I assisted Rafa in conducting a transect to identify plant species presence/absence the other day. I discovered that I don’t know the grasses (Poaceae) well, but most of the other macrophyte species, I’ve got down. I was also reminded that it’s generally a bad idea to have electronics in the wetland here around 3 pm, as that’s when the rains usually come. Luckily, it’s easy to see and hear the rain coming.
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I encounter leeches commonly in the wetland, particularly associated with decomposing macrophytes. I’ve never seen one attached to me, sucking blood, so I think they aren’t out for blood. Bernald has requested I catch a few, although this one got away after the second photograph…
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As I stated before, it’s quite easy to see the rain coming (here and here and here and here too). Huge sheets of rain cloud views of the distance mountains and hills. Although I wasn’t able to photograph it because I quickly shoved my camera in a dry bag, the sheets climbed and draped over the mountain to the right and headed straight for me. They were so heavy, not only was it impossible to see the mountain, but it was difficult to make out a birding tower about 100 m away.
Additionally, I’ve been taking a number of panoramas in the field and quickly stitching the photographs together using Microsoft ICE. They make amazing backgrounds for the new wide-screen displays that are standard on today’s laptops and desktops!
| Probably the best day in Osa was when we sampled two streams feeding Rio Sirena and traveled to the streams via this boat. We saw a tapir, we caught snapper, we saw squirrel monkeys, a bat falcon taking a Costa Rican Swallow, bull sharks, and American crocodiles – and, of course, successfully sampled two streams. |  |
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Happy Mother’s Day.
Kind of like Doug and Rita’s engagement photographs if they were taken after 1987.
Helena Molina, a professor at the Biology Department at University of Costa Rica, is carried across a small stream on the Osa as we hiked to Rio Claro to sample Characids. A recommendation to future biologists: Think twice about doing graduate work with Helena… unless you’re looking for a workout too.
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Students emerge from a hollow, rotten buttress filled with bats on a trail in Campanario.
We’ve made an attempt to photograph the two lab sections for Vertebrate Zoology on the fish seining trip each year. This year, groups saw about 6 species of fish, which is relatively low, and no one fell in…
The Tuesday Lab Section:
The Thursday Lab Section: 
