And That's A Wrap!

13 - 17 Enero 2021

        These next few entries are going to be pretty short. These last few days were much less field-based. We took the 13th to relax, do laundry, and start reading to get back to our 'normal' lives. I spent some time writing and entering data, while Matt and Becca took some time to read, work on job applications, and bird, while Moises was in class. 

        We did have some visitors! Some howlers decided to stop some trees in front of the bamboo house and lounge around for an hour or so. It made the slow day feel that much more special - even if their occasional howling did disrupt some of our focus.

Photo credit: Matt Parker

        The 14th was our final project day (Moises took care of the four far trees in December). We hiked to WF01 and Matt was up for the challenge of maintenancing the tree himself. It was a proud moment for me, watching Matt walk us through everything that needed to be done, and taking care of the gear himself. Especially since he had to push away a section of bamboo that had gotten stuck on the main branch he was climbing to. 

Matt way up in the tree

        But he got it safely moved away and finished the rest of the task easily, even with Becca and I making dumb jokes on the ground level.

        We had a climbing day on the 15th, which didn't go quite as planned. In October, we set a camera in a tree close to the reserve - not for the project, but because it was a beautiful, emergent tree that likely got lots of animal activity. We planned to change out the SD card and batteries, but the line got so tangled that it snapped when we tried to pull it down.

        This was a great opportunity to teach Moises how to use the big shot and set a line. After a few tries, he got it! But...our aim had been off. When I finally got up, I was not where I wanted to be, so we spent more time fixing up the line position and didn't get around to the camera, but Moises was going to take care of it later. 

        We all got the chance to enjoy the fantastic view from the tree - when you're near the top, you get an amazing view of the bamboo house.

The view from the tree

        The 16th was our last full day in the reserve. It was another 'work' day. We cleaned and packed away all of the climbing gear and our own supplies. I worked on my application essay (which was a bit frustrating because the 'A', 'S', 'D', and 'F' keys didn't work on the field laptop I was using), while Matt worked on applications. Becca went on a hike for a while and came across a three-toed sloth!

Photo credit: Becca Davis

        She all but ran back to the reserve to let us know, and we tried to relocate the sloth, but in the 15 minutes she had left it, the sloth had vanished. Once we were all back, we cleaned around the house and had a peaceful evening, just chatting, joking around, and playing some card games until it was approaching jungle midnight.

Our last sunset in the reserve. Photo credit: Matt Parker

        Getting up this morning was bittersweet. I am ready to return home to see my family, but this is also the first time in a while that I'm leaving Ecuador without knowing when I'll return. 

        In a few hours, we'll arrive in Quito. Tomorrow, I will take Matt and Becca around the city - visit the To'ak headquarters, explore the artisanal market, and enjoy a park until the late hours of our flight roll around. I still have a long journey to defend my thesis this summer, but it feels weird not knowing what's next.

        All I know is, I plan to return to this magical place again if the opportunity is presented.

14 Enero 2021 - Matt

        I woke up this morning to sunshine. Sunny days seem special here. Personally, I'm thrilled to see the sun because it means my freshly laundered socks will dry. 

        We only did one tree today and it felt like a walk in the park compared to the others. I was able to climb this tree on my own and replace all of the gear myself. There's an incredibly satisfying feeling of accomplishment when you've reattached all the gear, turned the camera on, and are allowed to suspend high above the ground. 

        Climbing is becoming easier and more instinctual now. We only have a few trees left and I know that the number of opportunities to be suspended in the canopy is running out. That's okay though. I feel very accomplished at how much I've learned. Now... I think I'm going to jump in a waterfall.

        Update: Jumping in the river felt amazing. However, there were two very large fishing spiders hanging out on the rocks by the falls and their presence made my dip brief.

17 Enero 2021 - Matt

        My bags are packed and the few remaining hours at Jama-Coaque are slipping by. I have enjoyed my time here immensely. The fieldwork never really felt like work since we were constantly hiking in the jungle and climbing trees. To someone like me, that's more like a  vacation. It has been a privilege to have a small role in this project and I look forward to what becomes of the data we collected.

