39 Days!!!

Well, time here is almost done. I don't know whether I should be excited or petrified that I don't have enough time to finish my Master's. Right now I think I'm both and I am not sure how I am going to manage this final month because I am falling apart and going crazy! Everyone has been really busy with their projects around here, and there has been far less time for play and pool parties are nonexsistant.  However, we did get a treat when one of the last volunteers played "Pokerface" on the violin to wake up Jacob Hill one morning (pic above). That gave us a nice 5 min break of entertainment.

I am also finding less opportunities to bring my camera out because I am spending so much time in the lab,  with the volunteers, entering data, or any of my other endless tasks. I've been trying to get a good shot of the sun comming through the trees at sunset.  This one I actually really like, but it is not as cool as a small image.

My hard work, however, is finally paying off. I have found no species of bacteria in the cloacal fluid, but there have been many species of fungus. Unfortunately, I have only identified the one above to the genus level.  I, however, did apply for Spring graduation though I am pretty possitive things won't be finished until more like the beginning of June.

Other than that, not much has happened around the station. The iguanas are also starting to use the beach for nesting, so that is kind of cool. I keep hoping to run into a nesting iguana, but the only biologist that has is Avalon. Matt found one in a collapsed nest and was able to put a transmitter on her. She still looked pretty full of eggs, so I don't think she nested yet, but maybe. Below are some pics from that.

LOOK AT HER EYE!

Kimmy helping tie on the transmitter.

Other than that, I am just ordering what I hope will be the last of my supplies and trying to wrap this project up! Got to get it done. We also have another group of Earthwatch volunteers and I am pretty excited about the bunch. I pulled 10 hatchlings out of a nest for them this afternoon during an excavation. In all honesty, it is hard to work with the volunteers now because it takes so much time from my project, and it is sad because I would love to be relaxed and enjoy everything with them, but at this point I am never relaxed. I'm ready to go home now.

Beginning of the End

An albino leatherback embryo that never made it.

Sorry it has been so long since my last post, I am trying to make up for it today by skipping a nap and getting it done. Things have been CRAZY around here and I am very worried my project will not get done in time. As a result I have been spending hours in the lab with limited success, but it's getting better.

My advisor just left this morning after six days with us. That was pretty fun. I got the night off for pizza and beer with him and the owner of the Tampa Bay Rays to watch the Oregon-Auburn National Championship game. Too bad Oregon lost.

Season has been very funny, we got a lot of turtle action at once, and then nothing. I was patrolling two nights ago and a nest in the hatchery hatched, three more on the beach, plus we had 2 ridleys, and 4 leatherbacks (3 of which were mine and 1 was new).  Morning walk the next morning even discovered another set of tracks from a turtle who came up at low tide. There was a lot of confusion over the radio to get volunteers, who had not seen a turtle, to and from turtles. But it all worked out. Other than that, Gary (Ray's owner), Frank, and Earthwatch, I can only think of two more things really worth mentioning... the iguana in the pool and my father's visit.

The big male ctenosaur (black spiny iguana) chased a female into our swimming pool and she could not get out. For your entertainment I have posted some of th pictures below, including Jacob Hill feeding the giant male after the fact.  (Kids, don't feed the wildlife!)

Iguanas are actually very good swimmers, but I guess that is to be expected as there is an entire species of marine iguanas and their body shape is very similar to alligators and crocodiles, which are well known swimmers.

My dad made a quick trip out here, He was able to get on the beach for 3 nights, but only saw 1 turtle and 1 hatchling pulled out from and excavation. I miss sleeping in the hotel already! Hahah. I'm glad he was able to see a turtle, but I guess I over stated the size of the leatherbacks because his comment afterwards was, "That was so cool, but I thought they'd be bigger". She was only about 10cm smaller than the beach average, and 20 or so smaller than those in the Carribean.  I'm just releived he got to see one even though he patrolled 3 nights in a row. Kim's fiance, Torin, was also in town visiting, and they both got to see their first turtle on the same night. The visits, however, meant Kim and I had over a week without a night off, which was pretty exhausting. They left and Frank came, so there was all kinds of excitement and craziness that will hopefully calm down, but probably not because season is wrapping up.

My dad and I at an excavation.

This hatchling's yolk had not yet been absorbed in the stomach.

