Category: Daily Blog Posts (Page 1 of 2)

Hola from Naida, Claire, Anna and Jade!

At 5:45am this morning, we awoke to the silence of the seasonally dry forest of Chamela – well, despite the sounds of Josh trying to scam beer off of Bailey in exchange for pesos. We packed up our belongings for the last time, boarded our trusty, rusty bus, and sedated ourselves with gravol for the long travel day ahead. Saying goodbye to Chamela, we watched a stunning sunrise over misty mountains as our bus drove through the countryside. On the first leg of our journey, we watched as the topography changed from a seasonally *very* dry forest to a lush, green mountain range. A few hours later, we stopped at a Kiosko (Costco?) to stock up on breakfast chips and cookies. For the 8.5 hours we drove, we got to see some amazing sights, like a large palm and banana plantation, many rushing rivers, and lots of farm fields. We also drove through the industrial city of Manzanillo which is an important port for trade – and also took us right back to Hamilton, Ontario.

As we slowly roasted on the bus with the rising temperatures of the afternoon, we were sustained in our journey by the sight of the Volcan de Colima. David informed us that it was only 9oC on the top of the volcano, which is a stark comparison to the 31oC heat where we were driving. It was a quiet bus ride as the group caught up on class work, dozed off, or read books – except for Josh and Clarisa, who were chatting up a storm. By 3pm, we pulled into the Guadalajara airport, and it was time to say goodbye to Javier, Alexia, David, and our amazing bus driver Beto. THANK YOU BETO! No one else could work the ten-gear, air braking, decades old Mercedes school bus as well as he did. We were sad to say goodbye to the Mexican members of the team, as well as Andy and Meg who are staying to travel for a few weeks.

We checked our bags, made our way through security, and ate some much-needed Shake Shack to boost morale. We boarded our flight, made it to Mexico City, and are now layover-ing, celebrating Alex’s 21st birthday and writing this blog post. To tie up the end of this trip with a nice bow, we’ve included a nice headshot of all the students on the trip, and their favourite experience over these amazing two weeks. We are so sad for this trip to be over and so happy with the memories made along the way!

Peace, love, and duty-free tequila,

Group 5 <3

Favorite parts of the trip

Grupo 4/Group 4: Clarissa, Alex, Bethany and David

We woke up to a (relatively) cool morning for our last full day at Chamela. We had our regular breakfast at 7:30am: classic eggs and beans with a side of corn tortillas. We heard a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium brasilianum) calling in the distance and Steve (unfortunately unsuccessfully) used his speaker to try to lure it closer. We hypothesize that this particular owl was angry because Group 3 had spent the last day encroaching on its territory (or at least within earshot) with their own Ferruginous Pygmy Owl playbacks.

We then met in the courtyard to briefly go over the plans for our last day at Chamela. Steve and Javier told us to enjoy the sun and warmth while it lasts, because pretty soon we would be back to the snow, slush, and cold of Kingston. They also suggested that we get going on our final stages of data collection, because we would be leaving early the next day and this was our last chance. Group 3 and 4 went out to collect more data, while the other groups stayed behind to do some preliminary data visualization and analysis and to wrap up their field notebooks.

Although it was a ‘fresh’ morning for the locals here at Chamela, it still was a hot and sweaty one for some of us Canadians, despite our 2 week residency. Once everyone had coalesced into the library, we started to ID the butterflies (order Lepidopterans) we had taken pictures of over the last few days using the two field guides provided by Steve and Javier. It turns out that Mexico, being a megadiverse country (we hear this a lot!), has a lot of butterfly species and many of them look almost identical. We did our best to identify each individual to the species, but made sure to record genus and family as well.

We had a quick break for lunch, and then came together again to discuss butterfly taxonomy, with some of our favourites being the Giant Leopard Moth (Hypercompe scribonia), Gilbert’s Flasher (Astraptes alector), and the Surprisng White (Pereute charops), which, surprisingly, isn’t white at all. By the end we all very much appreciated butterfly diversity. Mikaela gave our last species presentation on the Barred Whiptail, a local lizard species (Holcosus undulatus).

