Monthly Archives: May 2016

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Day 1: Wow

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Where did the day go? I woke up on my friend’s couch this morning exhausted and now I’m falling asleep to crickets in Belize! (Still exhausted)

I’ve had plenty of time to catch my breath today and do some personal observations. My favorite thing to do in the field right now is to listen. There are hundreds of voices in the darkness, each belonging to a different organism, determined to have his pulses or drones or chattering chirps heard by a mate. How romantic, no? Let’s not think about their creepier, crawlier side just yet—I’ll have close-up pictures of that tomorrow.

I heard a fascinating lecture on life in the rainforest canopy. One point stuck out to me, as I listened to Sam. These paradoxically nutrient poor soil conditions produce the most astounding variety of plant life on Earth, which in turn supports the entire trophic web here. In turn, without the wealth and diversity of life in the rainforest, each organism with an integral role to play in this game, these plants could not survive such oligotrophic soils. If you don’t think about it, you could take for granted the unique biodiversity hotspot we are in.

Simply put: Life… UHHHHH … finds a way. (Pictured: me, today)960

P.S. Mom and Dad, our accommodations are like paradise. Dinner was outstanding, but also represented the only substantial meal I’ve eaten today. Hobby airport had no water, which meant restaurants were all closed; even the toilets were roped off. But here I am, stomach full and brain active all the same.

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“Inauspicious Beginnings”

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In the words of Dr. Scott Solomon, our group has reached Belize with “inauspicious beginnings.” Our journey began with a mix-up in buses, but eventual transportation brought us to Hobby airport for our departure. Alas, a water main break in the airport terminal proved unfortunate for the growling stomachs of biologists, but by mid-afternoon, our group of 16 had safely arrived in Belize City, Belize.

Our travels continued by van to the town of San Ignacio in the Cayo

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Body of boa constrictor.

District. The two-hour drive proved to be a great opportunity for “deer” sightings and views of the limestone karst of the Maya Mountains. A pit stop for snacks even yielded my first reptile sighting: a common house gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus), an invasive species from Asia.

Our final destination was the tropical Crystal Paradise Resort in San Ignacio where we enjoyed a much-needed meal and birthday celebration. Misadventure followed with lost laptops and a dysfunctional projector, but even as I write this, the forest reveals even more of its wonders.

On a tip from a local, we uncovered a 7+ foot long boa constrictor (Boa constrictor) that has made its home here at the Crystal Paradise. The enormous snake slowly made its way down a tree just off the hotel’s balcony, amidst a chorus of chirping crickets and croaking frogs.

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Head of boa constrictor.

Maybe our beginnings weren’t so inauspicious after all.

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(Nakian) May 17. Beer x canopy x trees

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Beers are pretty nice in Belize. Driving through the country I saw vast tropical rainforest and savanna, villages and remote lone houses. I already getting the sense of what this trip would be like. Frequent encounters with species we hope to identify.

Today I found a trail of ants at the bar in the Crystal Palace resort. Fairly small like 3mm, orange body with shiny black abdomen. I couldn’t identify it because it was dark and they were too small. I must find a way to identify them better.

Also found a toad or frog?? I learned that to hold them I must hold its thigh so that won’t run away but not get injured.

Tomorrow, we are heading to Caracol archaeological site. I am so excited because I always hoped to visit Mayan sites. Such a grrat opportunity.

2016

Travel and Introductions

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Hi loved ones, I’m alive and well. I’m sitting in my humid sticky bedroom recounting the excitement (good and bad) of the day in my head. It started out on a pretty bad note honestly.

We got to Hobby airport and there had been a power outage resulting in no water in the entire airport: no working bathrooms, no working water fountains, and no food except what was left in the shiny cold food sections that no one ever touches, but were suddenly the bell of the ball. I bought some snacks and the largest water bottle I could find and hoped they would hold me over till dinner which was scheduled to be >6 hours later.

Once we got to Belize though, I remembered why it was that I was here. The air was humid, the houses along the road were colorful and falling apart, the bumpy 2 hour van ride let us see the countryside from Belize City to Belmopan. I loved it.

The rest of the day had its ups and downs. The van barely had air conditioning and we were all 16 of us stuffed into a van made to seat 8 semi-comfortably. When we stopped for snacks though, the day took a turn for the better. Adrienne bought me a birthday snack of a slightly disturbing tamarind flavored crazy hair pushup pop and some truly fabulous birthday sunglasses.

We learned about the forest canopy, trees, and epiphytes after a lovely dinner of chicken and rice. But after presentations was when the fun truly started. I found a spider about an inch in length including its legs. It was visibly hairy and a dark grey/black color with very few markings on its body. I didn’t get a great look at it because it was very skittish, but I got some pictures, which will hopefully (internet allowing) be attached to this post.