A rainbow on our last morning. Photo credit: Matt Parker

        It's only been two weeks but so much has happened that it feels like much longer. While we were climbing trees, there was an insurrection on the US capitol and the POTUS was impeached for a second time. As a history fan, it was quite something to read about. I can only imagine that if I was home, the insanity in the news would preoccupy my mind all the time. However, I have been more concerned with learning to safely climb trees, photograph birds, and use limited ingredients and the lack of refrigeration to make good food.

Blue-necked Tanager! Photo credit: Matt Parker

        I am excited to get back, kiss my fiance, and love on all of my pets, but I know I'll miss waking up to the birds and howler monkeys each morning. I am not ready for the sounds of a city or to be stuck in traffic in the states, but that is in my future and hopefully returning to Jama-Coaque is too.

Moving at a Lighting Pace

10 - 12 Enero 2021

        Our morning was off to a smooth start. We hiked one of my favorite trees in Jama-Coaque; the Ronquillo Trail. It nicely meanders up to the cloud forest and gets you right to the beginnings of the Three Forests Trail. Along the way, we did a little cleaning of the Three Forests Trail, but it has been such a relief to have a well-made trail to follow. It speeds the process along significantly. And the first tree was a breeze to maintenance. Becca and Matt tag-teamed switching out batteries and SD cards, meaning it took very little time after sending the bag down before I was hoisting it back into the canopy. The three of us then went on our merry way to the next tree.

        When we arrived down at WF02, we hit a few snags. Mostly, a vine had grown over half of our guide-line making pulling the climbing line over much more challenging. This vine had an impressive grip, with little tendrils hugging our guide-line tight. I felt a little bad ripping it off, but I knew if it could find another leverage point easily. 

You can just see the tendrils spiraling around the yellow guideline

        The other slight delay was just the location of the camera - this one is always a bit of a challenge to get to and Becca had some issues getting into a comfortable position. The Kestrel (our weather recording device) was not working properly, so once again, we would be returning to this tree the next day. It made me consider renaming this tree from 'Destiny' to something else.

Matt watching Becca climb - he was yawning after a long day, but it's more fun to think he was amazed.

        On the hike back, I was hit with another stark reminder of the glaring importance of TMA's mission. As I looked up from watching my footing in the mud of the trail, a grim sight greeted me. A patch of forest had been cleared - likely for planting bananas or coffee after burning the remaining brush. On the other side of the trail is protected land, intact forest. And, I understand why landowners feel the pressure to use their land to make a profit, especially during an economic crisis. It's a means to an end. But the stark differences between these protected and unprotected lands made it that much clearer to me that involving people in the process of conservation, providing them with the economic means to use their land in a manner that helps them and wildlife is critically important. Which is a huge part of what TMA does with their agroforestry project.

        The three of us made the trek back to the bamboo house with a lot more weighing on our minds and hearts.

       That night, we got a decent amount of rainfall - meaning on the hike out the next morning, we took our time appreciating the tracks left in the mud. We saw raccoon tracks, small ungulate tracks, and what looked like a feline print.

Raccoon prints!

        Another exciting find as we were deep in the cloud forest - in a spot I usually get lost in, was an adorable brown wood turtle. They are active during the day, and herbivorous, but not too much more is known about them because these turtles are challenging to find. We got lucky enough to get a good sighting of one.

        Fixing up 'Destiny' was a quick and easy job. All we had to do was replace the Kestrel and we were back on the trail. I couldn't be happier with the company I had in the field. Today was a push day. We didn't have a ride lined up to pick us up, so we set out knowing we would have to hike all the way to Bosque Seco Lalo Loor and back with a ticking time clock of sunset. Well, at least for getting back into Jama Coaque property lines, because hiking the Three Forests Trail at night would be less than ideal. But Becca and Matt were great sports, making jokes throughout the day and even puns (how the tables have turned, huh, Becca?).

My fearless team

        Our last tree of the day took a little while to find because I knew it was hidden in the brush, but I didn't have a specific point for the entrance point. However, we did locate it before too much time passed and had a smooth climb.

        The three of us were on our way for the long hike ahead of us. We made it all the way to Bosque Seco Lalo Loor shortly after 4 p.m. and dropped our bags. We didn't feel comfortable pushing all the way down to the closest tree, so we just stashed them near the property line.

