Independence Day

September 15 is Central American Independence Day. Or something like that. I didn't know that the whole of Central America had an independence day, but apparently they do. Apparently its also tradition for people to run a torch (like the Olympic torch) from Guatemala to Costa Rica. The story goes that when Central America won its independence from Spain, the people ran out of their houses with their torches to celebrate. So, that tradition continues to this day. Every year during the month of September, a torch gets passed to the people from the park, and they run it through the park. And I got to participate! Kind of. I was doing laundry, when I ran into Elvin (local Tico, has worked with spider monkeys in the park for 7 years [!]) who said I should come along to see the torch. I wasn't quite sure what I was in for, but I went along. We hung out at the entrance to the park (for like 3 hours, a little long than I was expecting, but hey, that's Tico time). There were a lot of people driving by in cars and on bikes with Costa Rica flags and everybody was just hanging out, having a good time. Then the guy who was carrying the torch came and lit the torch that belongs to the park, and some guys from the park ran it to the Casona, which is a historical ranch house. I just sat in the truck, as I wasn't up for running. An interesting tradition, I think. We don't really have an equivalent in the States, at least not something that all people can participate in. I'm glad I got to be a part of it, if only from an on-lookers perspective.

Silent Smack Down

The monkeys ran all over carnation today. Like three times what they normally range. I'm exhausted! My males pulled a sneak attack on one of our other study groups today. I didn't even notice that my males were gone (well, actually, if we're talking about human primate males, I have noticed, actually, but that's a different blog...) until I heard a bunch of alarm calling in the far distance and thought, 'that's weird'. Then Reid, who works with the LV group, came on the radio asking me where I was with my monkeys, and it turned out my males silently ran over to put the smack down on LV group. We always 'win' those intergroup encounters.

I will let adorable pictures tell the rest of the story of my day.


Norbert and Minvera. Look at those ears!









Hufflepuff; it looks like he's being ordained for something. Saint Huffle The Adorable.





Happy monkey family. Marmite, Padma, and unnamed baby make three.





I love this picture because it looks like Padma's smiling. Like she knows something Marmite doesn't. Haha - you think this baby is yours, but actually... Too bad it isn't in better focus.

I Heart Hufflepuff

So, I'm sure you're sick of hearing about monkey babies. But really, what else am I going to write about? So, Hufflepuff is off of his mom a lot lately, and is really the cutest thing since sliced bread. And everyone loves him! I saw Crabbe, one of the males, carrying him on his back twice today. And the smaller immatures and some other infants were having a play session with him today. Huffle climbed onto one of the juvenile's head and then used it to jump onto a branch that was above him - adorable! Norbert (the next oldest after Huffle) has changed a lot in only the last few days. His ears are now soooo big, as are his eyes! I think Norbert is really the perfect name for him - he looks exactly like a Norbert should. I thought all the babies would look alike, but I can definitely tell the difference between the two.

Marshmallow head!!!!!!!

We got back from Nicaragua day before yesterday. It was a very relaxing trip. We pretty much just hung around town or the hostel. But, oh my gosh, _the_ most embarrassing thing happened to me. I was going out on my own to just wander around town, and as I was walking into the bank, a local girl came up to me and was like ´your dress, your dress´. I wasn´t sure what she was getting at, then she made some kind of motion to her back, and I realized I had tucked my dress into my underwear when I had gone to the bathroom right before I left the hostel. So, I walked all the way through the common central garden in the hostel, and two blocks with my ass hanging out before someone was kind enough to point it out. Could have been worse, though, I could have walked through the whole town that way! Once I got into the bank, I just focused on getting some money from the ATM, but was dreading going back out onto the street, where people had just been laughing at me. But, thankfully, right when I leaving the bank, a bus pulled up that blocked their view, and I quickly walked down the street the other way. I will never wear that dress in Granada again, if I come back, for fear of being recognized and publicly mocked.

I really like Granada. Lots of bright colors on the buildings; and all that charming colonial architecture. Although imperialism isn't quite so charming, those Spanish sure could erect some purdy buildings! All the houses are like my dream house. Beautiful tile, central garden, everything very open and breezy. Except that the houses are right off the street. So basically your living room is right off the sidewalk. That would be weird, I'd need a little more privacy then that. Enjoyed the trip, but am still happy to be back 'home' and back in the jungle!

Central Square

Kate and Reid in the shade

Yet another long update

Ok, so I'm doing better about updating, but still not great. What can I say, I'm full of good intentions.

I stopped in the forest on the way back from the field today to just take a moment and enjoy the forest. I know, it sounds weird, I spend 12 hours a day in the forest, but its different when I'm not with the monkeys. Even if I can't really collect data, there is always part of my brain that is focused on the monkeys and I don't completely relax. So, nice to just sit and soak up the beautiful forest.

