Tag Archives: Bird Tower

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Belize Day 7: Peace Found

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We were on top of the world (a hilltop in the Maya Mountains). We lay in peace and gratitude on the wooden platform at the top of the bird tower, enjoying the breeze, watching the sun rays overcome the clouds, and listening to the chorus of bird calls. Out of the blue, we heard the buzzing of a bee growing louder and chuckled – even at the highest point we could reach, without a flower in sight, the bees get fomo and want to get in on the drama (or create it).

(On Top of the World – 06/23/25)

Today was our jungle wrap-up day ;,<. After a morning watching the sunrise at the top of bird tower, we trudged around collecting our motion sensor cameras and pointing out different species we spotted, appreciating the beauty we’d learned to see in the last week. 

During our descent up the steep steep hill in the morning, we stopped to catch our breath and a few termites to munch on (they taste like carrots!). A little while down the path, we spotted a shriveled frog in the middle of the trail. Because these guys breathe through their skin and need water to stay moist, they’re especially vulnerable to drought and don’t fare well during Belize’s dry season (December-May). We also saw a rare red brocket deer, I guess early birds get to see the most organisms. And later on in the day, 2 pairs of scarlet macaws flew overhead and an agouti popped its head out in the distance to wish us goodbye as we dangled our feet off the wooden deck and blogged. Just as we’re getting to know the forest, it’s getting to know us. 

To wrap up our week, we had a class watch party to sort through all of the pictures collected by the motion sensor camera. Though my camera took more pictures moving around inside my backpack on the way back than of organisms, our class’s cameras caught 3 pumas, many curassows (a pheasant-like bird), and a wild Sam strolling by, with the heaviest traffic actually being on human-disturbed paths rather than undisturbed jungle vegetation. Looks like no one here was taking the path less traveled, and I can’t blame them. We’ve tripped on floor vines and roots a few too many times. 

(Puma Spotting – 05/23/25)

We celebrated the completion of our last project with a little campfire, feeling comfortable and laughing about all of the ecology inside jokes and memories we shared. As I made my way back to the cabins, I said goodbye to all of the epiphytes I saw (the giant Philodendron sagittifolium leaves collaring the trees) and filled the final page of my jungle field notebook, feeling a quiet sense of completion. I’m ready to step into the next timeless chapter of this trip: Glover’s Reef.

(Campfire Close – 05/23/25) 

Peace,

Lily 🙂

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Day 6: Breathtaking View (literally….)

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Hi Blog,

Today was a very exciting day! The day, as always, started off with a delicious breakfast from Angie! Apparently, there were a family of howler monkeys in the tree at the edge of the clearing that a bunch of people got to see, but I did not, which I’m a little sad about. But I did get to see some in the Caracol on day 2 which was cool.

After breakfast, we went to the Chiquibul cave, which was super cool! Surprisingly, the cave entrance was directly outside of clearing, so it was a very short walk. The entrance was much wider than I expected, and walking into the cave and actually being in the cave was so surreal. It was significantly cooler (literally and figuratively), and the cave was hazy, which added to the surreal effect.

Pre-caving photo!

It was really cool to see the geologic formations, especially since the baby stalagmite appeared sticky, which is apparently calcium! I thought it was interesting how the tour guide pointed out to not touch the geologic formations, since the human imprint will stop the growth of the geologic formations. It made me aware of the disruptive effects that humans can have, even if the actions seem really minuscule.

Although I did not directly have any mammal sightings, I was still able to see holes in the ceiling of the cave, which the KARST team explained were the roosting sites of the various species of bats in the area! No picture, since we were not allowed  to take any photographs within the caves in order to minimizing looting risks.

After the cave, we went on a hike to collect our pitfall trap samples, which was done quite efficiently since we had been on the paths before and had annotated thoroughly in our field notebooks of their locations. Then, we had lunch which was chicken, rice and beans, and plantains. These were yummy as usual! After lunch, we went right back to work to analyze our pitfall trap samples and then present to Dr. Evans and Dr. Solomon immediately after. My vial for the ground sample had a huge cockroach on it, which was effectively identified by Emily.

We went hiking to the bird tower to catch the sunset, and the view was absolutely breathtaking. The journey there was breathtaking as well (literally), but I digress… The tower and ladder were a little shaky though which was kind of scary… I was physically exhausted and drenched in sweat, but I was so glad to have persevered.

At the bird tower!