Our last class activity was Steve’s instructions on the scientific paper we will soon begin to write. The professors and TAs then collected all out field notebooks and began the arduous task of (at least attempting to) read and grade them. We students took the time to enjoy our last sunset all together in Mexico. After dinner of cheese (and no sauce) pizza, we had a debrief in the courtyard where we discussed how incredible of an opportunity this course was for all of us. Then it was off to pack, as we had a very early morning the next day, with alarms being set for around 5:45.

With packing to music and sharing our favourite parts of the course, we shared some final laughs (and a few tears) in Chamela. A lengthy bus ride and two planes and to go!

Grupo 3/Group 3. Mikaela, Sienna, Josh

Booby Day!

Theres nothing like waking up in the morning and knowing your going to get to see boobies. The brown booby is a seabird found along the coasts of Mexico and like its cousin the Blue-footed booby on the Galápagos Islands as well. A short bus ride to Punta Pérula forces the socks and sandels to come off, and the fishy air welcomed us to the beach once again.CONANP is an organization charged with managing the protection of local island ecosystems, including bird island. While waiting for lifejackets, we watched the tropical fish including a spotted box fish near the dock before climbing into the boats which would take us to bird island. With the opportunity of seeing whales in sight all eyes were on the water. “Look” a pod of dolphins was spied leaping from the water near our boats. On the rocks Frigatebirds, Pelicans, Brown and Brown Boobies and Snowy Egrets Caught our eyes as well! The beach was tucked within a calm cove fringed with cliffs dotted with cacti and had the clearest of turquoise waters. For an hour and a half we floated our built up aches away, soothing our numerous bug bites providing some much needed relaxation after some hard days in the field. We all shared Alexia’s mask and snorkel to have a peak at the fish under the water, most notably angel fish and an octopus.

What felt like too soon we packed up to return to the mainland, leaving not trace and throwing all of our beautiful shells and coral back onto the beach were they came. The captain of the Monkey 1 took his boat to the mouth of Diablo Cave, Naida remarked “I feel so alive” which resonated with her whole boat. For all of us, spotting Blue-footed Boobies was a once in a lifetime event!

After bidding good bye and thank-you we returned to the beach for lunch and a round of piña coladas. Steve slipped a couple bills to a wandering Mariachi band and Alexia demonstrated the norteño and soon got everyone up dancing! “TOOT TOOT” the old man’s popsicle cart was a popular treat while we waited for our food! Quesadillas, enchiladas and coconut shrimp filled our bellies before we returned to the sea to catch a few waves as the tide came back in. We swallowed so much sea water while body surfing, sand got everywhere. Father Steve called us children back to the bus to return to the research station for dinner and showers and a creature presentation about the Brown Booby by Josh.

Boats leaving Punta Perula. Photo David Lougheed

Grupos uno y dos/Groups 1+2: Mica Mae, Ciara, Alexia, Elyse, Amyre, Bailey

Hello from Chamela, day 4!

This morning was quiet, with many of us sleeping right up until breakfast at 7:30 am, after which our first full day of data collection began. Over the past few days, each group has created their own ecological hypothesis that is testable based on resources here at Chamela. The data we collect will be used to create our final research reports for this class. Some subjects of research include lizards, birds, and cacti.

In Group 1, we are testing how the different environments (dry top land vs arroyo) affects leaf morphology, specifically testing the length and width of the leaves of the species Bonellia Macrocarpa. In Group 2, we are testing the hypothesis that water availability fundamentally changes forest structures, altering both tree density and trunk diameter. Our data collection involved marking off 5 by 5 meter quadrats in the forest, and counting and measuring stems.

Though our projects were quite different, they both led us to the same place at the same time; we met up at the arroyo, mid-morning, and spotted some coatis watching us from overhead. We joined forces to make the hike back to campus. A few of us recovered from the journey with a much needed nap.

By 12:30 pm the temperature was at its peak, about 30 degrees C, and we were ready for a break in the AC. We gathered into the classroom to listen to Clarisa and Alexia present their seminars on Mesoamerican crops, and wetland diversity, respectively.

