Day 3: May 17th 2018    – Las Cuevas Research Station

Today we started with 5:00am bird watching.  We saw several Plumbeous Kite’s, including what appeared to be a mated pair.  We saw several Red-Lored Parrots perching on higher trees with light foliage, a Montezuma oropendola flying into its hanging nest, and a social fly catcher flying about.  After a breakfast of eggs beans and bread, there was a coatimudi spotting, a mammal in the raccoon family. Unfortunately I managed to miss this exciting mammal siting but apparently it was spotted and soon reentered the foliage.

Soon after, we gathered to begin our first project: setting out the camera traps with a question we intend to answer.  We decided to test the effect in human trails on mammal presence, hypothesizing that there would be higher mammal density, abundance, and richness in off trail locations.  To test this, we identified 5 areas at a nearly equal distant radius from Las Cuevas.  We hiked to each area where set one trap facing the path and one about a 7 minute walk off path. Let me tell you, this is where it gets really exciting.  While placing our second location’s second trap, Professor Correa stumbled upon an leaf cutter ant nest that was 20 feet across! What she didn’t notice at first glance was that there was a 5 foot boas constrictor behind her!  Both find would have been extraordinary finds on their own, but I think we’d almost all say that boa constrictor was something no one expect to see this trip.

As we returned to break for lunch, we saw a Plumbeous Kite catch a small rodent, likely a mouse or rat from the grasses. It shared the meal with its mate. After lunch, the rest of the walk was equally exciting with a variety of interesting bees, ants, epiphytes, trees, butterflies and more spotted.  Most notable was the zombie ant we found on the bottom of leaf which has been parasitized by fungi and had walked up a plant to allow the fungi to grow and disperse inside its dead body.  Creepy, but fascinating.  I will admit I almost dismissed the site as particular gross dirt before asking Professor Solomon what it was.

After the hike, we listened to a talk from the director of the FCE which manages the Chiquibul Forest region and its conservation. He spoke about the difficulty in conserving such areas and how few understand the true beauty of the Chiquibul.  He, interestingly, also spoke about the border conflict between Guatemala and Belize, the extent of which was news to a lot of us.  After a dinner of beef, beans, mashed potatoes, and tortillas, we had lectures on Arachnids, Ants, and The Paradox of the Tropical Soil.  Off to bed! 

Day 2: May 16th 2018,  From the Ecolodge to Las Cuevas Research Station

Today we woke up around 5:00 am in the Crystal Paradise Ecolodge, had a fantastic breakfast, and were on our way to our first stop by 7am. Our first stop was series of pools and small waterfalls called Rio on Pool.  The pools were cool and the rocks were mossy as we slipped and slid all over the rocks as we explored the areas.   There appeared to be little in the water at first glance, but after being there for a while, we saw small fish, spiders, a few leaches, and an insect exoskeleton.  After drying off, I spotted two lizards.  One was about a foot with a distant green stipe down the middle while the other was brown and a few inches long.  After saying goodbye to our little stop of paradise, we were on the road again.

The road was bumpy, and uneven as we made our way closer to the Chiquibul.  We passed through a large pine forest expanses, three military checkpoints, and into the entrance of the Chiquibul before making it to Caracol, a Mayan ruins site.  Our tour guide, Leo, showed us a variety of structures and species as we went from the Give and Take Palm to the large plaza that would have been overlooked by the king of the Mayas at the time.  Most notably, we climbed the largest Mayan structure excavated, and ironically the largest structure in Belize.  It was over seven stories high, easy to go up, and hard to come down.  When we reached the top, Leo, showed us two tombs where skeletons where found.  Within each, the walls were covered with bat guano (droppings)! Maybe not the most glamorous, but the first evidence of wild mammals I had yet to see.  

Just as I had finished climbing down the largest structure in Belize, and thought I was going to see essentially all the evidence of wild mammals, Leo pointed out a spectacular site. There was a large male howler monkey sitting in a tree several hundred feet away.  And with that came 5 other males, one after another including what appeared to be juvenile!  As we were leaving the site for lunch, we even heard their call which resembled wind howling through a tunnel. What a sightings!

After Caracol, we drove on an even more remote road to Las Cuevas Research Station.  Once we got there, were settled in and went on a short hike where we saw several interesting species including a Mexican Tree Frog.  After that, we ate dinner, and learned about Belizean trees, birds, and life in the rainforest canopy.  A long, but exciting first day in Las Cuevas. 

(Crystal Paradise Ecolodge)

Today, we arrived at the airport in Belize City around mid-afternoon Belize time. Ironically, our pilot was the father of one of the attending students and greeted us both before we entered the plane and as we exited. Soon into driving, we stopped at a little market shop to stock up on snacks, water, and anything else we might have forgotten.

I wasn’t personally expecting to see much of anything besides Belizean scenery on the way to the ecolodge, where we’d be staying for the night; however, I was pleasantly surprised. I had prepared myself to identify several types of wild Belizean mammals, but what I hadn’t prepared myself for was the domesticated ones. We drove through the outskirts of Belize city and several small towns on the way to the Crystal Paradise Ecolodge, each of them with a variety of domesticated mammals. I sited several horses standing outside fences with riding collars on. One was even being ridden. We saw a variety of dogs, both what appeared to be strays and pets ranging from large pitbull-like dogs to a nursing female and puppies. I spotted a small white cat lurking outside of a house, but it was hard to tell if it was domesticated. Several farms with cattle were spotted, including one near the Mayan Mountain range with what was anywhere between 30 and 50 cattle.

I don’t think I’d be surprised to see any of these mammals if I were driving through the Texas countryside on a normal day; however, I was today. While preparing for the trip, I was so caught up in preparing to identify all of the wildlife, I almost forgot that people live here too and all of the things that come with that including domesticated animals. It sounds silly, to forget that people actually live in Belize, but when you are preparing for a trip like this, other people are the last thing on your mind. Instead you’re thinking ‘did I pack enough clothes?’, ‘did I forget anything?’, and ‘am I prepared for the work I’m about to do?’. Rather, I got so caught up in everything, that I was surprised to see so many familiar species.

After the drive, we arrived at the Ecolodge around 7, ate dinner, and got an introductory run down of the trip. It’s all quiet after that… except for the chorus of insects in the background.