Day #11: Even MORE Data collection

This morning I got up late. Apparently, they had eggs and rice for breakfast, but again I didn’t partake. I left around 7 and headed for a close trail. Two people were going to the same way, but I let them go ahead cause they were just loud trudging along. Not long after I heard capuchin calls. But all I saw was a Titi monkey that spent the next 20 minutes sitting above me doing nothing haha. In the mean time I continued hearing the capuchins and saw them in the distance. Perfect! I got a lot of data, overall 62 minutes the most I’ve ever gotten was about 78 minutes and that was yesterday as a whole. I even managed to observe an individual for the full 30 minute max sampling. At about 24 minutes into that particular individual a juvenile jumped behind me and was low in the understory and I was just hoping he’d stay for the next 6 minutes haha. It’s actually not bad being alone doing these studies. I spend a lot of time talking….yes to myself or to the monkeys that don’t listen. Telling the Titi monkeys to stop jumping around because it’s a distraction. Cursing at the plants that tangle around me and calling them rude. Telling the juvenile to stay put for 6 minutes so I can study it.

And I do. As soon as the 30 minutes hit I turn and at first I think he’s gone, but thankfully he pops out shortly after. He is minding his own business, and I can clearly get another full 30 minutes set on him. He occasionally sees me and makes some threatening calls, essentially to back off and I do, but overall he’s content. At the 8 minute mark people come trudging down the track, laughing being loud even though they know I’m observing and taking data. The sad part is that juvenile was maybe 10 feet away from me, comfortable. Now he went back scared, very aware of me and my presence. He spent a lot of time going behind brush so that I can’t see as a safety precaution or just climbing away. I only got about 12 minutes overall. I thought by then they were all gone, but there were a few stragglers so I still got more data but I just needed those people to be quiet so that I can get that accurate data.

I’m now back at camp, hungry, had to come back and use the bathroom. I have yet to go in the woods, and I’m not sure I plan to haha.

I did go back into the woods. Ran into a couple low trees, but the noggin is still ok….from what I can tell at least. I didn’t stay out very long haha

Omg but for lunch we got this half baked potato and GUACAMOLE!!!! It was only like a tiny scoop but OMG so good omnomnomnomnom such a treat. We had rice with pinto beans and cucumbers again, but I mean regardless of what you have you just mix it all together into mush and eat. Yep…….we are gross human beings J

I’m feeling better from my illness and have gotten my appetite back! So tomorrow I will be up and ready at the crack of dawn and out until lunch then back out. I’ll start inputing my data and pasting it here and such but already I feel good about my data J Todays data was good a whole hour, not ideal, other groups get like 5 hours but either their monkeys stay in one place or they’re with a whole group o running down steep slopes and everything is easier. I’d be so much more willing knowing someone else was with me, but everytime I get to that point I make an excuse, and I know I do it. Although this morning they went down a clif…..so I mean yeah haha

I miss home, I miss warm showers, I miss home cooked meals and being able to talk to people and use the internet haha I only have about 10 more days here! YIKES! I’m presenting on the 12 O.o I’m still debating whether I should take “a day off” with everyone. I haven’t been doing as much as I should mainly because I go back to camp early cause I’m throwing up in the woods. I don’t want a day off I want to just take data everyday, even if I did it straight through hard core like   I planned this whole time I still wouldn’t want to have a day off. The only reason I’m tempted is because the group wants to go to the swamp and try and find the anaconda and river otters and I want to go too. I’ll try to fit in both, especially if they plan on leaving later. That’s just my thoughts J

I’m sure I’m amusing to listen to if anyone happens to ease drop while I’m with the monkeys. Whenever my subject goes out of sight I try and dance to coax it out. “come one, move over there…you know you wanna come on cooooome on” haha The Titi monkeys jumping around and me yelling at them, quietly of course, going “stop it right now, you calm down I’m trying to concentrate” or telling the juvenile to hold tight and I’ll be right with him. Which I say juvenile, but it’s the size of a squirrel monkey, so the size of a kitten. Easiest way to decipher between juvenile and adult xD I wish I could do genders but there are no color differences between males and females just slightly different body sizes and I’m not cool enough to be able to differentiate that.

The boring part is just finding the monkey, once I do I just entertain myself and do my best to keep track of it and the time flies. Tomorrow I’m sure will be exciting.

Also for those of you wondering, I only have about 272 pictures. I know not much but there’s only so much of trees you can take haha. I have been taking it less and less mainly because I don’t want to be distracted with picture taking while I’m trying to do data collection, but I do need better capuchin pictures J

I’ve been trying to upload these two videos to instagram and facebook and it won’t work D: those last ones were a fluke I swear haha. Either way they’ll be up or available to see, probably in person J There’s less text book reading now so that means all the kindle reading I want! I’m currently trying to buy another book. Also, the brazil nut….continues to reek like death. I’m all over the place with this blog post today haha. Eagerly waiting for dinner! I think I’m going to try a night hike one day and find the nocturnal owl monkey, I gotta try at least!

WOO! Got another book! And to conclude tonights dinner is .......there's a butterfly in the dining hall haha. OH random note, while doing my data collecting there was this butterfly, top half of wings was clear with a black outline the bottom half was PINK like a deep magenta OMG so pretty! Wish I had my camera. Apparently, also further down the hill there were jaguar tracks! I'm going to venture down and find them tomorrow.....unfortunately it's a continuous downhill, and you know when you go down only one other way to go -sigh- haha I say haha alot :/

Dinner was spaghetti in a sauce......with meat......unknown meat but meat nonetheless haha and a bit of a sweet potatoe. They gave rice pudding for dessert, and I gave that up haha Anyway waiting for lecture, then climbing into bed and reading :) Tomorrow will be a big busy day....hopefully

Also, as I said they put out cookies every now and then, usually when the saltines run out they throw cookies in there with them. At dinner its like vultures swarming a carcass, it's brutal haha

Lessons Learned:

#1: Don’t daydream while walking through the forest……head meet tree…..they don’t go very well together.

#2: You’ll eventually get used to having your head tilted all the way back…….probably should give up on lowering it back to normal. It’s a whole new perspective at least.