After that, we enjoyed some lunch, and had some down time until the temperature got cooler. Most of us headed back out on the trails around 5-6pm to collect more data. Just before heading out, Ciara spotted a wonderful photoshoot in progress: Steve, Javier, and David all posing in matching cowboy hats.

At 7pm we gathered once again, this time to listen to some species presentations. Jade and Bailey did a fantastic job, but the real highlight of the evening was Steve announcing that tomorrow will be a beach day! After a lot of hard work in the heat, we are ready to relax in the sun.

As one final treat before bed, David spotted a Mexican Burrowing Python. A couple of us got to hold him, and many of us got pictures. It was really special since this was the first time this species of snake had been spotted on this course!

And with that, it’s bedtime. Adios!

Grupo 5/Group 5. Anna, Claire, Naida, Jade

Chamela is H-O-T-T-O-G-O Buenas noches from Anna, Naida, Claire and Jade!

Many of us are struggling to acclimate to the heat here at Chamela (and is the ‘cool season, only attaining daytime temperatures of low 30s), but our projects are underway!

The main task today has been collecting pilot data for our research projects so we can refine our hypotheses and design feasible studies. Groups ventured out into the brush to get some preliminary data. After spending the morning collecting pilot data, we took some time mid-day before lunch to research with the Spanish books, reports and articles available in the air-conditioned library. Some of us also had a little siesta since we were feeling a bit fatigued after having spent a few hours in the hot sun. After a morning of fieldwork, we had lunch which consisted of chicken and rice with hibiscus juice! After lunch, we made our way to the classroom to present our hypotheses and receive (and provide) constructive feedback to each group as a class. Groups then headed in separate directions to incorporate feedback, develop their methods, and collect more data. Different groups spent their day looking for lizards, playing bird calls and gaging response, evaluating herbivory and spine abundance in cacti, and assessing tree width and leaf morphology. Group 4 was lucky enough to spot some wild pigs while trekking through the field.

For dinner, we had tasty tacos and of course more hibiscus juice. Then, we did three species presentations in the courtyard—we learned about the Black Vulture, the White-Nosed Coati, and the Mexican Red Legged Tarantula—all of which we’ve seen here this week.

That’s all for today! Hasta luego

Grupo 4/Group 4. Clarissa, Alex, Bethany, David

We started the day waking up early with Steve’s coffee, and shortly after we heard a soft and deep call in the distance. Javier and David R. went to investigate, and found a Mottled Owl (Strix virgata), that shortly after dawn approached its favourite perch to rest. We also found a red-legged tarantula (Brachypelma klassi) roughly the size of Steve’s hand, much to the dismay of family members fortunate enough to get an early photo.

After breakfast, we went for a hike down the Sendero Buho (Owl Trail) into one of the arroyos (dry riverbeds) that run through the terrain. The arroyos are marginally cooler and much greener than the rest of the forest, so it was a nice respite from the heat, and there is often much more animal activity in these gallery forests. There we spent some time observing natural phenomena and brainstorming for our final projects. We found some cool carcasses, including a creepy mummified toad (possibly Rhinella horriblus as this is the largest species to occur here), and the skeleton of a turtle.

We then hiked back up to the field station, where we spent some more time thinking about our projects and recovering from the heat. After lunch we had a few hours free time, where some of us worked on other course work, and others just rested and enjoyed the scenery. Claire, David R., and Bethany did their seminars, where we learned about ecotourism, cloud forests and their conservation ,and species diversity and its relation to ecosystem resilience, stability, and functioning. We then got the chance to see some amazing nocturnal animals: a northern potoo (Nyctibius jamaicensis) and a boa constrictor (Boa constrictor)! Some of us were able to hold the boa before we released it at the point where it had been caught.

After dinner, some of us showered to remove the sunscreen and sweat from the day, and the rest went on a brief night hike. We saw many bats, another tarantula, and some huntsman spiders (Heteropoda venatoria) (their eyes glitter in the dark). Now we rest and gear up for starting to collect data for our projects!

