Hey everybody, I'm so sorry it's been so long since the last blog! Now, finally, for your viewing pleasure - new pictures! I only have 3 weeks left at my job here in Colorado. Then it's time for vacation. I'm really looking forward to it. Good times. I finally broke down and bought a wireless card, so now I have easier access to internet, but before it was near impossible to find public internet. I was more connected in rural Ecuador than in rural Colorado! I have been having some crazy times at this job. I'll explain more for anyone who [View Full Entry]

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Well, tomorrow I leave for the states. Feel free to stay tuned while I travel to NJ/NYC, then to IL, then CO for my next job with Mountain Plovers! I leave you with a bunch of pictures. [View Full Entry]

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Hey everybody, first I have to apologize, I don't have any pictures to share this time. I'm in Quito and I didn't want to bring my camera along for the ride. The internet at the station isn't working right now, so I couldn't make an entry from there. As soon as it's up again, I'll post some pictures. But enough chit chat, on to the good news- I'm going to Cornell next fall to start my doctorate!! I was accepted and I have a fellowship, everything is a go. I'm going to study the behavioral ecology of nighthawks on the tallgrass [View Full Entry]

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Hola everybody. I am good here. There are a lot more people at the station now. Among them a couple from Canada has come to shoot a documentary. This is their first time making a movie, and I think it’s going to be really neat. They are always aiming their cameras at some interesting insect or plant or bird. I have two items of good news. The first is that the quetzal chick has left the nest! I saw her the day she fledged and she could fly really well. So I no longer have to wake up so early to [View Full Entry]

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Time for another update! Things are going well here. I am doing well. I have found one nest so far (blue gray tanagers), and I am learning a lot. From the quetzal tapes we are going to get feeding rates and other data. They are cavity nesters so I basically watch video of birds going in and out of a hole for a good portion of the day. They are really beautiful birds. Yesterday I got the chick out of the cavity to measure and take pictures of it. Later, I will write a paper on our observations and submit it [View Full Entry]

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Hey everybody, I made it to Yanayacu Biological Station about a week ago. It’s great , but I’left catch you up on what has happened since then. So I did go to the Old Town of Quito two weeks ago Sunday, but I didn’t take my camera. It was just easier not to have to worry about it. Once I was there, I wish that I had had it because there was a parade! It was for Dia de los Innocentes, which I think has something to do with the three kings, but I’m really not sure. The parade was pretty [View Full Entry]

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While I was in Quito, I decided to visit the Museum of Natural History. It was pretty much a bust. The displays were falling apart, and were not very informative. I did use the library to look up what that little amarillo creature was. I think it was an Andean Porcupine, but there was no picture, so who knows? One interesting thing at the museum was that among many deserved slots, Walt Disney was featured on their wall of "Important Men of Science." He was honored for his great animation of animals and the natural world. Hmmm. And not one woman [View Full Entry]

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I'm back in Quito for a day and half. Nothing much exciting is happening. Here are some more pictures! A few people have asked about the butterfly farm, so I have included some more photos from there. They raise the butterflies (maybe 20 - 30 species) from egg to caterpillar to butterfly. There are separate areas for the different stages. They keep about half of the adult butterflies in a net-enclosed garden and release the other half into the forest. Uncle David - I'm not sure about your question, because most of the butterflies that I saw that were dying looked [View Full Entry]

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Hey everybody, sorry I haven't written in a while. The internet connection is a little sketchy so I'm just going to give a brief update and then, what you've all been waiting for, pictures! So, in brief, on Christmas I went to Chachimbiro hot springs, but I didn't actually go in. I spent the entire time looking for birds. It was so fun that I decided to switch the focus of my trip. I had thought that I didn't want to spend all my time chasing after birds because I'm going to do that for three months. The next day I [View Full Entry]

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I left Quito on Thursday for Otavalo. It’s very nice here, I like it much more than Quito. Otavalo is a medium-sized town, but I am here primarily because today is market day! They say this is the largest indigenous market in South America. I can’t say whether or not that is true, but it is certainly big. There were many craft stalls open yesterday as well, so I actually did some shopping then, which turned out to be a smart decision, because the prices were much higher today. There is some haggling involved which was kind of hard for me. [View Full Entry]

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