This past week has been very productive at Refugio Bartola. Kathleen and I finished our final bird call recording session this morning. Our conservation project is focused on how bird and mammal diversity is affected by the distance from the edge of the forest. We mapped out three zones that include the edge, intermediate, and interior areas in the rainforest. Each zone is 200m in length and has two sites in different locations. Each site has 5 points 50m apart where we perform our data collection, which involves recording bird songs for 8 minutes and setting up camera traps to take pictures of small animals passing by throughout the day and night. We hypothesize that there will be a difference in bird and mammal diversity in relation to the edge to interior gradient. Specifically, we predict the interior zone to have a greater diversity of animals and more specialist species.

Our camera traps (pictures) have been very successful so far. We have documented multiple cute agouti, an armadillo, and skunk. While performing our point observations we have also spotted spider monkeys and playful white faced capuchins. One early morning while we were far off trail collecting data we heard a peculiar rustling and grunting nearby. Unbelievably, a beautifully patterned ocelot walked within 3m of where I stood and gave a nonchalant look our way.

Finally, yesterday I had quite the memorable experience. While collecting harvestmen in the crevices of trees for our animal behavior project I stumbled upon an angry nest of bullet ants. These ants have a reputation of biting and stinging, releasing a very painful toxin. Well, it turns out I was the lucky soul thus far in the group and while walking away from the nest felt an extreme pain on my hand. A bullet ant had somehow fallen on my hand and bit through my thin cotton glove. Three hours of intense piercing and throbbing pain passed slowly but thankfully by night the pain was gone.