Oh my gosh, the sunset was amazing yesterday. Even though it happened right after I lost the monkeys (but I found them first thing the next morning). It had rained in the afternoon, but then the sky mostly cleared up, and the light was this amazing yellow orange-ish pinkish color; my skin looked like it was glowing yellow in the light. So amazing, but it only lasted a few minutes. Sometimes its frustrating, because you can only see so much in the forest, because of all the trees (obviously) but I think the light filtering through the leaves or bouncing off of them, or something, makes the light quite different then it would look anywhere else.

There's been quite the turnover in 'personnel' here at the alberque. Adrienne has left, as have Nigel and Kris. So, everyone that was here when I got here is now gone. Reid and Kate are on our team, and Mackenzie and her two assistants, Barb and Chelsea are here now. Its good and bad. Must put forth effort to get to know new people, of which at this point, honestly, I don't have an overabundance. And I miss the people that have left. But good to have new personalities and view points, and different research going on.

Reid moved into Kate's room, so now I have my own room, which, I must admit, is really nice. Oh, my own little space. Only my things. Yoga in the middle of the (very small) floor whenever I want. Niiiice.

Baby news: First, and most importantly, Hufflepuff is still alive, kicking, and walking on his own for short bursts! Oh, they grow up so fast... He is in what Nigel calls the 'marshmallow head phase'. He has a perfectly round little head, that is mostly white and is like 10 times bigger than would be proportional for his body. Why is that so freakin' cute? His mohawk is gone, he's grown out of his punk phase and is ready to get serious about living. Lavendar (his mom) has been passing him off onto a couple of the males (Marmite in particular, which makes me wonder if he's the dad...), which I love. You go girl! Make those males work for having their genes passed on. And we've had a few new additions. Minerva and Maxine had their babies pretty close to each other. And Padma had her baby the day before yesterday. I was really surprised, nobody thought that she would give birth for another month or so. But, I think since she's so young and small (this is her first baby (!) she just didn't get that 'big'. The way her face is, she kind of always looks a little surprised, but she seems to look a little more freaked out then usual. Who can blame her? One day you're running around the forest with a huge belly, the next day you have a little baby monkey necklace hanging around your neck. That must be quite the shock. But, I am really excited for Padma. She's has a very unique face, and everybody seems to either hate her and think she's quite ugly, or love her and think she's beautiful. I think she's... exotic looking. But she has the sweetest personality, she's always around the dorsal infants, and is so gentle and loving with them. I think she'll be a really good mom. If she can keep her baby. From what I hear, females don't have much luck keeping their very first born....

Valerie actually found Minverva's and Maxine's babies, but she decided that since the last three babies she named have died, that she shouldn't name babies in my group anymore. So, I named Minverva's baby Norbert, which actually turned out to be a family name, I have a great-uncle named Norbert. Perfect! I like Kreacher for Maxine's baby. Maxine got into some kind of accident, or something, and her face is a little deformed. Unlike Padma, she really is undeniably ugly. (I feel bad saying that, but its kind of true). A couple of Valerie's formal research assistants nicknamed her Halloween Maxine. So, I think Kreacher is the perfect name for her baby. It got okayed by the powers that be, but only if the baby is male. We think its female, so I'll probably have to come up another name. I like Appoline, Elladora, and Griselda (probably Griselda or Appoline the best), but it seems that these names are little long, and I was encouraged to find shorter names. But, really, read a Harry Potter book, its full of long-ass names. I can't do anything about that!

So I just spent like 15 minutes typing about baby names for monkeys. This is my life. I'm sorry, whoever's reading this. But, these may be the only babies I'll ever name, so its a big deal for me!

Shh...Don't wake the ocelot!

I didn't find the monkeys this morning and so came back home to take a break before going out to search again. While I was on the computer, Adrienne comes running back from the field and says there's an ocelot sleeping in a tree that the monkeys were alarm calling at. So, I jump up, and we all put our shoes on and run out. It was kind of funny, I was in my super short sleep shorts, and was so excited that I put my hiking boots on without realizing I didn't have pants on! So I was walking around in essentially hot pants and snake gaders and hiking boots. Some tourists in a car passed us while we were walking on the road, and a young kid gave me a weird look like I belonged on a different planet. I'm sure I looked ridiculous, but it might have been my only chance to see an ocelot! Thankfully, he was still there by the time we got out there. So beautiful; perfect fur and big, caramel eyes. He was eying us, and his ears would move a little every time we moved, which was fun to watch. We hung out and took pictures for about 10 minutes, then decided we should leave him to sleep (his eyes were opening and closing a bit, so cute!). I just wanted to scratch him behind his ears and kiss his face!