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The most exciting part of the day by far though, was the fabulous siting of an 8 ft. boa constrictor in a tree across from the porch where we had eaten dinner. It was super active and looked to be hunting. I’m so happy that I’ve already gotten to see some fun things, and it’s been barely half a day. I’m excited for what tomorrow will bring, and also so desperately in need of sleep. Till tomorrow!

2016

First day fun day

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The first day was full of excitement but also a series of unfortunate events. Hobby was out of water so no one could get lunch. Scott lost his laptop, and had a toad pee on his hand. The projector didn’t work for the presentation. But even though all these unfortunate things happened, I still had a great time. No one has died yet so that’s good.

I discovered that Adrienne gets progressively funnier and less filtered as her blood glucose level falls. Mandy and Anna really like talking about food and meat lover’s pizza. Clare turned 21 today. I really enjoyed the way the presentations work, it’s like we are each other’s teachers. I say this now… maybe I’ll feel different tomorrow after I present.

Oh yeah. Saw some animals too, those are cool too. Actually I was interrupted whilst typing this because Scott found a Boa Constrictor in a tree. Super awesome, props to his 20 20 night vision.

Can’t wait till tomorrow. Hopefully I don’t get sunburnt.

-Randy

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Still doesn’t seem real

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I keep thinking about leaving tomorrow and it doesn’t seem real to me yet. I’m sure once we land everything is going to go by in a flash, but at least right now I am just waiting for it to hit me.

At the beginning of the year, I had no clue whether I was going to feel like the classes I was taking were a fit for me. For a while I had a “maybe this will be my thing” feeling. Second semester I could tell I was starting to settle on ecology, but ecology is a broad area of study. I am hoping that this course in Belize helps me to find direction. More so I haven’t yet had the opportunity to do field work. Up to now most of my biology experience has been in a guided lab setting. I am very excited to go outside and actually see what I have been reading about for months. I hope that I actually see the species I’ve been looking at as I completed each assignment and I hope that I can accurately identify them. I’m so excited for the time on the reef. I’ve always loved being in and around the ocean. Also I have been thinking that aquatic science might be an area I am especially interested in pursuing. I am a little bit nervous about blanking on all the information I’ve learned once we are in the field and I don’t have a book to reference. Hopefully I will gain some confidence in my knowledge of Belize as the trip progresses.

I have been to Hawaii before and have had the opportunity to snorkel there. I have also had the chance to snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia. Both experiences have taught me how different each reef system is and reminds me that this trip to Belize will be a new journey of its own.

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Hungry and sad, Day 1

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Today I felt helpless as I stared into the eyes of the cashier at Subway, as she told me they weren’t making or selling sandwiches. I had skipped breakfast that morning thinking I would grab a large lunch at the airport but when we arrived at Hobby, we learned that the water had shut off. Consequently, all the restaurants could no longer serve food, as not washing hands was a health code violation. Alas, I settled on two bags of potato chips and entertained myself at Subway for half an hour watching hangry passengers walk up to the Subway cashier only to be told the horrifying news.

While I was hangry today in the airport, it largely didn’t bother me too much. I think over the years I have come to accept the not-so-great things that happen to me because there is no sense in working myself up over something I have no ability to change. Plus, I was about to board a plane to Belize! As I expected, it was quite humid and warm as we descended from the aircraft onto Belizean territory. Once we went through customs and left the airport, we all boarded ourselves into a van and made a two-hour trek to Crystal Paradise, a hotel outside of San Ignacio near the Guatemalan border.

Dinner tasted particularly wonderful and right afterword, Mandy, Sasha, and Sam gave their presentations. While I tried to stay interested, I must say that I was exhausted and it took a lot for me to keep my eyes open. We were released for bed at 11 pm. I ran back to my room but was stopped by Lucrecia and Ella. They had found a trail of leafcutter ants outside of our rooms!

I ran inside to grab my camera and headlamp and we all proceeded to follow the ant trail to find its nest. My friend Mandy loudly exclaimed that the ant trail looked like an actual trail, and indeed, the ants had been travelling back and forth so many times that there was a clear path cut through the understory. I was amazed at how everything was kept so orderly. A two-way direction of ants travelled back and forth from one place to another. We found the nest at the base of some small palm tree. After we found this, we wanted to find the “home tree” or the place the ants were collecting these leaves. We followed the trail backwards and found the tree. It was pretty far away as far as ants are concerned. Needless to say, the ants captured my attention tonight and were cool enough to keep a sleep-deprived person like myself from collapsing into bed.

