A week in my shoes

I have fallen a bit behind on keeping up with my blog, so instead of writing I thought this time I would showcase what I have been doing over the last week or so with some photo highlights.

Helping out the Environmental Education Class design their "ideal bird"

Presenting at the CafeCientificoCommunitario (a Local Lecture and Discussion Series) along with Hector, Greg, and Caro about the importance of Estuaries

Taking a break to hike in the nearby canyons with some students and the dogs of course!

Watching the "Dia la Revolucion" Parade in town to support the Ecology clubs

This picture was taken on the beach right in front of the station. There were 7 shrimp trawlers offshore seeking refuge from high winds

I conduct a census of nesting Double Crested Cormorants on  Isla Alcatraz twice a month: this was the first week I got a good look at the chicks!

I also was really excited to see 3 pairs of American Oystercatchers feeding on Isla Alcatraz

Estero Sargento

The pace has really picked up lately! In addition to my normal field work and assignments, I have been participating in some of the courses that the Prescott Students are taking here. Currently, there is a group of 10 students here who are studying introduction to Natural History and Conservation of the Gulf of CA. I have gotten to help out with teaching some of their field work, but more importantly, I am able to tag along on their field trips! It has been great for me because I get to learn more about the area and visit places I normally wouldn’t be able to (free, woohoo).

Last week we went on a 3 day camping trip to Estero Sargento. Sargento is a negative estuary (no regular freshwater influx) which is located in the territory of the Com' Caac (Indigenous tribe in Sonora). In order to visit there, we had to go with a guide. Alfredo, a Com' Caac elder, has been working with students from Prescott for many years. As a member of the Counsel of Elders, he feels it is his responsibility to share information about his tribe and the land. He came with us along with his wife and two grandchildren. He answered our questions and talked about the ways of his people, the threats to the environment, and the changes to his community occurring from development. His family holds the traditional knowledge about plants and he described many medicinal uses to us, but he was also able to talk about the natural history of the animals.

While I can’t explain the experience in such a short blog, I will say that Sargento made my list of most beautiful places. I slept under the stars on the beach and woke up to the birds feeding in the golden shimmer of the sunrise. It was incredible to be surrounded by such distinct ecosystems. On the one side you have harsh, dry desert with sprawling mountains, then you have the ocean, dunes, and mud flats, and finally the channels with white, black, and red mangroves. There were so many things to discover. I hope I have the chance to go back and appreciate it more.

Unfortunately, the trip had a somber cloud hanging over it. Despite the beauty of the place, and its importance as a protected area and nursery for so many creatures, it is still being exploited. Estero Sargento is one of the very few remaining estuaries closed to shrimp trawling because the land is actually owned by the Com' Caac and not the Mexican government. There were 11 illegal shrimp trawlers fishing in the estuary when we were there! Apparently, they are paying off the Com' Caac governor to be there. Additionally, there is a 4 lane highway being built through their territory which is largely opposed by the Com' Caac people, but again, the top players are being paid off. And finally, we saw at least 8 dead Green Sea turtles (which are legally protected) that had been hunted. While there are protections in place, there is just so much corruption. Sometimes conservation work just seems like you are up against too many negative forces, but it was inspiring to hear from Alfredo that he opposed all of these things and was worried for the future of his land and his grandchildren.

Tepupa Mountain

The class hearing stories

crazy sand dunes

my room

the morning view

Snowy Egret

oh Halloween

Since my favorite holiday is Halloween, I am always a bit sad when it comes around and I am out of the country. It’s just not the same. I always dress up anyway and try to get my hands on some type of pumpkin resembling squash to carve and cook the seeds, but I miss the days of trick or treating around Cachalot Lane with the neighbors. I miss making special treat bags with my Mom and watching the little kids come to the door. But most of all, I miss the never-ending candy!