A Mixed Day

So, good news first. While I was in the field thinking about this blog entry, I was originally going to title it "Monkey On The Ground!". Having monkeys on the ground in the dry season was a daily occurrence; in fact, they were pretty much always on the ground. Now the monkeys are rarely on the ground, and when they do come down to about 10 feet or so, its very exciting. And even more exciting when they actually get on the forest floor. They only get to the ground for a second or so to pick up a fallen palm tree or bromeliad fruit, and then run back up a tree. Yesterday they were down at eye level for almost an hour, and they were not only on the ground for a few seconds, but they were actually walking on the ground. Oh, it was so nice. I really do miss the dry season. Not the heat so much... But the monkeys were just so much more fun. There's something exciting about having wild monkeys that close to you. So, I got to nab a few more pictures (as well as get some much-needed fecal samples and easy follows!)


































































































The bad news is that Luna's baby, Errol, went missing yesterday. I saw him the day before yesterday, but when I saw Luna yesterday afternoon, she didn't have Errol with her. He most likely was the victim of infanticide sometime during the night. Because the alpha male in a group sires the vast majority of infants, other adult males will kill newborn infants, because it brings the female back into estrus, and she's able to get pregnant again, so the other males will have another chance to sire offspring with that female.

When I first saw Luna without Errol, I was totally in denial. At first I thought maybe he was next to her belly and I just couldn't see him. Most of the time the infants will travel on the mom's back, and they are very obvious because it looks like the mom has on a little baby backpack. But occasionally they'll be nursing while the mom is moving, so they're harder to spot. But when Luna got closer, it was obvious that Errol was no where around. So, then I just thought that maybe she pawned him off on another adult for a little while. A few days prior I had seen Errol climb onto Albus (an adult male) while they were resting. But, the whole group was moving fairly fast and so it would be unlikely that Errol would be with someone else in that situation. A few minutes later I was doing a follow on Crabbe, and saw a bushy-browed female with a dorsal infant out of the corner of my eye, and thought it was Luna and that I had just made a mistake. I was so relieved. But after the follow I realized that the baby was too young to be Errol, and that I had seen Minerva, who just had a baby about a month ago. So, sadly, Errol is gone. I am really bummed out. From a scientific perspective, its all very interesting but personally I am sad. Its just a stupid reproductive strategy, I think. Such an enormous waste of energy. And I really like Luna. She's older, and has had a few babies, so I didn't think that this would happen to her. I wonder what she thinks about it all. I really do think that the moms must be emotionally attached to their babies (as I think all verebrate moms are) and that she must feel a sense of loss, and probably even sadness. And my heart goes out to her for that. But thank God Hufflepuff's okay. I would have a breakdown if anything happened to him. And there would be at least one male monkey with a couple broken legs.... Nobody messes with my Hufflepuff.

The monkeys also took me to a new place in the forest yesterday. Its the site of an old dam bridge from the farming days. A fig has taken it taken it over, and is growing in and around it in interesting ways. Its always an interesting feeling to come across human artifacts in the field. Its like a reminder, after being in the forest with only monkeys for 12 hours, that yes, there are still humans in the world. And always nice to be someplace I haven't been before.

Simple pleasures

My trail mix is so beautiful and makes me so happy. Mom's special recipe of Cheerios, peanuts, raisins, and M&Ms. Yuuuummmmm.

Little luxuries

When you first come to the park, you are given sheets and a towel in a plastic bag. As you can imagine, neither are very fancy or of super high quality. They have been used and washed many a time. My sheets and towel were a light dusty blue, which is fine. Didn't think much of it. When Tim came, he got a bright gorgeous red towel. Exactly the same quality as mine, just a much better color. I was jealous, so I stole his towel, and replaced it with my blue one (after I washed it, of course). I was very happy to have the red towel.

I was doing my laundry a few days ago and as I was throwing my clothes in, I realized I had forgotten my socks, so I ran back to the bunkhouse to get them. In the process I had forgotten to throw my towel into the machine, and started it without putting the towel in. Its one of those machines that you can't open once its started. When I came back to put my clothes in the dryer, Lily, one of the women who does the housekeeping for the dorms and such, was in the laundry room, and asked if that was my towel laying on the ground. I told her yes, and that I had forgotten to put it in the machine. She proceeded to tell me something in Spanish which I didn't quite understand, but now I think she was telling me that it would bleed all over my other clothes. Which is true; I did wash it with my clothes before, and it bled slightly. But, since all my field clothes will be burned in a huge bonfire at Naranjo Beach before I leave, I don't really mind if they are discolored. She asked me a question, which I didn't quite understand, to which of course I said 'Okay.' She walked out of the laundry room, and I followed her to the room where they keep all the clean sheets and towels. She was only in there for a few seconds, but she must have been using that time to find the saddest, crappiest towel the park owns. She handed me a new towel. Thin. Pea green. Now I'm kind of sad. I miss my bright red towel. Actually, I really miss my fluffy, bubble gum pink towel I had back home. The new one has a pattern on it, and its okay, but it looks a towel that's on its way to be donated to a vet clinic, or something. And I will never have the red one back. It is going to be 4 months of crappy pea green towel. I could never go to Lily and say that I want the other towel back. What kind of a freak would I look like? It is truly the little things in life...

