Hi dedicated readers! It’s day 5 in the rainforest — our last day at Las Cuevas! Today may be our final day, but we made it count! Today, I woke up at 4:40 am to hike to the bird tower for a second time to watch the sunrise. Although the hike was somehow even harder the second time, the view was still spectacular and well worth the effort. After breakfast (eggs, beans, tortilla, and fruit), the group headed off to collect our camera traps. While on the trail, we observed an ant lion, a small insect that digs pits to trap ants while in its juvenile stage. I’ve included a picture below.

Once we returned to LCRS, we started presentations for the day and the next day. I think that my talk on tropical parasites, disease, and medicinal plants went very well, and some of the questions that were asked prompted a good discussion on the use and efficacy of certain medicinal plants.

Let me ask you this: how many scarlet macaws have you seen? Probably none, maybe one or two. Well, our class saw 15 while eating dinner on the veranda! That’s 3.75% of the total Belizean population and it was an amazing sight to see. 

After dinner, we looked at our camera trap footage. Some of the highlights include turkeys, curassows (large birds), a tayra (small mammal), and 3 pumas! We found that overall mammals and birds tend to prefer trails (disturbed areas) over undisturbed areas.

We ended the day with a fun campfire near the station. I am looking forward to exploring the ATM cave tomorrow and finding an amphibian! Tomorrow is pretty much my last chance. That’s all for now! – Elise