        Feeling a lot lighter, we hit the trail again. And, not for the first time, as we were hiking, I almost stepped on ANOTHER Equuis. I don't know why, but my feet have a talent for finding these venomous snakes. In my defense, this time it was hidden under a leaf. Every time, these close encounters get my heart racing, but it also just goes to show as long as you let venomous snakes be, they are just going to mind their own business.

Leaf moved to reveal a hidden Equuis!

        Miraculously, we made it back to Jama-Coaque right at sunset. Of course, we still had to hike back to the bamboo house, but we could slow our pace. Which we did. The three of us enjoyed casually searching for mammals, birds, and frogs along the way. There were several instances where we stopped after hearing a loud rustling in the leaves, but we never got a very clear look at anything.

I was overjoyed to reach JCR before sunset! Photo credit: Matt Parker

        Finally, we were on our '3 tree' day. We would hit all Bosque Seco Lalo Loor trees in one day. I made the mistake of taking us up the wrong trail, which somehow felt longer and steeper than the usual hike up, but we made it to our destination and got a good look of a Yellow-spotted Puffing snake on the way. Close-up wildlife sightings made the extra strain worth it.

         Matt and I hiked back to our drop spot and encountered a small herd of peccaries. They took off into the cover of vegetation, but we paused for a few minutes to watch them disappear.

Peccary in the vegetation. Photo credit: Matt Parker

        The first tree was DF01, one of the tallest trees of the project. As I was already getting sweaty and out of breath from the climb, some local tourists stopped to ask what we were doing. My Spanish is still pretty basic, but I learned the words specifically relating to this research project to talk about it and yelled out some clarifying phrases with what Becca had explained. The couple stayed for a few minutes to watch me ascend into the canopy, which put in the pressure. It was probably the fastest I had ever climbed.

        On the hike down to the next tree, we came across a pair of Gartered trogons. They stuck around long enough for us to really appreciate their appearance before taking flight. 

Photo credit: Matt Parker

        The rest of the day went so smoothly. Becca climbed DF02 and finished the job very quickly. On the walk down to DF03 we even meandered a bit, enjoying the pocket views of the ocean since we were ahead on time. 

        With the day wrapped up, we only had one more tree to visit and another four days left! Wow! I thought it was going to be a push, but getting to start with two 'teams' gave us great headway.

12 Enero 2021 - Becca

            I had been looking forward to our day in Bosque Seco Lalo Loor as an easier day with well-manicured trails and trees close to the trails. Those things were correct, but I had forgotten how steep it could be. We accidentally took a different trail up that was sunnier and seemingly, magically, hillier. The 11.5-hour workday from yesterday and the heat were catching up to me, so once we reached the first tree Jackie (easily) convinced me to take a break while they went to collect the bags. And after drinking water and quietly contemplating some antwrens that worked their way through the taigas, I felt better again.

            As Jackie climbed DF01, “Endurance”, a couple hikers with binoculars came by on the trail. The timing was just perfect to see Jackie take off towards the canopy and they were very impressed. We chatted (socially distantly) in a mix of English and Spanish about our project with a few helpful phrases thrown in from Jackie-in-the-trees. It’s wonderful to meet locals who are knowledgeable and care about their ecosystem.

            Matt and I needed to get the DBH of this tree as well, but it was out of the question to pull the climber over to the trunk as we’d done before. I balanced on some slippery buttresses as Matt fought through the vegetation to bring me the other end of the tape, then used our extendable hook to push the tape to get an even measure. Honestly, none of the trees I measured during undergrad were as difficult as these Neotropical giants have proved to be.

            As we hiked down towards our second tree, we got excellent views of a pair of Gartered trogons, which perched above the trail and studied us for a minute. This was a lifer for me (the first time I’ve seen this species in my life) and that makes any day a good day.

Admiring the view of Gartered trogons

            I climbed our second tree, DF02 or “Fingers Crossed”. Everything went smoothly except I couldn’t reach any leaves for a sample because the station is on the main trunk, far from any leaf-bearing branches. Despite standing in the largest part of the tree, I could still feel it sway in the wind. Our third tree wrapped up quickly and I was happy to be back at the bamboo house before sundown.