I'm back!

OMG!!!! Its been like, forever since I updated my blog. But, my new, shiny, belongs in Star Wars computer will fix all that. Since its been almost two months, I will give y'all the brief synopsis of my life the last couple months, in reverse chronological order:

Reed is here. Reed is replacing Tim, who left for financial reasons (couldn't get anybody in England to rent his room, so he had to go back). He's in my (now our room). Just graduated from Humboldt University. I have to say, he does not meet my Humboldt stereotype of granola hippie. But he seems like a good kid and he seems to fit in very well already. On a similar note, Lucie is leaving. Her cat back home had an injury, and she feels guilty being so far away. And, mostly I think, she is just not enjoying herself here, for a variety of reasons. I'm sad to see her go, but really think its the best thing for her. One of Reed's friends is supposed to be coming down to replace her, but we haven't gotten final confirmation on that yet.

A stink bug flew into my eye. They secrete acid, so I basically got a shot of bug acid in my eye. I had a horrible allergic reaction to it, and my eye swelled up so much that it closed. I went to the ophthalmologist and he gave me drugs to make it better. The swelling has gone, but now I have a scab above and below my eye. Hopefully it will heal well and not scar!

My parents came down for my extended 5-day vacation. First we went to the cloud forest in Monteverde. It was very beautiful, and very different from the dry forest where I am. We went on a night walk and saw an orange-kneed tarantula, and kinkajous mating. We also went ziplining, which was very fun. Amazing to be flying above the forest canopy. Then we went to the beach, which included much relaxing, and a snorkel trip on a catamaran. They also got to see the monkeys! Not my monkeys, since no one was working with my group that day, but monkeys none the less. All in all, a great trip. I'm so proud of my parents for coming down and trying new things, and it was great to get some time away from the forest and some TLC from Mom and Dad.





















































During vacation, I turned 31. Really, I have to admit I do not associate that number with myself. How the hell did this happen? Its the first birthday where I really didn't care either way. Not dreading it like 30, or looking forward to it like 21. Just, mah..... I'm 31, whatev. New people down here will ask me if I'm still in school, or just graduated, and I can only assume they mean from undergrad. So, if people want to mistake me for being a decade younger than I actually am, let 'em. Who am I to stop them? Really, if I had to pick an age I'm probably closer to 21 than to 31 in terms of where I am in life and my outlook. You're only as old as you feel, right?

The early rainy season has started, which means a lusher, greener forest, but it also means that the monkeys are harder to follow. So, there is a lot more 'down time', where you really can't collect much data, because the monkeys are very high up, in the foliage. So, that leads to more boredom and frustration and stress. I think I've hit the 3 month lull. I feel completely comfortable with being able to collect all the data I need to, so there is nothing new to learn. Now I just have to power through it. But everyday something special happens, and I am reminded of where I am and what I'm doing, even if for a short time. The juveniles will be playing and being adorable, or one of the males will groom and love on one of the newborn infants or the sunrise lighting in the forest will be orange, and everything will look beautiful. Its usually something small, but its enough to raise my spirits.

With the rainy season also comes the mosquitoes. I cannot tell you how many bites I have, as I cannot count that high. I am trying to deal, but I am really quite a wreck physically, and I have no self control when it comes to scratching. And oven mits duct-taped to my hands for the next 5 months just won't work.

Adrienne and I went on my first visa run to Nicaragua. I liked Nicaragua. We stayed at a hostle called The Monkey Hut. Just hung out and ate and drank and slept. Adrienne got offered a job as a bartender at the hostel, and was tempted but chose to return to the monkeys. She's quite the life of the party, always a good time with that one....

I got to name a baby monkey! The rule is that whoever spots a newborn first gets to name them. The group I work worth is based on Harry Potter names, and I settled on Hufflepuff. Its not an actual character, but one of the houses of the magic school, or something like that. It was founded by Hilda Hufflepuff. Not the most prestigious of schools, but one based on loyalty and friendship, which is all I wish for this little monkey! My nicknames for him are Snugglepuff, PuffBear, and The Huffler. He (we think its a boy, but haven't been able to get a positive ID) was born on May 21, and in the last few weeks he's developed a mohawk. I haven't been able to get a picture of it yet, but swear to God he has a little tuft of hair that is darker than the rest of his hair on top of his head that sticks straight up. A mowawk. He is so adorable and I am obsessed with him. Luna also had a baby, but Valerie spotted him first, so she gets to name him. I think she's going with Errol. I love Errol, too, but he's just not as cute as Hufflepuff. Really, nothing is. Look at that face.















We went on an all-group vacation to Tamarindo (the beach). That was with Valerie, Adrienne, Anne-Sophie, Lucie and Tim. Team bonding time, and as a fairwell trip to Anne-Sophie, who left shortly after that. It was good time, stress-relieving. Valerie got a National Science Foundation grant (which is a pretty big deal), so to celebrate she bought us a surf lesson. We all had a good time.