Sadly, I saw no bees today but I am not worried since it is only our first day. Other creatures we saw today included a dog that Adrienne mistook for a deer, a few chickens, a large cicada that joined us for dinner, and a cockroach that scared the bejesus out of Adrienne. Photos of the ant parade are below!

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The Long Awaited/Dreaded Time has Come

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These past 2 weeks have been such a struggle. Not only have the scramble to find proper equipment and the preparation of our 2 taxa (Jellyfishes and Cockroaches)  and lecture topic (Rainforest canopy) been shaving away at my sleep, but the sheer excitement that a childhood dream will be met in a little over 12 hours has been keeping me on my toes. Or maybe it’ll be a nightmare, who knows!

I haven’t had direct experience with the tropics. I’ve only seen the forests and pristine reefs on BBC programs from the comfort of my couch. So, I anticipate this course to be quite grueling physically and enriching mentally. I expect long hours working out in the fields, with mosquitoes, cacophonic animal calls, buzzes, sweat, smells and what not overwhelming the senses. I expect, in the midst of the suffering, to be awed by the sheer diversity of shapes and forms of flora and fauna in the forest and reefs. And that would make the physical hardships totally worth it. But, I have a feeling there’s more to it. The in depth knowledge gained from the required readings, the primary literature, and other preparations has also enlightened me to the inner workings that drive and sustain the forests and seas.

I’m excited to witness in person the seemingly sci-fi mechanics of these diverse areas. At times in preparation and readings, I’ve felt a worrying tug that perhaps the trip will be underwhelming like the black and white print of the readings. But each break, when I close my laptop and look outside, I suddenly am reignited with passion to see the color of the world around and understand that behind the black text and white page is an attempt to find a new hue to color our world. Philosophical musings aside, I’m nervous about not being prepared enough for the trip, or not knowing enough about my topics and taxa than what was expected of me.

I hope to learn more in depth about the taxa and topics from my colleagues and friends on the trip. I hope to understand the life of a tropical biologist by learning methods of working in a forest, traversing canopies, diving to depths and witnessing first hand what it is that drives these biologists to ceaselessly investigate the these areas.

2016

The Night Before

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After a year and a half of wanting to travel to Belize on this trip, it’s finally almost here. With the past week of frantic packing and last-minute assignment completions, I’ve barely had time to contemplate what it has all been for. Belize will be my first real field experience, and will hopefully start me on the path to becoming a competent field biologist and conservationist.
I’ve visited the true tropics only once, on a family trip to Guatemala in middle school. Perhaps my most unique animal experience comes from that trip: a group of Mexican black howler monkeys hanging feet from our faces, hooting with incredible volume. On this trip, I’m hoping that I’ll get to see this species again, along with as many other species as possible. While I know seeing wild cats is extremely rare, I sincerely hope we can at least catch some with the camera traps that we will be using. A jaguar would be incredible, but any of the other felid species would be amazing to see as well!
I am really looking forward to learning more about how coral reefs function, and I expect that my very limited knowledge will increase greatly in the second week of this trip. I am a little nervous about swimming in fins for such long periods of time (especially since my feet tend to cramp), but I am looking forward to learning how to deal with any sort of mishap in the field!
After getting all my gear, packing tons of bug spray, and doing hours of research, I expect to be tired, dirty, and unbelievably happy on this trip!

2016

It’s finally here!

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When I was a sophomore in high school, a friend told me about a summer course at Rice University. Students had the chance to spend two weeks in Belize, hiking, snorkeling, and learning about the tropics. I couldn’t imagine anything that sounded more amazing. At that moment, I knew I needed to go to Rice.

Tomorrow, we will be in Belize. I can’t believe it. This will be my first field research experience, and I am so excited to learn more about tropical ecology! I am doing research in a lab that studies tropical ecology, and my work is currently all data analysis on the computer. I’m looking forward to seeing the other side of my project learning about how all the data I’ve been working with was collected!

I have visited several tropical countries, and I drag my parents hiking wherever we go, so I’m not too nervous about the animals we’ll encounter. I do hope to avoid getting sick, and I’ve gotten quite a few immunizations in the last couple of months. In preparation for the trip, I’ve been doing lots of reading, and I have learned a lot about the incredible diversity of plants and animals that call Belize home. It will be awesome to put faces to all of the names I’ve been reading about. I recently realized how little I know about individual bird species, and on this trip I hope to learn more about the birds of Belize and be able to identify some of them. I know I will learn a lot about the ecology of Belize from this course. Even more than that, however, I hope to learn about ecology research and get a tiny glimpse into the life of a field ecologist.