After we returned, we had dinner — chick peas, fried cucumbers, and eggs. After dinner, I finally had my first presentation, which was my 30 minute topic lecture about Visual and Auditory Communication in Rainforest Animals. I was a little nervous, since this was the longest presentation I have ever done, but I think it went fairly well, and I’m glad to have it out of the way. I have my mammals taxon ID briefing presentation tomorrow though, so I’m excited/nervous for that.

Tomorrow morning, at 5 AM, a small group of us are planning to go to the bird tower to see the sunset. I’m going to try really hard to wake up, but we will have to see tomorrow. Stay tuned!

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Belize Day 6: Monkey Mayhem

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2:31 am

  • Lily: ZZZzzzzZZZZZZZZzzzz
  • Howler monkey: HUWAOOOO (the phonetic spelling of howler monkey calls)
  • Lily: *wakes up halfway*

3:48 am

  • Lily: zzzzzzzzzzzz
  • Howler money: HUWAOOOO, HUWAOOOO, HUWAOOOO 
  • Lily: *puts pillow over head*

4:?? am

  • Howler monkey: HUWAOOOO
  • Lily: ……

IMG_0298 (Video of Howler Monkey Calls, taken by Sam – 05/21/25)

We’re in the howler monkey’s territory. In fact, an adorable family of howler monkeys roams these grounds. Last night, they claimed the tree next to our cabin for the night and made it known. When we woke up and saw the baby hanging by its tail in the tree, we forgave the family instantly for the few nighttime disturbances. We spent our pre-breakfast birding session watching the monkeys feast on some leaves instead.

We had an eventful day ahead – exploring caves, analyzing our pee traps, and hiking uphill to catch the sunset. After breakfast, we took a quick stroll to the cave across from our cabin (we’re living on top of a cave network), filled with cultural remnants and cool geological formations. As we ventured in, the bright, green, warmth of the rainforest quickly changed to damp, cool, stillness, with dripping water and flitters of bats from above. The landscape in front of us looked like an alien planet. The cave floor was filled with muddy grooves and slimy, translucent, blob-shaped masses (stalactites). They’re so blobby they almost look like they’re a living creature. The ceiling, on the other hand, had bell-shaped holes and icicle-shaped masses (stalagmites). Stalactites and stalagmites form when acidic water from the ground above dissolves the limestone of the walls and deposits the calcium carbonate precipitate (https://sciencenotes.org/stalagmites-and-stalactites-how-they-form-and-more/). Although we couldn’t venture far (access was restricted by the research station to protect the cultural ruins within), it was incredible to see a new pocket of the world and the nature within.

Nice reflection of stalactites in very quiet water in a cave. Luray Caverns in Virginia

(Stalagmites and Stalactites – livescience.com) 

Post-class group pic in our caving helmets, we geared up for the rainforest right above. The most important piece of gear we needed was tube caps. Today was the day we collected our pitfall (pee) traps, and we definitely preferred having lids on our vials filled with a mix of urine and insects. The retrieval process went fairly quickly, and we even saw an epiphyte arrowhead plant on the way back! Dr. Evans was able to identify it after I discussed it in my epiphyte taxonomy presentation the day before.

Upon reaching the lab, I realized my pee tube had been dripping. But the spill was totally worth it because the nitrogen in my pee (or its location) might have successfully attracted a blueberry-sized grasshopper into my tube. After compiling all class data, we found that the tubes buried on the forest floor had the greatest number of organisms and species, suggesting that there is a greater availability of nitrogen on the forest floor than on the canopy. This was a super cool mini-study (a pilot study) to better understand our test system and data trends to see if we want to continue the project on a greater scale.

Feeling proud of our project’s success, we regained the energy to hike up a steep, winding trail to the top of one of the rolling hills for a peaceful, glorious sunset. When we reached the hilltop panting, drenched in sweat, and chugging water, we breathed. The sun was just beginning to set, and rays were peeking in through the canopy. We climbed the ladder up the bird-watching tower, and once we reached the top, our view was rolling green hills as far as the eye could see. We took turns getting “golden hour” pics up on the deck and then took moments to breathe in the sounds and beauty of the jungle. I couldn’t think of a better bonding experience.

(Dr. Solomon Takes on Bird Tower – 05/21/25)

Hiking back in the dark, we were buzzing (like the insects) with excitement and eager to put our recently developed field biology skills into practice. We passed around cicada skins to wear as matching accessories, ate some carrot-flavored termites, tapped on trees to check for ant inhabitants, chased after neon-green glow-in-the-dark Click beetles, and even spotted upon the entrance to another cave system. The day unfolded like a nature-themed sandwich with caves at both ends and layers of discovery about organisms and their habitats in between.