I got a slonea spine in my eye. Slonea is a type of tree, related to a fig, whose fruit is covered with tiny spine-like fur. The monkeys rub the fruit on a branch, which gets the spines off, so they can eat the fruit. Of course, the spines go everywhere. If they get on your skin, they are extremely itchy, like fiberglass. I got one in my eye, and didn't really realize how bad it was, and that it needed to be removed by a professional.

So, I think I am all caught up. Or rather, whoever is reading this is all caught up. I will try to be better about posting..... ;)

First Vacation, etc.

So, much to catch up on. I seriously feel like I don’t have that much free time. Between 12-14 hour field days, and working 5-6 hours on data days, plus just hanging out, making dinner, washing dishes and having some time to myself, there just doesn’t seem to be much time left over for writing e-mails and writing on my blog. God, its like I have a real life or something! I don’t know how you people do it! But I am trying to keep y’all updated. Thank you for your love and being interested in my life!

First, vacation. We (me, Adrienne, and Anne-Sophie) had three days off at the beginning of May. We rented a car and took day trips out of the alberque. We had our ‘personal taxi driver’ Ronnie drive us to the rental car place, where he has friends that got us a good deal. Thank you Ronnie. It was a good bonding opportunity with Ronnie, and a good chance to practice my Spanish. I called him on Skype the night before to ask him if he had time to drive us into town, and I was a little nervous, as he speaks no English. I’m nervous on the phone with people I know that speak English! But, all went very well; Ronnie is good people. I'm proud of myself for making it over that milestone.

The first day it was just me and Adrienne; Anne-Sophie is trying to get a job in Indonesia, and she had an interview that day, so she had to stay at home. We went to the beach, Playa Junquial. Beautiful. Its on a bay, so there were no waves, which I enjoyed actually. Much more mellow vibe. We drank some warm beer, hung out and talked and walked along the beach, watched the sunset. So romantic. I like Adrienne. She’s kind of a tomboy and is very funny, a kind of sense of humor you get from hanging around guys your whole life. We both have a mellow outlook, and get along well. I’m glad she’s here.

The second day we went to a waterfall. Anne-Sophie was able to come with us. It’s the widest waterfall I’ve been to. It seemed like we were the only tourists there; a lot of groups of young people or families with picnics. A bit of the local flavor. I stayed in the water till my hands were pruny, then took a nap in the shade. After siesta we hiked the short trail to the top of the waterfall and took lots of pictures. Glamour shots. We had a good time, some much-needed time away from the forest.

The third day we just went into town, returned the car and hung out in a café. A café with a couch. So nice to have a soft, comfortable place to sit that isn’t your bed. Its funny the things you miss once you have to live without them. I didn’t bring a book with me, so I took Love In The Time of Cholera off the bookshelf. I got through 50 pages of it, and I liked it. Might have to pick it back up sometime.

I’m officially trained. The last day of field work I collected real behavioral data. Which is actually kind of stressful. I got into a nice routine of just collecting fecal samples, and doing follows as I felt like it, for practice. But now I have to collect so many follows each day (really, as many as I can) in addition to getting fecal samples. I ate my lunch while I was walking after a monkey yesterday. Oh woe is me. ;)

A few field days ago, it rained. Of course I was not expecting this and wasn’t wearing nor had any of my rain gear. The first time it rained, it just actually nice. Side note: there are cockroaches everywhere. One just ran across my computer. They fly and they bite. They are my nightmare. The good thing is that being here will most likely cure my fear and severe aversion to cockroaches… Then it stopped raining. I was soaked, my fingers were pruny, but it was good. I felt like a hard core field biologist. Then I had an intergroup encounter. At least I think that’s what happened, as I never actually saw the other social group of monkeys. All I know is there was a lot of screaming, males were running one direction, females were running in another, and the juveniles were just running. I literally almost stepped on one that was running toward the female I was trying to follow. Then it started pa-ouring. I lost the monkeys, and the rain was so loud I couldn’t hear the lost calls. I hung out and wondered around for while, with no real hope of finding anyone. So I headed home. Which I was actually kind of happy about that. Having to put the monkeys to bed and walk home in the dark and the pouring rain with a less than reliable headlamp just didn’t sound like fun. It was raining almost all the way home, and there puddles of water in my shoes. It took them like two days to dry out. Just a little preview of the wet season!

There are fireflies everywhere. For the last couple weeks, I’ve seen one here and there, and was told they are fairly rare. Then one night they were everywhere. Stars on the ground is what Anne-Sophie calls them. I love that. They’re so magical! They were all along the trails on my way home the other night. Apparently its very rare for them to show up in such large numbers. I decided I want to live somewhere for a while, or at least spend a summer, where there are fireflies. I mentioned this at dinner and Valerie pointed out that I am living somewhere where there are fireflies. Which is true, but I have a feeling they’re not going to be around for very long.