We enjoyed the view of the ocean on the way back

Successful Start & Strange Finds

8 & 9 Enero 2021

        Day one for Matt and I had been a nice, slow start. I certainly can't say the same for day 2. We  were shifting into the cloud forest trees and I was nervous that morning because it had been pouring buckets all night. Climbing uphill with heavy bags is already a challenge, but a muddy trail that your boots start sinking into with each step increases the difficulty (especially when you are clumsy, like me).

        On our way out to our first tree of the day, not more than 5 minutes away from the bamboo house, we encountered an agouti on the trail. Agoutis are large rodents and they tend to eat hide fruits and seeds away, several of which are forgotten helping new plants grow in the process! I took this as a positive sign for the day.

Why did the Agouti cross the trail? Probably to avoid the excitable biologists! Photo credit: Matt Parker

        And on that vein, the first climb went very smoothly. Matt got in another practice climb after I dealt with the gear. 

        We even figured out a decent way to measure the tree diameter with the measuring tape! One of the issues we had last time is so many of our climbing trees have large buttress roots and for an accurate measure, you need to get ABOVE the roots. We'd tried using long sticks to support the tape, but, as you can imagine, that was not an effective system.

        Instead, while I was still on the climbing line, Matt helped pull me around to collect the measure. I felt like a balloon, but it worked! 

        Afterward, it was time to return to CF03 - to embark into 'stereotypical' cloud forest. Almost constant fog heavy in the air, and ferns covering so much of the understory. The two of us were making excellent time, so I continuously tried pointing out a glasswing butterfly that kept fluttering away, stopping and trying to sneak up on them so Matt could get a proper view. They are such stunning butterflies and they fully live up to the name.

You can see right through their wings! Photo credit: Matt Parker

        When we arrived at the location of CF03, I couldn't see the station or line yet again. Dang it! That frustration filled me again, and I guided Matt to start looking around on the forest floor - back in October a storm had taken the station out...but after nearly an hour of looking I realized I turned us off the trail twenty meters too soon. Oops!

        Matt was a good sport about it. There was still more than plenty of daylight left too, so we got all of the batteries and SD cards switched out of CF03 and hiked off feeling accomplished. We even ended the day with another mammal sighting. An adorable armadillo was toddling along the trail as we hiked back home.

        We linked up with Moises and Becca - they'd finished two trees. Collectively, we were on day 2 and we'd already finished 7 trees! It felt like we were on such a roll.

        Moises was unable to join us in the field, so it was just the three amigos for the rest of the trip. The day before, Moises and Becca had 'cached' their rope bag by WF03 so away we went, down the Del Rio trail. The trek down that trail is always so lovely because you wind back and forth across a river, walking by waterfalls ever so often. We even found a well-hidden nest along the way - and we had to stop and speculate as to whose eggs they could be along the way before leaving them be.

        Matt and I enjoyed watching dart frogs hop around as Becca finagled her way to the awkward location of the canopy station. It was pleasant to just listen to the sounds of rushing water (although it made communicating with Becca challenging). But before long, we were back on the trail. Since we would pass by the bamboo house on the way to the next canopy station, we ate lunch back at 'home', and then we hiked back up into the cloud forest.

Lunch & birding break!

        Our next tree on the docket was Friday the Thirteenth. Despite the bad luck, we had the very first time, its been my favorite tree to visit ever since. There are almost always howler monkeys hanging out in that tree or the one right next to it. None when we first arrived - oh well. It would at least make the job quieter.

        Since this tree had a lot of large limbs, I told Matt that once I gave him the go-ahead, he could climb up after me and I'd talk him through the 'maintenance' progress. As I was making myself comfortable, a troop of howlers climbed into the tree right next to ours. They looked curious at the new canopy dweller but weren't bothered. Which became even more obvious as Matt joined me. 

Hanging in a tree together

        Just as I was pointing out the howlers to him, a pair started copulating right before our eyes. We both felt like we were intruding on the moment, but it did make us laugh. Makes you wonder how nature documentary filmers feel when they catch those moments on camera.