Peace,

Lily 🙂

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The Worlds of Light and Darkness

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Hey y’all!

Sorry for being a little late posting for yesterday, but it’ll be worth it! We started the day early with a cool sighting of a Black Howler Monkey family group (after they had woken us up with their LOUD calls)! We then got special permission to enter the Las Cuevas Cave! The cave is a protected archaeological and cultural site, so we weren’t allowed to take pictures. The cave was enormous inside, with Maya steps, building foundations, and pottery. It is right below a temple that archaeologists think was seen as a special ceremonial place for the Maya.

We then hiked around the trails collecting our pitfall traps–and finding really cool animals like this Wolf Spider hiding in the leaf litter and the Basilisk that Dr. Solomon caught!

We worked as a group to write and draw our findings on our poster and present to the professors, and it was pretty cool to see it all come together with our team work!

After all of our presentations were done, we started probably the most tiresome but breathtaking hike of my life. We climbed about half an hour through and up a steep path riddled with Maya structures. My watch even said I got 2x, 3x, and 4x my stairstep goal in ten minutes! At the hilltop, we climbed up the Bird Tower and watched the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen in my entire life! Minus the station, there was no sign of any human life in the rolling mountains of the rainforest!

From there, the world changed as we climbed down from the heavenly sunset to the eerie world of the nighttime rainforest. The lights from our helmets were all that cut through the heavy curtain of darkness, and I had to remind myself that I needed to look out for all of the predators on the prowl.

Somehow, this hike was the most exhausting, spooky, and indescribably beautiful experience I have ever had, and I would do it all over again if I could!

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Day 6: Putting the caves in Las Cuevas

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This morning started with seeing (and hearing) howler monkeys from the station. It wasn’t the first time we’d heard them but it was the first time I was able to spot them so that was exciting. After breakfast, we were treated to a tour of the cave system right by Las Cuevas by the karst team, a group within FCD who map and manage the cave. It was super cool, both literally and figuratively. We saw Maya artifacts and beautiful cave formations. One thing that made it especially special was that the cave is only open to researchers, and there are active research projects going on, so we had an especially unique opportunity. That also meant that we weren’t allowed to take pictures, so you’ll just have to trust me when I say it was stunning.

The next thing we did was collect the pitfall traps. It went pretty quickly, since we knew exactly where they were and only had to fish them out of the ground and take them down off the trunks. It took us about an hour in total, only fifteen minutes of which was actually taking down the traps. They seemed to have worked pretty well, although for me my ground traps had collected a lot of leaf litter as well. I suppose it’s par for the course in the rainforest.

Taking down a pitfall trap.
Taking down my pitfall traps!

After lunch, we analyzed number and diversity of different species in the traps to test our initial hypothesis. We ended up having a wide array of different types of insects in our traps—mainly ants, but also crickets, flies, spiders, and more. It took us a while to sort through all the traps, but at the end we found that the differences between the nitrogen traps and the water traps were more stark in the canopy, indicating that nitrogen was more limited their and confirming our initial hypothesis. There were some limitations, of course—the traps weren’t all buried or hung the same, for example—but I would say pretty good for a pilot study!

Proud TFBs with our pitfall trap poster!

In the evening, we hiked up to the bird tower to watch the sun set. The bird tower is watchtower built back when the camp was first established which overlooks the rainforest. It’s on a rise, so it has a great view of the surroundings. We saw the vibrant colors of the sunset from the tower and also got to see an unrivaled perspective of the rainforest. It’s the largest intact stretch of rainforest north of the Amazon, and it shows—you truly cannot see any sign of humans except for Las Cuevas. It was an incredible sight. On the hike there , we also saw a breadnut tree, which was exciting for me—that’s one of the interesting edible & medicinal trees that I researched before the trip. We spent a while around the bird tower and then hiked back to Las Cuevas in the dark.

Tomorrow’s the last full day at Las Cuevas! The rainforest portion of the trip is nearly over. I can’t believe how this trip had flown by.

TFBs viewed from the bird tower
The bird tower.
The bird tower
Rainforest, as far as the eye can see
The Chiquibul forest, viewed from the bird tower.
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day 6: down down down and up up up

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Today’s daily 6 am birding happened to turn into monkeying instead. Right when I woke up, we were told to look out the back of the Las Cuevas clearing to see a family of 5 howler monkeys. There was an adult male and female and their three kids including a young male, female, and baby girl. The baby was tiny and would occasionally climb on mom’s back when the monkeys had to make treacherous treks across branches. They were fascinating to watch as they moved from tree to tree. 