The two new assistants are here. Tim from Liverpool. He sounds exactly like the humpbacked guy in Rocky Horror Picture Show. And Lucy, who grew up in France and now lives in England. She has the most interesting accent I think I’ve ever heard. It’s completely equal parts French and English. They both seem very nice, and I have to admit its nice to have someone on the team who knows less than me. I’m no longer the wide-eyed newbie who doesn’t know if she’ll be able to make it. Now Lucy is the wide-eyed newbie who doesn't know if she'll make it! I am now the seasoned veteran. And Gavin left today. He’s from Scotland and was working on his PhD with flowers and ants. Hello, Hello, Goodbye, Goodbye. That’s all there is, and the leaves that are green turn to brown…

Alone at Naranjo and Lost Monkeys

My internet has not been working for like a week, which explains why I have not posted in a while. Ahh! Technology – so wonderful and so incredibly annoying at the same time. So, I wrote the following on the 18th with the intention of posting it then… Hopefully I can get my computer fixed and will get back to posting regularly soon!

A lone capuchin separated from its group, either by force or accident, cannot survive long on its own. It will quickly succumb to starvation or predation or aggression from other monkeys. I felt a little bit like a lone capuchin when I went to the beach on my day off the day before yesterday. The beach is about a 3 hour walk one way from the alberque along a very rough road, and the beach is therefore pretty isolated. Its Playa Naranjo, where Witch’s Rock is, which I guess is a pretty sweet surf spot. It was featured in the movie Endless Summer 2, which I have yet to see. I went there by myself, since I was the only one here who had a day off. The walk was long, but not too bad in the beginning. There’s a look out about an hour into the walk, where I took this picture.

My first view of the Pacific in weeks! The last hour was torture, though, I had no idea how much longer I had to walk, it was midday and freakin’ hot and I just wanted to get there already. When I arrived, I walked straight through the campground, toward the sound of crashing waves, and onto the beach. The beach is huge. It went in both directions for a least a mile, probably more. And there was not a soul on it. There were a few people in the campground, which you can’t see from the beach because its blocked by vegetation. So I had the entire beach to myself.

I change into my bathing suit and head for the water. It was not Caribbean warm, but more like So. Cal. warm. It took a couple minutes to get used to it, but after that it was heaven. Since I was unfamiliar with this beach, I was a little hesitant to go too far out. I was pretty tired from the walk, and I got (maybe unnecessarily) worried that if I got caught in a rip current or something I wouldn’t be able to swim back to shore. Like Lana Turner in The Postman Always Rings Twice, but with no John Garfield to swim me back to shore. So I stayed in water that was no deeper than about waist deep, which I am a little embarrassed to admit. I was just very aware that if anything happened to me, there was no one, like no one, who was there to help me. It was a weird feeling being alone in the water on that beach. Especially for someone for likes to and needs to have a lot of alone time. Maybe I’m more dependent on the company of others than I think.

I lost the monkeys yesterday. Valerie and I were out searching for them, and she found them early in a place they’ve been frequenting. But, they went through an area with really dense underbrush, and we had trouble doing our behavioral follows. And they went to the middle of nowhere, at least by our standards and in terms of trails. They were a good 500m from the nearest trail, and they haven’t been more than 200m this whole time. So, Valerie went in early, since she was going to wake them up, and I stayed to put them to bed. Valerie was slightly concerned about leaving me so far from the trail and me having to bushwhack back in the dark. But, I felt comfortable, so I let her leave. About 15 minutes later the monkeys start heading east, towards the trail and their core area. They weren’t moving too fast. Then the alpha male starts lost calling, which I thought was weird since obviously he’s with the group, but monkeys were answering him, so I think maybe he was calling to round the group up. Then everyone starts moving quickly, and I’m staying with them, moving at a brisk pace but not quite a run. It was fairly open, so I could move easily. Then they start running. Like galloping. One of the females was carrying a juvenile and he looked like a jockey on a thoroughbred. Then I made what I think was my fatal mistake. There was a scuffle, and I turned around to see who it was, because we’re supposed to record aggressive behavior. So I figure out who it is, and by the time I turn back to Baba and the other monkeys, they’re gone. So, I turn back to Albus and Crabbe, the only monkeys I had. And they start running. I run after them, but lose them pretty quickly. When I say run, I really mean run. Saying that I chase monkeys through the forest is not hyperbole. I keep running in the direction they were heading, and caught a flash of a monkey, then ran into some bromeliads (large aloe-like plants with spines) that I had to go around, and that pretty much stopped the chase. I was pretty disappointed. I did my best to stay with them, that’s the most I could do, but I was still pretty bummed that I lost them. I searched for them along the trails until dark, then had to give up. Valerie was going to go out for a half day today, but since we didn’t know where the monkeys were sleeping, she didn’t. So, we lost out on some data.