Grupo 3/Group 3: Josh, Sienna, Mikaela

With a 7:30am start, we marched to the bus, Starbucks knockoff iced coffee (courtesy of OXXO corner store) in hand. We waved goodbye to Villa Purificación and started our journey to Chamela. With a quick stop at Texas To Go gas station, a strangely American name, we were on our way. The bus was mostly silent, aside from some intriguing conversation between Bailey and Clarisa. We drove through clouds of mist and passed a large flock of Black Bellied Whistling Ducks, Wood Storks, and other water dwelling birds. We arrived at the coastal town of La Manzanilla at 10:15am. It’s strange to think that only 52 hours prior we were 2,500 meters above sea level, and now we are being washed over by the smell of salt and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. For some of us, it was our first time seeing the ocean, and others, their first time seeing the Pacific Ocean. It is also humorous to have been in Mexico for a week before being introduced to the sea.

We visited the mangroves in an area that was fenced off at the edge of town near an estuary. We paid our entrance fees (well Steve did) and then entered. We immediately saw some large American crocodiles. A staff member of this ‘park’ threw filleted fish carcass into the air and it caught in the mouth a prehistoric beast (Jurassic theme song playing in our minds). This was our first introduction to American crocodiles, which we were later informed by Mica Mae that they can weigh up to 800 kilograms. You can distinguish them from alligators by their V-shaped snouts and their ‘evil grin’—sharp teeth gleaming in the sun. Within the mangrove sanctuary where the crocodiles resided we were entertained by the cacophony of squawks of the Great Tailed Grackle, and an astounding number of Egrets, both Snowy and Great alike, and herons (Great Blue, Green, Tri-colored). As we walked through the mangrove trees, iguanas hopped from branch to branch, a surprising agile reptile.

We concluded our experience with drinks and lunch on the beach in a small family-run establishment. The owners were a bit taken aback by the throng. The Pacific Ocean whispered temptingly in our ears as we tried to focus on the debrief. Steve gave us permission to dip our toes in the water, so of course we dipped our whole bodies. While some of us played in the waves, other ordered an overwhelming amount of ceviche and guacamole, and the piña coladas were flowing. The salty water was warm and refreshing, but not a pleasant mouth wash. The beach was busy with gringos, but more importantly, the magnificent frigatebirds, which soared effortlessly above our heads. Other honourable bird mentions were Royal Terns, Caspian Turns, and Heerman’s Gulls.

After some fun in the sun, and definitely no sunburns at all, we continued our drive to Chamela. The landscape outside the bus window was much dryer than that of Las Joyas. During the dry season the trees of Chamela loose their leaves a surprising 180 to the ecosystems of Las Joyas. Do not let the lack of leaves suggest to you that the biodiversity is any less impressive in Chamela. Upon arriving we had already been sorted into our rooms with the assignments creating new roommate pairings! Showers to clean off the salt of the ocean were a welcome sensation.

Steve and Javier took us on a walk down the Eje Central to get us our first up close look at the tropical dry forest. 4 species presentations were done on new species we encountered the: Magnificent Frigatebird by Claire, American Crocodile by Mica Mae, the Gumbo Limbo by Elyse (Bursara sp.) and finally the House Gecko by Sienna! Dinner was chicken tostadas and some sweet guava juice. As we bid goodnight, we were serenaded by the chirping of the Common House Gecko and the white noise of our ceiling fans.

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Grupo 2/Group 2. Elyse, Aymre, Bailey