(Howler monkey)

 Then, we were so lucky to have the opportunity to visit the Las Cuevas Cave (translated to “the cave cave”). This cave has a massive entrance, and while we were not allowed to go past the first chamber, the entrance chamber alone was a spectacle. We got to see fully formed stalactites and stalagmites as well as just barely starting to form stalactites and stalagmites. Additionally, we learned about how this cave system was used by the Mayans. There were ancient plaster terraces, cracked pottery, and steps leading down to the water source at the bottom all created by the Mayans hundreds of years ago. This cavern was also right beneath a Maya temple which archaeologists think means that the cave was used for religious ceremonies to worship the rain god (for the water source below) or the god of the underworld. 

In the middle of the day, Dr. Solomon caught a casque headed basilisk lizard and brought it to us. Basilisk lizards (or Jesus Christ lizards) are known to be able to run on water for short periods of time. They have super long toes that maximize the water’s surface tension and allow them to sprint on the water to avoid predators. This lizard was super cool to see in person, and it was the reptile I most wanted to see here in Belize!

(Casque headed basilisk lizard)

This evening, we watched the sunset from the Bird Tower, a tower on one of the taller hills around that looks over the wide expanse of rainforest. The trek up to the tower was steep, but it was worth it for the gorgeous sunset. I saw a tiny silky anole on the trek back down, but since we were hiking in the dark, I can only imagine how many more reptiles we did not see. 

(Sunset at the bird tower)

Thanks for following along!

Claire C

2022

Day 10: New Heights

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This morning after breakfast, we created our camera trap experiment in which we are going to use fifteen motion cameras that will take photos over the next few days. We are going to try to identify the different predators and prey and see where they might be most abundant in the different areas of the foot trails, untouched forest, and the “paved” roads. We set out for a couple of hours before lunch to begin our camera set up, mainly putting up our five cameras for the road areas. After lunch, we then set out for the true hiking experience to put up the other 10 or so cameras. I was impressed with the amount of elevation that we gained throughout the hike, rubber boots adding to some of the difficulty when we had to go down hill (they are super important for protection against snakes and also great for the rain and puddles) but I think this is because mine could do with some extra traction but I still very much enjoyed the hike. The vegetation within the forest was unbelievable. I just feel like everything is magnified by 10x, it’s gorgeous. I saw huge Give and Take Palms, plenty of fish tail palms, huge Tillandsia utriculata (the same genus as the small airplants but this one can grow up to 60cm) in many of the tree canopies, and a lot of house plants that were obviously thriving more out here in the jungle than someone’s plant room: Philodendron radiatum, Philodendron hederaceum and a lot of Monstera spp. I also saw a lot of air-plants that were both on the tree at around eye level but also a few that had fallen to the ground because the branch that they were connected to had broken off. These were Tillandsia spp. but they all are so similar that I’m learning that deciphering the exact species is going to be more difficult than I expected. Along the way, we saw so many different butterflies, a huge cockroach, lots of cicada shells, leaf cutter ants, and even got to eat some termites. Since they were so small, it wasn’t scary to eat them – they mostly had a woody aftertaste to them but I don’t know if I’d go out of my way to find and eat them.

Tillandsia schiedeana (This grows on all of the large tree branches)
Gigantic Leaf Cutter Ant nest
Red-Eyed (maybe also Morelet’s) Tree Frog eggs!
A wide angle selfie (of course) at the Bird Tower!
Philodendron radiatum

After we finished the elevation climb, we made it to the Bird Tower where we went up this questionably stable structure that had the most amazing outlook I have ever seen. You could see so much of the forest yet only understand that it is only a part of the whole thing, it was gorgeous. On the hike down from the top, we stopped at the smaller Mayan cave were we found some Mayan clay pottery shards and got to explore the room that had been built by building a wall into the natural constrictions of the cave. The stalactites were so impressive and I could have stared at them all day, but I’m excited for the cave we get to explore in a few days. As we were trying to pass the time, I have also learned so many riddles and I can’t wait to stump everyone one at home. On the way back down Dr. Solomon also pointed out some orchids but I couldn’t identify them because there were no flowers. However, pseudobulbs led us to believe that they were orchids. Our final stop was a ginormous leaf cutter ant mound that was about 6ft wide (at least). It is so cool to watch the Leaf Cutter ants all line up and create their foraging trails as they cut down the vegetation to bring into their home to cultivate the fungus that they eat the byproduct of. I’m starting to understand why Dr. Solomon loves ants so much. We also stopped by a wallows (in the dry season)/frog pond (in the wet season) and found a bunch of Red-eyed Tree Frog eggs on a hanging tree branch – super cool!