J Hill showing Torin the hatchling.

 

In other news I am applying for a job doing guided sea kayaking tours with the orcas in Puget Sound, so hopefully that works out! However, the application is extremely long. I spent 2 hours on it last night and I am not nearly done. It is more like a written interview with 22 questions to elaborate on. I'm pretty sure that is the last of has happened lately, but if I come up with anything else, I guess I will have to put it on the next post...Nap time!

Navidad y Nicaragua

A Christmas Sunset.

My favorite snowflake, made from recycled paper.

 

Nativity scene made from beach treasures (garbage)...created by Jacob Hill.

So things have been crazy around here with the other biologists' families around, volunteers, and a trip to Nicaragua to renew my visa. It's nice that the holidays are finally starting to wind down, but that means season is much closer to an end and I have much more work to do before I leave! AHHHHHHH! I'll try not to bore you too much with details and instead just show you pictures. Unfortunately, I was too nervous to bring my new camera, but I did take a lot of pictures with the old one, which does not have as good of quality.

The night before I left for Nicaragua I got another new mother on the beach. I'd like to think it was a nice little bon voyage present for me. It definitely made up for the almost 2 hours Avalone and I spent at the border trying to get into Nicaragua bright early the next morning. San Juan del Sur was an amazing little city full of brightly colored buildings, great places to eat, and scenic views. It was so windy that it was hard to enjoy the beach, but we tried. By the time I got to the shower I looked like someone had dropped a bucket of sand on top of my head. We spent most of the time catching up on some much needed sleep, eating, and the last day we went to a little surf beach via water taxi. The ride over there was amazing!!! We saw a pod of dolphins (about 20 or so) jumping out of the water like they were at Sea World with many magnificant frigate birds all feeding on the same couple schools of fish! Made me wish I had the other camera...

Some paintings in the market.

 

Bridge to Jesus

The Bay

The road to Jesus is paved with many stones

The stairway to heaven and Avalon.

Even getting into heaven costs money!

View at Jesus' feet.

Apparently we missed quite the beach night the night before we got home. There were 3 leatherbacks, 1 ridley, Jacob's scanner broke and he had to run down the beach to grab someone else's, tourists built a bon fire on the beach, and a tourist coming to see turtles had a heart attack on the beach. Of course the guides told us that it was Jacob due to his run...Fortunately, the tourist was fine. Other than that, only one turtle was missed while we were gone, and only one of my sampled nests hatched but no samples needed to be taken because there was 100% hatchling success...and the sample was contaminated to begin with (sigh of relief). Last night was our first night back and there was 1 leatherback in the south, and I was able to show my volunteers a black turtle on Ventanas.

Our Hostel:

The Earthwatch expedition this weeks is a family expedition, so we have 3 kids that are 11 years old and another about 15, plus their parents. Needless to say it is pretty packed around here. I was so excited to be able to show the little girl I was walking with the black turtle! She has now seen all 3 species that nest here and she was so excited! I love showing people their first sea turtle, or first turtle of a particular species, especially kids. Afterall, a marine biologist taking the time to show me my first turtle was all it took to get me hooked...Now here I am 17 years later hoping to do the same.  (Goodness, I am getting old!

Not much else to talk about. Catholics vs Convicts take 2 on today (insert thrown up U here) and I am decked out in Cane's gear...As I should be!  Tonight we have the night off for New Years.. So that should be a fun fiesta for all.

Biologists at an excavation.

Roseate spoonbill

Large sail boat off Grande.

Some ridleys



Crazy times

Parakeet at the station

Things around here have been very strange lately, and for the most part, none of it has had to do with the turtles. We are now in the peak of season, but we are not finding as many turtles as predicted, but they are laying far more eggs than anticipated and the hatchlings are hatching in full force (up to 5 nests a night). These are mostly ridley nests, which has hit its peak and now there is only a small trickle of olive ridleys females nesting these days. Next month I imagine there will be far less of their nests hatching. The baulas are holding steady but we are still waiting for the December spike.