8 Enero 2021 - Becca

            We started later Friday morning because Moises’s had a virtual class. I used the time to bird around the bamboo house and garden (one of my favorite places to bird given the proximity to tea and bird guides). Once we were ready, Dany and Sixto gave us rides down the road on their motos. It was funny having my heavy pack on my back and riding on a motorcycle, but anytime we get a ride most of the way instead of hiking feels like a luxury.

            The tree with the CAIP station, AG02 or “Verizon”, is on a steep bluff down to a creek, so it was difficult getting from the anchor to the climbing line. However, after working with Jackie last year, I had come to expect this. Moises climbed up easily and sent down the equipment. That’s when I realized we were missing some labels for the cameras. We carried on without them and soon Moises was back on the ground. Dany was waiting for us and took us back up the hill.

            Moises and I decided to take the bags to WF03 (Hot Tuna), stash them overnight, then simply hike out in the morning and do the climb. By then, we’d have gotten the labels from Jackie and could properly complete the job. After stashing the bags, we found a dead monkey in one of the pools nearby. We couldn’t say how it got there for sure, but it was a cool (and creepy) find!

The craziest find of the trip! Photo credit: Matt Parker

            Without our heavy backpacks weighing us down, we happily birded the whole way back, spying Canada warblers, a Gray-headed kite, and White-bearded manakins. We also found an eyelash viper, Bothriechis schlegelii, making it a lucky day for finding critters.

 

9 Enero 2021 - Becca

            Soon after we started hiking, I spotted something brown and feathered flit across the trail. Happily, it perched in the open and I got a view of a White-whiskered puffbird, the first one for this trip. Once we reached WF03 (Hot Tuna) I started getting ready to climb.

            When climbing there are a few general rules that will make the experience easier and avoid exhausting you unnecessarily. First, clear communication with your ground team is very important. Second, it’s a good idea to limit the number of times you need to ferry things up and down, especially in the taller trees, because pulling up about 20 m of serious rope multiple times can be tiring and time-consuming. And finally, you got to be flexible; if a certain climbing approach is not working, it’s time to switch up the plan. I broke all these guidelines while I climbed Hot Tuna, or at least took the long way ‘round.

            Once I used my lanyards to get to the station, I found that the audiomoth and kestrel were within my reach, but the camera was barely beyond my fingertips. I also decided that I needed a multi-tool from the ground to cut the kestrel free of its zip tie. I yelled that down to Jackie and Matt and sent the audiomoth down for starters. Meanwhile, I strained and reached for the camera and somehow got it unscrewed. Jackie called up the bag was ready and I pulled it up to discover the new audiomoth, but no multi-tool. The river sounds had sabotaged my puny communication attempts. I sent the camera down, requesting the multi-tool again, and wishing I had some paper and a pencil. As I lowered the little backpack to the ground, I somehow succeeded in getting a knot tied in the climbing line below me. Great. That will need to be fixed soon.

            The next time I hoisted the bag from the ground I hit the jackpot with the multi-tool and got the kestrel unattached, ferried down for a battery change and data download. I also took the time to sort out my rope problems trying to carefully keep the different parts separate and avoid more knots.

            It was time I got the refreshed camera back onto its holder. The trunk was so large that I couldn’t touch my hands on the other side when I hugged it and I could just barely hold the camera in place above my head, straining every muscle in my body. I tried to screw the camera back on – again – and again for about 15 minutes. I was pushing up with every muscle I had, but I could not get the angle right. This climbing approach wasn’t working.

The position Becca was in for a while

            I finally gave up on trying to get the camera on from where I was and pulled up the rope one last time to retrieve the kestrel. With the audiomoth and kestrel taken care of, I did what I should’ve done much earlier and moved my lanyards so that I was coming towards the station from the other side of the trunk. Leaning around the trunk – miracles of miracles – I could easily reach the camera’s spot and quickly got it set up (finally!). In most trees, you’re able to reach the entire station from one spot, but this tree was different, and I should have moved around the trunk in the beginning to reach the different equipment.

            To get to our second tree we hiked through a stretch of trail with some bamboo overgrowth, so I went first with the machete. It felt good to be going downhill and swinging a machete again, and Jackie laughed that this felt so familiar.