-Sophia

2022

Day 10: Bird Observation Tower + Cave + Lots of Taxa!!

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For our first project was designed to monitor mammals using Morrison sensor cameras to collect data about the relative abundance of species on roads, trails, and the rainforest around Las Cuevas Research Station. So into the forest we went!

Inside of Cave! See the stalagmites and stalactites? The Maya used to perform ritualistic sacrifices here.
The red paint is still on a piece of Mayan pottery which is thousands of years old!

In a small cave, we saw giant spiders, went through a cave and got to pick up remnants about Maya  pottery!

Top of the Bird Watch tower after an long hike

 We got to witness the beautiful view of the heart of the Chiquibul forest from the bird watching station.

We also saw some tree frog eggs.

I was incredibly excited to see a beetle species called the darkling beetle tenebrionidae hegemona. Adrienne pointed it out on wood. It was incredibly good at climbing and I held it for 15 minutes! I loved the iridescent elytra and exoskeleton.

Darkling Beetle

I also saw some earthworms (oligochaetes).

Michael is showing me an earthworm on the rainforest floor helping to recycle nutrients back into the soil!

 Caio also managed to find a leech in the middle of the rainforest He was brave enough to hold it and told everyone when it bit him three times!

Rainforest leech? Definitely didn’t expect to find here!

Overall incredible day! Loving Las Cuevas!

~Maegan

2022

D-10 the bird tower trail

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Hi everybody!

Today was such an eventful day! We started our day by developing a research question regarding the movement of the biota of the Chiquibul  and spent most of the rest of our time setting the gadgets out in the field to collect data during the next few days. It was during our time in the forest that we went to the Bird Tower, which has now become my favorite stop of this trip. Although we did not actually get to see birds from the tower, the view we got was still mesmerizing. From the top of the tower you could see many hectares of rainforest to any and every side. There was also spots with fog that just made the view even more beautiful. One thing about the tower is that the hike is a bit challenging, particularly when the ground is wet; some of us had trouble with the slippery slopes coated with mud, yet thankfully everything went well! Although a bit difficult in some places I would definitely recommend this hike to anyone coming to the Chiquibul forest, personally I plan to come back just for that hike!


The Bird Tower trail also leads to a really cool cave. In the cave you even get to see remnants of Mayan pottery!


Another great thing that occurred today is that I got to see many of my taxa before even leaving Las Cuevas for our two hikes. Three of the species I got to see include the Carpenter bee and the Red-tailed stingless bee. Here is a photo of the Carpenter bee!

Also as an aside the food here is really amazing. Here is a photo one of the vegetarian meals I got yesterday!

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Day 6: we did not want to take any risks

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Today’s general agenda: project leaf diversity —> project mutualism —> bird tower 

Having given my presentation on ants, I was beyond excited that we were going to focus on ants even more on this trip! In particular, today, we were tasked to examine the relationship between Azteca ants and Cecropia trees. These two different species form a mutualistic relationship where both parties benefit by working together. The ants get food while the tree gets protection. We wanted to know how Cecropia trees, before hosting these ants, protect themselves from being eaten. 

click for video showing the Azteca ants and Cecropia trees

720p

We have been constantly examining organisms on the ground that we decided to change up our perspective this evening. Near the research station is a bird tower that is three stories high. From the bird tower, we got to observe the Chiquibul forest in its entirety. We also got to see the Belize sunset. I don’t know if it was the wind, the greenery, or sunset, but, in the moment, I never wanted to get off the tower. Of course, all good things have to come to an end, so we turned on our headlamps and hiked back. 

selfie on the bird tower!

As I was carefully walking in the front, I hear Pierce call out “snake!” in the back. The snake turned out to be a venomous jumping viper hidden in the leaf litter! Though the snake was small in length, we did not want to take any risks. We kept our distances and safely moved forward.

Each night, as you may know, we give presentations that focuses on either specific taxonomic groups or topics. Today, Liz addressed tropical diseases. I was excited to learn more about Dengue Fever because the disease is somewhat prevalent in Taiwan. We even talked about how climate change can affect Dengue Fever. In short, climate change can exacerbate Dengue Fever and increase its range. 

Brendan Wong

Las Cuevas, Belize

5/19/2019