every 8 wks but males every night I believe. After breeding the male rides the females back on trips down to the water where she fills her bladder in order to moisten the eggs- muy interesante!

So these hardy researching souls were only interested in the matched pairs , we found one pair + another female who was ready to be bred in the lab (none were harmed in this experiment) & I survived to tell the tale!

Comedic Relief

So since I am not providing the juicy details of live at La Selva I am providing the link to my newfound superfunny roommate & workmate/ lab sharer. She has a couple pics of the lab space, living quarters & the super cool bridge that the howler photo was taken on. So check it out with all your spare time
http://brendacampbell-costarica.blogspot.com/

Tried to get to bed early last night so I could get up early & check out the stomach contents of the white breasted wood wren, but unfortunately was waylayed by an extremely large tree coming town right outside the Swiss Family Robinson room. Took the power out for the morning, so no alarm clock, no white breasted wood wren. I did sleep right thru the excitement due to headphones I think, well & a natural talent for sleeping heavily. I took advantage & went back for a much need nap after not sleeping so well.

As a last tidbit- told the 19yr old hotty that I liked his bed, swear I meant his shirt... guess my español is getting better!

love to all, mel

Wildlife Views

Look close for the Caiman



Great Curassow

One big spider

Mama & baby pecarries

Chestnut-mandibled toucan

Finally a good view of a a howler!

Things are great, haven't been on the computer much until tonight- making up for lost time! Here's a few more viewings for the list- if I knew what everything was I would add more...

Birds

Crax rubra- Great Curassow
Penelope purpurascens- Crested Guan
Amazona autumnalis- Red-lored parrot
Baryphthengus martii- Rufous motmot (pretty sure it was a rufous anyway)
Pteroglossus torquatus- Collared aracari
Myiozettes similis- Social flycatcher

Alouatta palliata- Mantled Howler Monkey
Morpho peleides limpida- Blue Morpho
Dendrobates pumilio- Blue Jeans Dart Frog
Coenduo mexicanus- Mexican Hair Porcupine
Iguana iguana- Green Iguana
Ameiva festiva- Central American Whiptail
Caiman crocodilus- Spectacled Caimain

PS

I will add the 2 toed sloth to my wildlife list before I sign off- very cool! My pics aren't great but I should be able to come up with a better one!

Finally... the snakes

Big Daddy Boa

Green Vine Snake

Green Vine Snake says hello

Alright, the internet was refusing to cooperate with my photo uploading when I got to yesterdays grand finale, the snakes! Both of these snakes are very close to my quarters- which my roommate had a better description of- Swiss Family Robinson style. I am thinking that I should just send you a link to hers as she is super funny, maybe when I have the address. For now I will just torment you with wildlife.

Today we trekked thru the jungle looking at sights for a study looking at bacteria on rocks in the rivers, had a lecture/ discussion regarding the microbiology work, Polymerase Chain Reaction here we come! The term just comes with a general sense of coolnees, in case I needed any more!

So evidentally there has been some close calls with actual poisonous here recently- a coral snake I think & a fleur de lance- life on the edge!

I have discovered that wildlife watching doesn't really go along with getting anywhere in a timely fashion, I didn't see as much today just as I didn't have as much time. I was feeling a little moody this am, didn't get enough sleep last night, but met some really cool people in my bldg & cheered up.

cheers for now, I'll continue the list later, I met another cool birder who can help me w/ ID.

luv mel

Oh the fauna (& the flora)!

Very hungry turtle- possibly White-lipped mud turtle

Checking out the intrusion

Agouti

Pale-billed Woodpecker

I cannot believe the sights- I had no idea how much wildlife there could be be in such a concentrated area! This is going to be my bird list (thanks to Barbara Blackie for the motivation). Excuse the crappy bird photos, but they are still kind of cool & helped me ID the woodpecker later. Needless to say I am doing great & would think I had gone to heaven if not for the biting insects- even tho they could be a lot worse...

Today I identified-

Dryocopus lineatus aka Pale-billed woodpecker
Ramphastos swainsonii aka Chestnut-mandibled Toucan
Psarocolius montezuma- Montezuma Oropendola
Penelope purpurascens- Crested Guan
Amazona farinosa- Mealy Parrot-
I will be looking for the last 2 again as I didn't get good enough views
Multiple species of hummingbirds waiting for more skills
I believe some kind of Aracari & also a Tinamou

Dasyprocta punctata- Agouti
Tayassu tojacu- Collared peccary

Atta cephalotes- Leafcutter ants
Boa constricter- this is also the scientific name, who knew?
Oxybelis fulgidus- Green vine snake
& I'm pretty sure a saw the rear-end view of an armidillo tonight

Pura Vida!

Hello to all from Costa Rica! For those of you who don't know, I am doing a research project/ internship funded by Peninsula College (where I attend my WWU Huxley classes on the Olympic Peninsula) & the National Science Foundation. This is related to the other internship I have been working on, but I am working on a different project now. It is an incredible opportunity & I will be staying mostly at a couple of different biological research stations for the next 10 weeks! But more about that later-

Just a short post to get me in the blog groove & let you know that I made it safely am enjoying myself already- it was a whirlwind trip to the beach at home for the 4th, back & then here on the overall uneventful, ultimate red-eye. I left Peter with a disaster of a house & didn't get to relax with him much but I am already looking forward to seeing him when he comes down in Sept, for the last week I am here.

I have already seen several different birds, howler monkeys, some lizards/ reptiles & spiders etc. It is very beautiful & La Selva- the first biological research station that will be my home for the next several weeks- has a nice vibe & set up, lots of trails, bathrooms, the rooms are simple but have the required bed & storage & are nice in a full of character sort of way. The people are very friendly & lots of educational opportunities abound.

My Spanish was very weak with the cab driver & at the store on the way here. People mostly speak English here at the lodge, but I would still like to practice. I should have plenty of opportunities if I head back to the city tho, there are lots of people who speak English, but I sure lots more who don't!

No pictures yet but keep checking- manana. There is a lizard above my head now & an unidentified nose that I hear, sounds like someone making kissy noises to a dog-