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.
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| 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!
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| 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!
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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