Ecuador - Lowlands

I just got back from another exciting trip to the lowlands. The main purpose of the trip was to trap beetles along an altitudinal gradient. So, as I drove down toward the Amazon, I set traps at the following elevations (in meters): 2150, 1600, 1150, 800, and 400. Because I wait for 3 days to retrieve my traps, I stayed in the lowlands and spent my days hiking around and checking out the forest. The following are pictures from the trip.

On the first evening I arrived, I took a quick stroll along a trail before it got dark. First, I snapped some shots of a bullet ant, or Conga ant. These large ants deliver an incredibly painful bite. Check out the mandibles! A little farther along the trail I was taking photos of this cool heart-shaped fern when I looked up and spotted a 3-toed sloth! A rare find and very fun to see! He actually moved rather swiftly up the tree after I got some photos. Unfortunately, my photos of the sloth didn’t come out well, but I got great video footage of him moving into the canopy.





On my first full day in the lowlands, I went to check out the nest of a Greater Yellow-headed Vulture that one of the forest guards found. The nest was at the base of a giant tree. The first photo is of me looking at the 2 nestlings in the nest. The second photo is the larger nestling doing a threat display (they make a hissing sound to accompany the wing spread). You can see the smaller nestling hiding under the larger one. When we took them out of the nest (which was essentially bare ground), the larger nestling vomited / regurgitated its carrion meal. This is a common response of vulture chicks to being disturbed. So, yeah, the chicks sort of stink! The last photo is of me holding the smaller nestling (we took measurements of both nestlings).





That afternoon, we hiked along one of the many beautiful streams in the lowlands. I took photos of fishing spiders, giant arthropods with serious neurotoxins. These spiders hang out near water and nab passing fish and other tasty treats. Along the streams, there are always tree falls, and beautiful fungus accompanies the decaying trees. This first fungus looked like the housing complex for George Jetson and his family. It was absolutely marvelous, and huge! I’ve also included two more shots of fungus growing on tree falls (for you Jenny!). At the end of the day, we had a few Pilseners – top quality Ecuadorian beer. They’re actually quite refreshing, and those big bottles sell for only a buck a piece!









On the morning of the second day we went to the house of a local man where some bird nests had been discovered in the front yard. I ignored the birds (for once) and hung out with the oldest daughter. Posted are pictures of her with her dog Bobby, her puppy Millie, and their home. After taking these photos, I showed her how to use my binoculars and she and her younger brother had way too much fun checking out the birds.
The end.

Hummingbird nest

A little over a week ago I found the nest of a Bronzy Inca, a tropical hummingbird. I saw the female carrying material in her bill. I looked around and saw a few strands of material hanging in a clump from a piece of bamboo at eye-level. I suspected it was the very start of a nest, though it only looked like some fallen debris from the canopy above. The next day, I checked again, and sure enough, the female had completed nearly half of the cup. Here are pictures of the completed nest. First, the nest along the trail -- it's on the right side and appears as a big clump in the photo. Then, a close-up of the nest. Finally, the nest with the entire clutch of 2 eggs.

Random 3 - Solon Ohio

And I thought this blog would be about my travels. Sometimes poetry wins out.

This snippet was written by my outlaw who, despite a robber's moniker, happens to be sweeter than a pile of sugar. A charming, humorous, strangely-concocted, but wildly entertaining use of images. The best part about this poem; the way the hard consonants hit the roof of your mouth when recited aloud. Well done. Right up there with Rexroth, my favorite poet.



Solon, Ohio (May 2008)

As the snow blew by, all I
could think of was summer
turnips, when a dog
walked by with prickly tickly
fur so brown it could
turn the most honest
nun into an envious beast.

-translated from English to Mandarin to Russian, back to English

Random 2 - Melvin

I'm sure you've all heard some version or another of what we'll call the traveler's song -- the tune telling of the lonely miles, the unfamiliar faces, and the days upon endless days where conversation with yourself is actually stimulating. Thus, no need to expound on this timeless ballad, but suffice it to say that over the past few years I’ve had my share of lonely days (not to be confused with days "alone," a necessity!). Peppered amongst the loneliest of my lonely days, however, were spicy personalities that seasoned my life at just the right moment. And, it's these spices of life that I end up counting on years later, when the lonely days reappear. During one of these reappearances last year, when everything was off and I was sad and ached for something familiar, I wrote to one of the more poetic seasonings in my spice rack. The response from this friend was too good not to share. Perhaps when others are having a rough day they can read this poem, appropriately titled "Happiness," and smile. I have included some of the text from the email.


“i also was thinking of you, perhaps it was yesterday, or the day before, but more than once, and oh yes because i'm reading a jared diamond book about collapsed societies (you see what kind of mood i'm in) and i was simply respecting the fact of studying something solid, like dung beetles, not these floaty words. but that you would turn to me for words i'm thankful as well.

so for us both a poem, or part of one, because the epigraph (which i cut) was totally unnecessary, and really the whole second half (which I cut) was extraneous commentary on the first, which, i think you'll agree, reaches a brilliant apogee. i hope it makes you smile:

Happiness

Melvin,

the large collie

who lives in the red house

at the end of my daily run

is happy,

happy to see me

even now,

in February--

a month of low skies

and slowly melting snow.

His yard

has turned almost

entirely to mud--

but so what?

Today,

as if to please me,

he has torn apart

and scattered

everywhere

a yellow plastic bucket

the color of forsythia

or daffodils . . .

And now

in a transport

of cross-eyed

muddy ecstasy,

he has placed

his filthy two front paws

together

on the top pipe

of his sagging cyclone fence—

drooling a little,

his tail

wagging furiously,

until finally,

as if I were God's angel himself—

fulgent,

blinding,

aflame

with news of the Resurrection,

I give him a biscuit

instead.

--Michael Van Walleghen

If you were here I'd give you a biscuit too.

KBB”