Hello from Villa Purificacion! Today we had a wonderful and educational day. We started at 8:00am sharp for breakfast tacos in the small town’s plaza, the Plaza Mexico-Filipinas. The square’s centerpiece was a water fountain with a stone pineapple, paying homage to the region’s rich history of Asian-Mexican trade (most notably, of pineapples!). Our guest lecturer Dr. Jesús Juan Rosales-Adame (Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Centro Universitario de la Costa Sur, Universidad de Guadalajara) then lead through an insightful session on the history of the town, of pineapples, and of international trade. Pineapples originated in South America probably from two centres of origin, one in the territory of the Guarani and Tupinambá peoples in southern Brazil and the other more northern, towards the Guayanas. Indeed, the genus Anana comes from the Tupinambá word for ‘excellent fruit.’ There is evidence of pineapple cultivation in Peru and Ecuador a few thousand years ago, and its cultivation began in Mesoamerica about 2.5-3,000 years ago, although how it arrived is a mystery, perhaps via maritime routes. Interestly, there are similarities in cultural practices between the Indigenous peoples of Ecuador and Peru and Mesoamerican peoples (e.g. vertical burials of their deceased). The cultivation of pineapple in Mexico predates the arrival of the Spanish and the notion that the colonists brought it to the region is incorrect.

After a quick AC break at the hotel, we loaded onto our bus and headed to El Morador y Pere Grino, a local organic pineapple planation. Although it’s the dry season, and the fruits are not ready to eat, we got to see the baby pineapples growing on plants, and appreciate all the species growing together beneath the canopy. This planation offers a unique perspective of how agroforestry concepts can be applied to use the land most effectively; cattle feeding on the native crops, mango and cacao trees providing shade for the tolerant pineapple, larger trees used as timber, as well as many native animal species taking advantage of the high diversity. We were also able to sample some of the fruit that was available, including coffee beans, oranges, arrayan, and possibly tricked into eating some very hot wild chilli peppers that are dispersed by birds!

After a second, much appreciated AC break, we went into town to have lunch. At the Restaurante Tapatio they served us tacos, ceviche, tajin covered vegetables, and crab soup. Jesús’ students were kind enough to pour us a round of tequilla shots and show us how to take them “Jalisco style”; this involved taking the shot of tequila, and then having one’s head abruptly and reflexively twist while attempting to not choke on the mouthful of liquor. We, of course, did not choke, but instead witnessed our hosts display their skills.

We settled in for the afternoon, each spending some time on our own relaxing and catching up on other schoolwork. We finished off the night by gathering to listen to Jade’s seminar on Migratory Birds. Overall, we had a lovely time, and we’re ready for an early start tomorrow morning.

Salud!

Grupo 1/Group 1. Alexia, Ciara, Mica Mae

This morning we started the day early and getting ready for our big travel day ahead! After breakfast some of us played cards while we waited for the other truck to come pick us up. Once the truck arrived, we all piled in for our ride down the mountain. We could feel the temperature rise as we went down. We eventually made a pit stop to switch from the trucks to a bus at the second medical campus at the Universidad de Guadalajara.

It was carnaval this weekend in Autlán de Navarro so the streets were very busy in the city.  We headed out to immerse ourselves in some local town culture and tour the square to see food markets (some of us trying mango and chamoy for the first time – chammy is a salsa made form dried chilies, lime juice, and fruit). We also did some trinket shopping. There were jewelry vendors, gelato, restaurants, and two of us (Ciara and Bethany) even tried scorpion! A handful of us also visited Zona 3, a cute restaurant with a balcony overlooking the busy streets below.

We finally reunited and got ourselves back into the bus to head to our hotel. A few hours later, and after a lot of gear shifting my our capable driver Beto, we arrived at Hotel “Rul” in Villa Purificación where many of us were pleasantly surprised to see our balcony view of the sunset and the church (Iglesia Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria), where we could hear the beautiful songs coming from it for Saturday Mass. We had a pizza dinner as a group beside the hotel pool and a few of us explored the square after eating for late night snacks and drinks (a lot of horchata and chips were bought, and consumed).

en español

¡Esta mañana comenzamos el día temprano y nos preparamos para el gran día de viaje que nos espera! Después del desayuno, algunos de nosotros jugamos a las cartas mientras esperábamos que una camioneta viniera a recogernos. Una vez que llegó, todos nos amontonamos en los vehículos para bajar la montaña. Podíamos sentir cómo subía la temperatura a medida que bajábamos. Llegamos a Autlán donde hicimos una parada para cambiarnos al autobús en el campus de Medicina de la Universidad de Guadalajara.