Oh, after the monkeys rested yesterday they came across an area where a bunch of stink bugs had laid their eggs (the green things stuck to the trees). The monkeys were so happy, making their little happy foraging monkey sounds. And they were really mellow. Usually when they’re feeding down low, they are a little more vigilant, especially Baba. But with the eggs, I guess since there was more than enough for everybody, they didn’t seem to mind me getting really close. There were a lot of adult stink bugs around, too, and on some trees, when the monkeys would jump on them, a bunch of adults would fly off. Pretty cool.

One of the monkeys, Minerva I think, caught a squirrel. Then Albus, who is pictured here, stole it from her. I saw the squirrel with various monkeys throughout the afternoon, so the monkeys seemed to get a lot out of the one carcass.

Anya arrived today. She’s working with birds and will be here through August. Funny thing, I actually applied to be her assistant here. I mentioned this to her, and she said she got like 200 responses to the ad for the position. It made me appreciate a little more how lucky I am to be here and how many people would like to be in my place. Hopefully that thought will make me be a little more appreciative!

One of our study groups came through the central park area today, and it was right after I had bought an ice cream bar at the commissary. My dream of watching monkeys and eating ice cream came true.

Anya brought a new mosquito net for me with her. Its much daintier than the military one I was using, and is free from moth holes. Smells like victory.

Monkey Boot Camp

I’ve had some great days and some less than great days. The last two field days I went out, the first day was great. Following the monkeys was easy, I was doing well with the IDs, I was following a monkey in the morning that rested which meant I got to rest. It was all in all a really great day. And, I decided that I wanted to wake up the monkeys the next today, so I got to head home a little early.

I think it was mostly because I didn’t get a good night’s sleep that the second day didn’t go so well. My room is right next to the table that most people hang out at, and the windows in my room along the ceiling are mesh wire, so they’re open and essentially its like whoever is at the table talking might as well be sitting in my room talking. Which is fine. That is life in a communal space. But, I had to get up at like 3:30, so I went to bed pretty early. I tried to fall asleep, but I couldn’t help but listen to the conversation right outside my room. So, I decided to put earplugs in. But this made me a little nervous about missing my alarm in the morning, and I had a weird dream about cats turning into monkeys with their ears chewed off; so, I did not sleep well. (As a side note, I had a dream last night that I went to the library and half of it was under water and you had to scuba dive to check out your books, which is kind of a cool idea, I think. And there was this one part that had tons of great white sharks, and I saved this old man from committing suicide by diving into it.)

Anyway, I only got like 4 hours of sleep. Which, for some people is not an awful thing, but for me, I need my sleep, like 9 hours of it. 4 just does not cut it. So, I wake up the monkeys, which went fine. I was able to follow the trail in the dark better this time, and the moon was out, so I didn’t even need my headlamp when I was walking on the paved road. The monkeys were already awake and moving when I arrived at 5am. And they were moving fast. They dispersed quickly, but I managed to follow them pretty well. I did have a mini tantrum / break down over the dense underbrush that I had to crash through. The monkeys were just moving through a large area with really dense underbrush, and I was constantly having to fight with vines and low branches and the like. When the monkeys are moving fast, you are watching them while you’re moving, and are therefore not looking where you’re going, and its easy to get tangled up, which happens frequently. Normally I just crash through it or try to untangle myself, but this morning at a particularly bad patch, I got caught up, couldn’t get free, and just got irrationally frustrated (break down). I violently crashed through the vines with complete disregard for their well being and flung the dismembered pieces to the side (tantrum). Then I was fine. All in all, it lasted about 10 seconds. Not bad, but I did really lose my temper.

Quickly after that, the monkeys slowed down to eat, and I did a few practice behavioral follows. Valerie met me around 7:30, and we followed the monkeys to a rest stop, where they rested for a couple hours. Which was nice. That’s when this picture was taken. (If you look above me and to the right, you can make out Baba, the alpha male. He’s not looking at the camera, uncooperative monkey.) When the monkeys started moving again, Valerie suggested that I practice calling out behaviors while she did a follow, so she could see what I was seeing, and correct me as needed. So, I started doing that, and after a couple minutes my brain just stopped working, and I just stopped talking. I completely and utterly spaced out. Now, I freely admit to being a space cadet. I admit that quite a bit of the time my head is in the clouds, but usually not when I’m on task and on the spot. But I spaced out, and worse, I didn’t really notice that I had spaced out. Until Valerie gave me this look of confusion and annoyance, and started calling out the behaviors which I should have been calling out. So, I felt really stupid. I felt like she thought that I couldn’t tell the difference between when a monkey is traveling, grooming, or foraging. When, really, I can. I think its just because I’m not used to calling out the behaviors that made it more difficult for me. That coupled with a complete brain fart just resulted in me looking like an idiot.