            Once Jackie was in the top of CF04, “Friday the 13^th”, she called down that she was simply going to push her rope runner (what holds you on the mainline and helps you descend) a little higher for Matt to climb up. This made a lot of sense since it avoided hoisting the entirety of the rope below the climber several times. Despite the logic, leaving a rope runner on the line made me nervous. What if it got out of Jackie’s reach? And I remember another key lesson when you’re climbing trees – it always looks and feels completely different in the tree versus on the ground and the ground crew must trust the climber. I trust Jackie with my life (and have done so literally several times) and I knew she knew what she was doing.

            Before sending Matt up, we measured CF04’s DBH. After a couple attempts to do it from the ground we were thwarted by the dubious amount of vegetation and vines. We decided to do what Moises and I had done before, and when Matt had climbed to about even with the buttresses, I pulled him closer to the trunk and he clung to the vines. I handed off the DBH tape reel and quickly stumbled over buttresses and through vines to where Matt reached around the other side. Finally, we had a measurement.

            They had no issues in the tree and soon Matt was descending again. Of course, I needn’t have worried about Jackie’s rope runner and she was on the ground soon too. We cheerfully packed up and hiked to where we would leave the bags overnight, then continued home.

Group photo after a successful day!

 9 Enero 2021 - Matt

        Tired...I am tired. The good kind of tiredness that is earned after a hard day's work. The first tree we hiked to was located next to a small, meandering river that has chiseled-out pools along the trail. At the Del Rio tree, a deceased monkey was decomposing in the river. The skeleton sitting in the tea-colored water looked like it was preserved in amber. When we get back from the tree, we walked up to the bamboo house just as the sun made an appearance, it was a nice welcome! After a quick tuna sandwich (and a switch to drier clothes), we climbed the long, meandering trail to the last tree of the day.

        This tree will be etched in my memory for a while. Not only did I get to put the audiomoth back on the station, I did so with an audience of howler monkeys in an adjacent tree. They seemed unimpressed with our ropes in harnesses. They seemed further unimpressed with my first attempt at lanyarding, oh well. We hiked out in the twilight unburdened with the heavy packs of rope we hid off the trail. Upon return, we had a hot meal waiting for us and it put the final touches on a fantastic day.

Ecuadorian dinner courtesy of Moises! Photo credit: Matt Parker

The Start of the Last Field Season

6 Enero 2021

        It is another one of those 'I can't believe I'm actually back here' kind of days. Getting travel approved again was incredibly down to the wire - to the point where I was purchasing tickets less than two weeks out from travel type of close. With how close we were cutting it, I was getting worried about getting Covid-19 tests in time (my team and I were required to test negative prior to entering the country). We had all been isolating prior and knew we had not been exposed, but with the high demand for the holiday time, I had worried I would not have the paperwork to support that in time.  But, regardless, we got everything together and made it down in time. On this trip, I had Becca joining me again, and a former labmate, Matt, who had never traveled to South America before and was able to accommodate the short notice.

Late arrival in Quito. Photo credit: Matt C. Parker

        The three of us arrived in Quito at around 3 am at a hostel for a quick few hours of sleep. Then we began our journey to Jama-Coaque with Moises at 9 am. Suffice to say, we were all exhausted on the drive over. But before our second departure, we caught up with Ryan to pass along some things he had ordered from the U.S. (and let me say, seeing the faces of airport clerks when you explain that you have a Roomba charger in your bag is priceless).

        The long drive to the reserve was much more exciting with a first-time visitor in the car. Matt was taking in all the new sights and asking lots of questions along the drive (which really helped the 6-hour drive pass quickly). It also made me appreciate the view with a different lens. That is, when I wasn't feeling carsickAside from that, the drive was uneventful. We safely arrived at the reserve late that evening and began packing up backpacks to ensure both teams had all of the supplies we needed. I had this goal in mind that we would not have to revisit any of the trees if it could be prevented. This time we were on a much more limited schedule. We would only be in the reserve for about eleven days, so we really needed to be efficient in our timing. Luckily, Mosies and Sixto (the park ranger) had already checked the four farther trees just a month before, so we would not have to worry about those trees. Fingers crossed things go to plan this time!