Este fin de semana inicia la celebración de carnaval en Autlán de Navarro por lo que las calles estaban muy concurridas en la ciudad. Salimos al centro de la ciudad para experimentar la cultura local y recorrer la plaza central y ver los mercados de alimentos (algunos de nosotros probamos el mango y el chamoy por primera vez; el chamoy es una salsa hecha con chiles secos, jugo de limón y fruta). También hicimos algunas compras de chucherías. Había vendedores de joyas, helados, restaurantes y dos de nosotros (Ciara y Bethany) ¡incluso probamos escorpiones! Algunos de nosotros también visitamos la Zona 3, un lindo restaurante con un balcón con vistas a las concurridas calles de la ciudad.

Finalmente nos reunimos y regresamos al autobús para dirigirnos a nuestro hotel. Unas horas más tarde, y después de muchos cambios de marcha de nuestro hábil conductor Beto, llegamos al Hotel “Rul” en Villa Purificación, donde muchos de nosotros quedamos gratamente sorprendidos al ver desde nuestro balcón la vista del atardecer y la iglesia (Iglesia Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria), donde pudimos escuchar los hermosos cantos que salían de la iglesia para la misa del sábado. Cenamos pizza junto a la piscina del hotel y algunos de nosotros exploramos la plaza después de comer bocadillos y bebidas a altas horas de la noche (mucha horchata y papas fritas).

We woke up for breakfast this morning at 8 after a much-needed sleep from our day yesterday—which ended with us sitting around the campfire listening to the Four Nations hockey game (go Canada!) with the Albertan forestry students. For breakfast, we had huevos con jamon y saucito, and refried frijoles, which was interrupted with some exciting new finds from the mist nets, notably the critically endangered Black-capped Vireo, which Javier said was a once in a lifetime find for him. We also netted a Red-Headed tanager, a MacGillivray’s warbler, and an Audubon’s Oriole.

Steve then briefly introduced the research projects we will be working on at Chamela. Most of us are dealing with some pretty itchy bug bites today. We went on an amazing 3.5 km hike on the Sendero El Tlacuache trail in pursuit of rattle snakes and salamanders. It was a beautiful forest with many hanging vines, mosses, and epiphytes. We didn’t find any snakes or salamanders, but we did have some unexpected finds: a handful of brown freshwater crabs, two different species of frogs, and four crested guans! When we reached the upper road again, we searched for different butterflies to identify. We were especially taken with the glass-wing butterfly. We got back to the station and were quite tired from the hike, but kept looking for butterflies and caught up in our field notebooks. Then we had chicken and rice for lunch, with cucumber and lime juice to drink.

After lunch, there was time for the group to take a wonderful long siesta and start to get our things packed for our departure tomorrow. Some of us did yoga in the afternoon sunlight outside of the Flora cabin. Others explored around the station before it was time to go to the classroom and do a few seminars. Alex presented about agroforestry, Mica Mae presented on how climate change is reshaping the tropics, and Mikaela presented about UNESCO World Biosphere Reserves. We had some productive discussions about agricultural subsidies, the effects of climate change on range distribution, and the dynamics of Las Joyas becoming a biosphere.

We ended our session and enjoyed the lovely late afternoon before dinner at 7pm. Our dinner was jamon y queso sandwiches, which was also interrupted by a new bird catch: an orange-billed nightingale thrush. We were all pleased to see this bird, especially Bailey, who earned his bird-holding redemption! Then we lingered near the benches and watched stars appear as the sky darkened. Steve told us some stories about previous field courses he has taught internationally. We ended our night with a cozy campfire and stargazing. We’re ready for a good sleep before our exciting travel day and carnaval in Autlan tomorrow!

Buenas noches, hasta mañana!

black-capped vireo

Trailhead of Sendero El Tlacuache (Opossum Trail)

Glass-winged butterfly

Relaxing after the hike

Twisted vines having grown around a stem that has long since decayed

Male red-headed tanager

Gray-breasted wood-wren nest found along the trail with feathers of other bird species woven in

Searching the stream for leaf litter frogs

A small crab found along the stream

Looking for critters, ever so carefully