This year was a little more like home because since the Prescott courses started again, there are a bunch of Americans. We ended up having a costume potluck which more resembled Thanksgiving than anything else. I made some buttery caramel popcorn and enjoyed every bite. Some of the other fellows and I had ventured to the next town over to check the secondhand stores for costumes. It was tough going, but I ended up finding some fake rabbit ears, which gave me the idea to be a taxidermy specimen (trying to teach and have fun!). There are these amazing Antelope Jackrabbits around Kino which have HUGE ears and lanky legs. I see them in the early morning when I’m out walking Ocotillo, but have yet to be quick enough to get a picture of one. Anyway, with my limited resources I made it work, and was an Antelope Jackrabbit specimen for the party. We also bobbed for apples. If only I could make Apple Cider Doughnuts….

Me as an Antelope Jackrabbit

Los Becarios (The fellows from bottom L: Yutsul, Marlu, Me, Laura, Caro, and Hector)

Caro as the witch with Cosmo the kitten

Whole Lot of Fabric

Despite living in a gorgeous location, sometimes boredom sets in when you haven’t left town in awhile. Last week I was excited to get out of Kino to the capital of the state, Hermosillo, to support one of the staff at an event. She is a member of a dance group in town that performs traditional Sonoran (the Mexican state I live in) dances. There was an exhibition in the city with performers from all over the area. The groups were usually male and female, and dancers were as young as about 5 to people in their 70’s! The performances took place on the walkway outside the library so that both the audience sitting on the steps and the drivers passing by could get a good look. It was really cool to see everyone all dressed up. The women wear elaborate dresses that have tons of extra fabric. As they move they are constantly swinging their arms around in a graceful manner that looks kind of like a butterfly fluttering about. The dress that our friend wore used about 20m of fabric to make! There is a definitely a Spanish influence in the dresses and the men dress as vaqueros (cowboys). Some of the dances even seem like country line dancing which I found pretty amusing.

Lily Dancing

The Kino Dance Group

Vaquero's dance

Isla Alcatraz

One of my most frequented research sites is a small island located less than a mile from the mainland of Bahía Kino. While Isla Alcatraz only has a surface area of 1.44km², it is one of the most important bird areas in the Gulf of California. The island is utilized by over 50 different bird species and boasts thirteen different species of nesting birds. Additionally, it is home to 60 plant species, 6 reptile species of which 3 are endemic, 1 endemic bat species, at least 88 species of invertebrates, and supports marine mammals offshore. The island is composed mostly of a mountainous rocky cliff with one flat desert area to the east. It is part of the “Islands of the Gulf of California Reserve,” and as such is protected from development. However, it still faces threats from shrimp trawlers offshore, fishermen, and visitors that leave trash, disturb animals, or step on nests.

Isla Alcatraz has the largest colony of nesting Double Crested Cormorants (DCCO) in the Gulf of California. The DCCO nest along the crevices of the cliffs in small colonies. They begin nesting in late September, peak in December (about 2000 nests!), and taper out over the spring months. Part of my monitoring consists of recording the number of DCCO nests, and later I will be conducting a productivity study. The island is divided into sections to simplify surveying. One side of the island can only be counted from the panga (boat) because of the high cliffs, and the other side I traverse by foot. This seems like a simple enough job, but the island likes to throw challenges in your way.

First of all, this island was initially referred to as “Hell” by one of the teaching assistants. I thought this might be a little harsh, but then I decided that for most people (like you Mom) “Hell” would be a pretty accurate description. The first thing you notice up close to the island is the strong smell of bird guano. Since thousands of birds use this area daily, it smells pretty bad. Next, while surveying the island you are completely exposed to the elements, so at this time of year, it is blazing hot. Then you must maneuver your way around squawking/pooping birds (like Yellow Footed Gulls) through prickly cacti to reach the survey spots. Finally, as you survey, these little bugs who are about three times the size of a fruit fly, called bobitos, surround and land all over you. Luckily they don’t bite, but they are attracted to moisture since there is no source of fresh water on the island. This means, as you are sweating profusely trying to count hundreds of nests, little bugs are crawling all over you and flying in your ears, eyes, and up your nose!

But if you can get past all of that, it is an incredible ecosystem. I am amazed how much life the island can support and it is one of my favorite places to work.