Crossing the equator! Photo credit: Matthew C. Parker

7 Enero 2021

        First day back in the field - going in, I felt confident in our abilities since we had learned what could go wrong last field season and were prepared. Matt and I headed to some of the agriculture trees so I could teach him the ropes on easier trees. Meanwhile, Becca and Moises were heading off to some of the cloud forest trees (with both of them being birders, I knew they would get along great).

        Returning to AG04 and AG05 was exciting for me because I hadn't visited these trees since January of 2020. Ryan and Shawn had done so back in October so this would be only my second time visiting these trees.

        On the way to the first tree, I said some words that I would be eating the very next day. Matt asked me if there was a trail to the trees today. I turned to him, pointed at my head, and responded, 'it's all in here.' Anyways, we easily arrived at the tree and noticed a yellow string on the tree. Before, I had just lanyard-ed up the tree (use ropes attached to my harness to get up). We had left the rope bag just hidden off the trail because we hadn't needed it. I stuck with this method to get up with a lanyard and the maintenance job went smoothly. As I was making my way down, Matt and I spotted a tayra right below the tree.  We were probably all staring at each other for a solid minute - Matt and I in amazement, the tayra in bewilderment before it took off running. Chance close encounters with wildlife are so exciting!

Getting ready to lanyard up. Photo credit: Matthew C. Parker

        With that tree wrapped up, we set off to the next. Along the way, we kept pausing to try and locate the source of rustling and birdcalls, but with little success. It feels like the moment you stop to try and hone in on a sound, the source has noticed you and remains as still as possible (doing a much better job at being elusive than us researchers). 

        Before long we arrived on Marquez's property to check on the station. Everything was still in working order and I got the gear changed out quickly. Since the climb was straightforward, I walked Matt through the process, had him do some practice climbs just a few meters up and back to the ground before having him climb all the way to the top.  

A wild Matt, in a tree!

        Watching someone take in the view from the canopy is exciting and rewarding. Matt made it up with no difficulty and gleefully yelled out once at the top. He spent several minutes up there, taking in the view and a few pictures before climbing back down. With that, we packed up the gear and made our way back to the bamboo house.

View from the canopy

        Having a day with no hiccups was incredibly satisfying. Mosies and Becca also had a successful day. And just like that, we finished our first full day with 4 trees already done. I was elated and optimistic for the rest of our field season.

7 Enero 2021 - Becca

            When Moises and I started hiking, I quickly remembered what it felt like hiking up steep climbs in humidity with a heavy pack (not easy). Happily, I also remembered it wasn’t impossible.

            Both Moises and I are birders and we picked out the bird songs and calls we knew as we hiked. At one point, we heard a call we just couldn’t identify. It was so tantalizing how it sounded so close and we scanned the treetops again and again. Finally, I spotted it partially hidden in the canopy of the tree right in front of us. A Slate-colored grosbeak – and a song we wouldn’t forget soon after trying to pinpoint it for so long.

            As we got closer to the ridge, we heard a chainsaw from the valleys below. And when we reached the first tree which is just inside the reserve’s border, we found a new trail cut up from the side of the ridge that TMA doesn’t own. It reminded me of this fact that’s been said before but deserves to be said again: Jama-Coaque stands on the very frontlines of conservation.

            The first tree, CF06 or “Terminator”, served as a reminder crash course of how to climb for me since I hadn’t in a year. I didn’t mess up any of the crucial steps, but I did have to climb twice since I forgot to bring down a leaf sample with me the first time. Luckily, this was a shorter tree (~10 m), and it wasn’t hard to pop back up.

            Bemoaning our low snack supply, we returned the way we came to get to CF01, “Whomping Willow.” I climbed this awesome, tall tree to retrieve the gear and did not forget anything this time! We needed to measure the tree’s diameter above its impressive buttress roots which meant the measuring tape would have to be more than 10 feet off the ground on the downhill side. Moises hatched a plan; once I’d descended the climbing line to the appropriate height, he tied the excess rope below me to the tree’s roots so that I was suspended right next to the trunk. I held one end of the tape as he scrambled around the tree to bring me the other end. Success! Who knew measuring trees could be so tricky?