A little bit about Valerie. I like Valerie. She’s high energy and talkative, very smart, and I enjoy spending time with her. She's very thoughtful; when I bought my replacement camera, I forgot to buy a memory card, and she gave me hers to borrow, without me even having to ask for it. She’s definitely type A. She likes to plan and be in control. And, really, she has little control over anything in the field. Not what the monkeys do, where they go, whether we can find them or not, how fast I learn to accurately and precisely collect behavioral data. All of which I know is hard for someone who hasn’t done field work before and likes to be in control. And she’s undertaking an extremely ambitious project and is under a lot of stress, which I recognize and understand. Valerie’s also an only child, and (and I really hope I’m not offending anyone who may be reading this, especially if they themselves are an only child :) I think when you grow up alone you just miss something. I don’t know what it is, but there is this, um, sharpness to her sometimes. The same thing that I’ve noticed in other only children. I think only children have all the anxiety and tension that got embedded into them from their parents who were going through parenthood for the first time, and were totally freaked out themselves. But, they didn’t have any younger siblings to a) take their aggression out on and b) just mellow them out. I don’t know if sharpness is the right word, but sometimes her tone is just… harsh. And I’m such a sensitive soul… but seriously, she can be a little intense. One other thing I’ve noticed, is, I think because she likes to be control, if I, or someone else, is doing something that is not necessarily the exact same way that she would do it, I think she has difficulty seeing that the end result would be the same, even if the method is different. I think she just sees “That person isn’t doing that the way I would do it, therefore the end result might be wrong.” And sometimes I have energy to explain why I’m doing something the way I’m doing it, but when it comes to mundane stuff like cutting vegetables or putting groceries on the conveyer belt, I just don’t have energy to explain myself. So, I just let it go, but I still get secretly a little annoyed that I appear less than competent and need to be ‘corrected’, just because I don’t want to have to explain my particular, perfectly good method of doing things.

So, back to the bad day. So, we follow the monkeys a little longer, and I was having a horrible day with IDs. Every monkey I looked at looked like one of 4 monkeys, when in fact there are about 20 adult monkeys in our group that we need to recognize. And I messed up a few other times. I won’t go into details, because it would take far too long for me to type out, but I didn’t really mess up in truth, so much as just not fully explain myself, so it just looked like I really didn’t know what I was talking about. I also think because it was the second field day, I was more tired and just had a long day in general.

The next day we had a data day, which means we weren’t in the field. Valerie and I went over how to enter some of the data, and at the end of our ‘training session’ she asked me how things were going, and told me that she wanted me to let her know if there’s anything she can do to make the learning process easier, or if there’s anything I need; that if I need to talk, or need a hug or anything, her door is always open. So, I feel like she recognized that I had a bad day, and was frustrated, and she was trying to make me feel better. And she did. I just keep telling myself I need to get through this first month! Its like monkey boot camp!

The next day in the field (yesterday) was great. We searched for the monkeys and I found them super early, at like 7 am. They rested really early, for almost two hours. We were just hanging out, waiting for the monkeys to start moving; I was lying down on the ground, with my legs up on a branch. My kind of field work! And a bunch of the monkeys pooped after they rested, so we got a bunch of fecal samples; we actually got all the fecal samples we needed in one day, which is almost a record. I had a ‘Wow, I’m hanging out in the forest with monkeys right now, this is soooo cool’ moment, which I haven’t had in what seems like a long time. When I took this picture, there were a bunch of juveniles playing and roughhousing to my right, which I think is what this little guy is looking at. Moments after I took the picture, this little one jumped off the branch, walked past me, put out his hand and just ever so lightly touched my leg, then ran over and joined in on the play. I love the little ones, they are just too sweet, curious, and cute!

We’ve also seen some cool wildlife. Well, mostly just snakes. Actually, the two most venomous snakes here. This moccasin I discovered while I was collecting poo, and almost stepped on. Okay, not really almost stepped on, but I was collecting a fecal samples mere feet from the snake, without having realized it was there, and was walking around a branch to collect some more, when I spotted this guy in my path. Which I am really happy that I did. Because snakes were the last thing on my mind at that moment, I was totally focused on finding the poo and getting it in the ice pack before the hormones started to denature. So I’m glad that the reptilian, or whichever part, of my brain recognized the snake as a snake and stopped me from getting closer to it. This encounter has also made me better about looking before I sit, knell, swat, or get anywhere close to the ground.

A vine snake (not sure, need to check, but it sure looked like a vine) Valerie spotted. Not venemous. It stayed like this with its mouth open for several minutes, until we left it. Wonder why...

This rattler Gavin (a researcher working on his PhD here) spotted tonight on the trail between the alberque and the lab. It was much bigger than any other ratttler I've seen, and is the most venemous snake in the park. I think fer-de-lances are the most venemous in the country, but I don't think they are here in the park. I love the photo of everyone else taking photos of the snake. It was like we were paparazzi, with all our flashing cameras. Crazy biologists.