Continuing fun in Danum Valley

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Hi All,

This week we really started getting into the swing of things. Our plot and stream transects are set up, and we have sunk our teeth into both. A bit of background on what we’re doing here:

My post-doctoral research project is to examine changes in abundance and diversity of frogs throughout SE Asia. Many of you may have heard that frogs are in trouble, and there are multiple reasons for that (disease, habitat loss, climate change). While extinctions have been reported from most parts of the world, SE Asia has not experienced any losses greater than those expected from habitat loss alone. In other words, where there is still good forest, they seem to be doing fine. We’re hoping to establish whether this is actually the case, or whether there simply have not been enough surveys done to detect “enigmatic” losses (losses that can’t be explained by something obvious like habitat loss). We have surveyed Mt. Kinabalu (Sabah, Malaysia), Sakaerat (Thailand), and are now working here at Danum (lowland Sabah, Malaysia). Our job is to replicate previous surveys that were done 20-80 years ago, and to compare our results with those earlier studies, to see whether frog abundance and diversity have changed. If there are changes, then we will examine the reasons for those changes—we have rainfall and temperature data from most sites, and we are also hoping to get some satellite images that will show land use change in each place.

The fun part is searching for the frogs themselves. Ever since I first set foot in tropical streams 14 years ago, I have loved it and known that I want to do it for as long as I can walk. It’s always a bit of a surprise to step into a clear stream that is warm and not freezing, given that where I grew up all the streams are glacial melt and can take your breath away even on warm days. I love seeing the streams during the day as the dappled light filtering through the canopy touches the water, and I find myself wanting to explore just to the next bend in the river to see what lies beyond, and each subsequent bend beckons me like a siren, begging me to come just a little further. Walking the streams at night, you wear headlamps and spot frogs mainly by eye shine—the reflection of your beam from their eyes—and with experience you can start to tell which species it is just by the size and position of the eye shine. I also love that the streams are like living entities, always changing. They swell with each rainfall, and heavy rains can drastically alter their appearance by moving logs and boulders. This past week I have had several moments where I ask myself the same question I’ve been asking since I first stepped foot in a tropical forest: why would anyone want to work anywhere else?

To answer a few of the questions you sent in:
Aunt Marian--a hornbill is a type of bird. They are very large (like eagles), but they eat fruit and they have large bills (almost like a toucan) with a casque (crest). One of the largest is the rhinoceros hornbill whose bill has a very large upturned casque. I don't have a good enough camera to get a photo, but if you google it, you can see what it looks like.

Dave--I love the idea of describing a typical day. My next post will be a play-by-play with some fun pictures so you can see just what we do. Thanks for the suggestion!

I hope this finds you all well, and I look forward to answering more of your questions! I’m happy to write more about life here, language (Malay), food (a delicious mix of Indian, Chinese, and Malay), work (awesome), or anything else that you’re curious about. Take care and I look forward to hearing from you!

PS: thanks again to Rachel for these great photos! I swear I'll start taking my own this week...

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Photos

Our Field Family
Rachel, me, and James on one of our survey streams.

Equipment bag with list
My field assistants thought it would be a good idea to make a list of what we need for plots each day. I think they got a bit carried away...

Giant Caterpillar
One example of the great caterpillars we see here every day. They come in every shape, size, and color, and this is one of our recent favorites!

Calamaria keying itself out.
The easiest way to figure out what species of snake you found in your pit bucket is to simply show it the key and have it find itself.

Comments

[Lisa Goldsein]

Really, the water is warm?
I love the caterpillar photo! Do they ever get eaten?!