A leatherback hatchling

I was sitting on break with Nathan (a former biologist with the project and Frank's PhD student)three nights ago and we watched a leatherback break through the waves and emerge out of the water. For those of you unfamiliar with turtle work, this is a rare site! Typically, by the time we find a turtle she is almost all the way up the beach or starting to body pit, but to watch her emerge from crashing waves is something truely spectacular which I have only seen 3 times at most and to get a turtle while on break is just as rare. I was suprised when I woke my volunteer up and she watched for a mintue then rolled over and went back to sleep uninterested. Little did she know that this was a special turtle; other than the fact it was Baulitica, she was the chosen turtle for the director of the park at attend with his VIP group. I don't really know who this group is, but the were dressed up with collared shirts, khakis, and one of the ladies even had a nice dress on. The real indicator of how important this viewing was, was that the park director, Rotney, gave me a pep talk before the turtle saying, "these people, well they are very important, so this has to be PERFECT!" So little goes perfect around here and with Rotney telling me the turtle was going too slow it was stressing him out...let's just say I was so nervous I could have peed my pants! But everything turned out alright. However, his group did not seem so interested in the turtle. Tourists had to be pulled away, but I found many of the VIPS staring over the water, the sky, and just meandering around the turtle like they were bored, one guy stood 20m off to the side the whole time. I have never seen so many people uninterested in a turtle in my life, and anyone else would have enjoyed it!

Another story for this week is the Avalon had some friends who happened to be in town. Kim and I had to leave the bar where they were because they were so rude and obnoxious. Later that evening our guard, Herman, met them climbing over our back fence with gun drawn. Fortunately, we had just installed video cameras the week prior and were able to watch the whole thing over and over. I felt bad for Avalon, because there was nothing she could do about them jumping over the fence...however even more excitement happened that day that lead us all to forget about the three boys being escorted out with hands above their heads.

Jim feeding the Ctenosaur by our pool

A Ctenosaur about to eat

Other drama occured when Matt showed up crying at our back door with both hands dripping with blood and a limp bloody ctenosaur. He ran to the sink holding the ctenosaur, who had blood running down its mouth and all over its eyes. All of the biologist were pretty sure he had killed it with his noose on accident, but as it turns out the ctenosaur was the one who did all the damage to Matt's hand, but it was perfectly fine. Matt had to leave for the hospital and told us not to let it go, but we had nothing to contain it in, and reptiles are particularly prone to stressed induced death. This lady, however, was a fighter. She wiggled right out of Kimmy's hands, which we were all mildly relieved about because who knew how long Matt was going to be at the hospital and you can't hold the animal that long. Kimmy went after her with the towel and she whipped her tail, turned, opened her mouth, and hissed. I got back in time to see this part. She still had Matt's blood all in her mouth and looked quite scary, I wish I had my camera on me that time. There was no chance to recapture her. Matt showed up right after she got away and was very upset. Apparently he spent 20min in the woods screaming for help and no one did (probably because he doesn't know spanish), but he was dead set on tagging her after that. Everything ended up fine. He got 2 stitches on his finger and life went back to normal around here. He left for the home today with the board members of the Leatherback Trust...and it was about time some people left here because It has been packed!

Other then that, I have identified my first bacteria species! Another study done with Ridleys found this same species, allowing for a comparison to be made between the two beaches. So I am pretty stoked about that. I'm also excited that I was able to see the eclipse last night even though it had been cloudy all day. I had an eclipse ridley! That was kind of fun. We even were able to see a few meteors.

Best Morning Walk Ever!

My new camera could not have come at a better time! I went on morning walk 3 days ago, and there were so many things to take pictures of! I also have been able to to figure out how to adjust some of the settings.  Yes, I know there is a manual, but who has time to read that?  There have not been very many turtles lately, and we are about to get a bunch of people at the station; two families of other biologists, the PIs for the project, board members, other scientists, and our own volunteers will all be shoeing up in the next three weeks! Somewhere in that time frame I will be taking a solo trip to Nicaragua to renew my visa. Since there is not much going on, I'm just going to post my morning walk pics and some from the senset view with the last group of vols.

Bee the size of my thumb.
Hummingbird

Woodpecker

Hawk

Trogon

Pack of Coatis

Coati

Baby Coati

More Trogon

Leatherback hatchling tracks.

Oriole

Scissor-tailed flycatcher

Shore bird (sanderling?)

Woodpecker and our papaya tree.

The rock separating Ventanas and Grande.

Plovers

Sunset and grass

Old turtle museum which is no longer open.

National Park Sign