Those little black forms among the grasses are the Double Crested Cormorants Nests!

Isla Alcatraz

Look Closely at my hat for the Bobitos

Multi-species heron nest in cardon cactus

Fishing trip highlights

Despite being a very eye-opening experience, those of you that know me well are aware that I don’t enjoy being involved with anything that kills things. So, the fishing part wasn’t really that great for me. Instead, my highlights for the day were more about setting things free! 

Cosme began to shell one of the scallops for Michelle (one of Xavier's students) to try and then there was one for me. Michelle ate the whole thing raw and said it wasn't bad. I on the other hand, was still thinking about how many scallops are being fished from just this area alone, and how the population could possibly be stable (but in fact, all the fishermen we interviewed said how few resources are actually left). Then I consciously made a cultural faux pas by deciding to set "my" scallop free. I sure got a lot of flack for that one!

The other really cool thing that happened was that the fishermen had a baby pulpo (octopus) stuck in their boat. We saw it first thing in the morning which means that they had probably caught it yesterday and it was surviving in a pool of water. It was so amazing to see and feel how strong the suction cups were! Unfortunately, despite being warned that they bite, I thought it would be awesome to get a picture holding it before we let it go. My picture went fine, but on Michelle’s turn, the pulpito was annoyed and decided to let her know by giving her a good bite on her hand! I felt terrible since it was my idea. Luckily, it only bled a little. Michelle laughed it off like a trooper and said it felt like a bee sting. How many people can say they were bitten by an octopus?

Michelle's scallop

Michelle eating her scallop

me releasing my scallop

el pulpito

the bite (top right side of her palm)

adorable pulpito (pre-bite)

Buceo para Callo

This past week has kept me very busy. With Xavier visiting (a researcher who was actually the first fellow at the Kino Bay Station), I was able to participate in projects that I normally wouldn't have been involved with. In addition to the interviews, part of Xavier's objective for his field work was to film the local fisherman. The two many sources of income in this area, especially in the Seri community, are from Callo (scallops) and Jaiba (blue crab). The Jaiba are collected in baited traps and as long as they are over a certain size (but I don't know how often that is followed) there really is no limit to how many people can take. What's really interesting about Callo fishing is that they are found in pretty deep waters, which means that the fisherman actually scuba dive to collect them!

On Thursday I accompanied Xavier and a few other people on their expedition to document the Callo scuba divers. On the way out there, we stopped and talked to some jaiba fishermen. For the callo diving, Xavier had an underwater camera to film with, and his assistant was filming from the boat. The amount of physical work that it takes to collect these scallops is pretty incredible. Pretty much, the men are out there all day long alternating diving and shelling the scallops on the boat. The guy driving the boat has to watch the two divers, drive the boat, shell scallops, etc. The divers collect huge bags worth of scallops and bring them to the surface. The equipment that they use is very old and worn out, and I would definitely be nervous about scuba diving with it. The two species of Callo found here (redonda y de hacha) have very large shells, but the actual amount of meat collected is very small. In a days work, they probably collect 1000 scallops, but only the meat counts, and that doesn't equal very much, maybe 10 kilos? Cosme, our boat driver, told me that they earn around 90 pesos per kilo for callo de hacha, and maybe 200 for callo redonda. That equals about $7 and $15 respectively.We were given one of each type of scallop by the fishermen to get a closer look. You can see how little the scallop is in relation to the huge shell!

jaiba traps

jaiba

the fishermen getting ready to dive

Cosme helping Xavier to suit up

hauling up the catch

shelling the scallops

callo redonda and callo de hacha

the whole organism

the meat...

Punta Chueca

Yesterday I joined a visiting researcher, a few of his students, and many of the Kino Bay Team to visit a local Comcáac (or Seri, the indigenous people of Sonora) community. Their town is about an 50 minute drive on the bumpy dirt roads from Kino, but the scenery along the way is spectacular as the road weaves around the red rock hills and looks out towards Isla Tiburón. The town of Punta Chueca is actually the part of the mainland closest to Isla Tiburón, which is also Seri territory. There are roughly 400 inhabitants and the main sources of income come from fishing, artisan crafts, and tourism. 

