I go birding today. I see a Stripe-throated Hermit whizzing around some trees. As far as hummingbirds go, it has relatively boring coloration. It is greyish tan.
After breakfast we go to San Isidro. There, I walk around for some time and see the church. The church is built in startling contrast to the one in Tres Piedras. It is much bigger, and although not particularly gilded, very neat and cleanly decorated.
Church at San Isidro
On the way back, I see a medium sized black bird sitting in a tree on the side of the road. The bird has something large and red in its beak. Upon second glance, however, I note that this red item is in fact its beak. It is a Fiery-billed Aracari! I am the only one who noticed him and I have yet another lifer to add to my list
I go on a hike. Today, I actually see the hummer in the nest. It is a Band-tailed Barbthroat. This is another rather drably dressed hummingbird. Further up, just before the bean field trail, I see a crashing of leaves. I catch up and strain to see through the undergrowth to find what may have caused the commotion. From the motion of the leaves, I estimate that it is at most two feet tall. Unfortunately, this does not limit the list. It could be a coati, a Capuchin monkey (they are the only species of monkey here to run across the ground. This is unlikely, however, as they would much prefer to go through the trees of the canopy.), or perhaps one of the small cats here. Lauren saw a jagarundi a few days back, and there are also marguay and ocelots in the region. However, I cannot tell what the creature was.
Soon after my encounter, I head back down for lecture regarding deforestation. Deforestation here is a particularly disastrous because it has a plethora of effects, from loss of habitat, to increased erosion, to loss of fixed carbon. Following dinner, we open the biochar pit. To our surprise there is nothing but ash. Our fire burned so hotly and for so long that it burned all of the wood. It must have received more air when, during last night’s storm, part of the pit’s covering collapsed, creating an opening. At any rate, Martin and I are still rather pleased with ourselves. We may not have created charcoal, but we did make a fire that survived two full nights of rainforest storms.
Science & Soul 