            Just as I arrived back on the ground, we heard a rustling in the tree and Moises spotted a kinkajou. Seemingly, this tree is quite popular with the kinkajou because Jackie and I saw one here last year. On our way back to the bamboo house, we saw a Choco sirystes, an uncommon and local flycatcher, which was an excellent finish to a productive day.

Speed-Running the Rest

 17 - 23 Octubre 2020

        This last entry is going to be a bit different. From this point onward we only visited one tree a day - and all of these trees were 'revisits'. For most, we were replacing the audiomoths that were not configured. All of our remaining outings were limited to just a partial day, and I feel it is easier to sum them up in a singular post.

        Saturday was a needed day off. I took most of the day to catch up on laundry and metadata entry. For part of the day, I relaxed in the hammock and watched birds fly by. It was great to give my muscles a break from the long days of work the whole week before. Ryan had been interested in cooking with jackfruit so he used the climbing gear and a tall ladder to get up and retrieve one to cook with. It was quite a sight watching him stretch as far as he could and positioning a bag just right to cut the fruit into.

Ryan's set up to get a jackfruit

        On Sunday, while it was a 'day off', we all ended up climbing anyways, because we wanted to. From the house, there was an incredibly tall tree in view and Shawn had figured out where the tree was. We hiked over, set a line, and we all had the chance to climb. This tree was much taller than any of the others. Although we didn't get an exact measure, we estimated it was somewhere around 40 m tall (or ~120 feet). During the climb, you could see the bamboo house, which was super cool. And while Nicolas was climbing up, he happened to see some Ecuadorian Capuchins climbing nearby. Late that evening, Ryan and Nicolas left the reserve, leaving just Mosies, Shawn, and me.

The crazy roots of this matapalo

        Monday we headed off to CF01 to replace the audiomoth. We took the time to set up the 360 Camera to get a view of me as I ascended and descended the canopy. This process went very smoothly and before we knew it, we were hiking back.

        Tuesday, Mosies and I hiked up to CF06 for the third time (in the meanwhile, Shawn was working on creating a dam for the hydroelectric pump). As I was double-checking the camera angle, it suddenly stopped working. It turned it on and off several times and replaced the batters. No dice. DANG IT! With a heavy sigh, I told Mosies the situation. We hadn't prepared for the camera to malfunction, so there was no spare on hand. Mosies offered to grab it from the house. I climbed down and gave him my phone in case he couldn't find the tree again. In the meanwhile, I wandered to bird-watch and look for interesting bugs. Until I heard 'Don't Stop me Now'... I looked up to see Moises running up the trail. I couldn't help but laugh at the sight. No wonder he made such quick time! I thanked him profusely and quickly climbed back up to switch out the camera. Just like that, we were finally done with that tree. We both cheered not having to hike up to this tree for a while.

Mushrooms growing on a downed chonta tree

        On Wednesday, Shawn, Mosies, and I returned to WF03. Shawn brought his drone with him so that we could film the ascent and follow the climber. It was another smooth day. On the hike back, Mosies climbed a short tree to trade out the SD card and batteries of the security camera. The rest of the day the three of us worked on improving the dam.

        Thursday we did not stop by any of the CAIP trees. Instead, we returned to the tree we climbed on Sunday. We took the station manager (Dany) with us to give him experience climbing, given the view from the tree. He had been a bit apprehensive, but he loved the view and enjoyed the experience. It was especially exciting to see Moises train Dany since he would be taking over the fieldwork after January. We then placed another camera in this tree for media purposes and I am beyond excited to see what animals visit this tree.

        Friday was our final day of fieldwork. The three of us returned to the far property to replace the stolen camera. Of course, since it had been stolen, we decided to find another tree for placement. And we did. After some investigation, we located a tree on the hillside that would be an absolute pain to get to and near impossible to climb without gear. The three of us made our way up the crumbly hillside and, with only a little struggle, set a new station. With that, we could celebrate the fact that we'd maintenanced all of the stations - and in good time too. Sure, we had run into several bumps, but now I know what can go wrong next time. Hopefully, with this knowledge, our next field season will go off without a hitch!

Another matapalo in the process of 'strangling' this other palm