The goal of the visiting researcher was to conduct interviews of the fisherman to gain a better understanding about the health of the local fishing industry, the impact of outside fisheries operations, and how they view outsiders in their community. This was accomplished through working with about 10 youths who are involved in conservation efforts, and have worked previously with this researcher. We met at one of their houses and had a meeting in which we reviewed the survey together and divided up into teams consisting of a few researchers and a Seri member. This would allow us to 1)find our way around, 2) know who was best to talk to, and 3) translate if there were any confusions. The local youths were very nice, educated, and really seemed interested in conservation efforts. 

Most people were willing to do the interviews. It was really interesting to hear some of the opinions of the older versus the younger generations. Everyone agreed that the fisheries are in real trouble.

Limpieza de Playa

This morning I joined the Programa de Educación Ambiental (Environmental Education) for their second beach clean-up of the season. (Last time I did this, I came home with Ocotillo, but despite encountering many dogs in need, I was not allowed to bring any more home :(  This was the largest effort I have participated in, with 280 community members in attendance! The 3 ecological clubs from the primary (La Pandilla Ecológica), secondary (Los Delfines), and prep (Xapoo) schools were the main participants, with the older students organizing the event. The EE girls planned the clean-up to align with the methodologies of The Ocean Conservancy. Their protocols measure what types and quantity of trash encountered in order to gain a better understanding of what resources are needed (like public bathrooms or waste baskets, for example) to address the area’s waste issues. Therefore, we not only picked up trash, but we counted and sorted every little piece into its proper category! We divided up into smaller groups, each with a team leader, and picked up trash along a set transect. My team from the primary school collected 117 plastic water bottles alone in our small 100m section. Another team collected 204 cigarette butts in their section. Most of the trash consisted of plastic bags, bottles, and because we cleaned along the fishing area, lots of rope and fish net related stuff. All participants received a t-shirt and box lunch!

My team!

Mamíferos Marinos

The past week felt like I ran a marathon. Up until Monday the pace had been pretty comfortable, but my work really got a jump start this week. In addition to Abram (the research fellow who I will be taking over for) arriving to help train me, Lorayne and Ed (the two directors of the station) came back to meet with everyone, as well as brought along Eduardo (a member of the Waterbird Monitoring advisory board who works in La Paz, Gulf of CA). I spent the week visiting field sites, absorbing all I possibly could from Abram, meeting with Lorayne, and having intense discussions with all involved parties about our current monitoring protocols, goals, and what needs to be revised, etc. The program is really intense for one person, but there are so many amazing opportunities to study various birds. I am currently coming up with a work plan for the year to organize what research will be happening when, my other responsibilities, etc. Eduardo was very generous with his time and would even like to collaborate on some research projects! One of them being banding Reddish Egrets, which would be really cool!

After such an intense week, the day out in the boat today was a much needed break. Most of the staff, in addition to some local students and NGO partners, took to the seas to look for marine animals. We filled the two station boats and headed west, past Isla Tiburón, and eventually circling the area around Isla San Esteban. The first creatures we came across were a pod of common dolphins. I had never seen so many of them at once, and there were many calves in the group. What was even more amazing was that when the boat was close enough, you could hear their calls coming from underwater! It was surreal. Next, I got to see a species I had never seen before, a ballena cachalote (sperm whale), which is the largest toothed animal in the world! After that, we headed to a small inlet beach area on San Esteban where we stopped for lunch and to snorkel. The water was amazingly clear. Not only could you see many species like manta rays, but the highlight was swimming with lobos marinos (sea lions)!

 

La Vista

I was recently given an amazing new camera lens as an early birthday gift. However, I have been terrified to take it outside for fear of breaking it (my track record of falling or hurting myself outside is pretty high). Hence, I haven’t posted any pictures of my local surroundings. Yesterday I finally got up the nerve to test out my new equipment. Here are some pictures of what I get to see every day, la vista (the view).