Woke early again today, and by 8am we were all raring to go. The group split in two, and my ecology group was dropped off near the bat cave on the western side of the volcano. We carried out a timed transect survey for butterflies, following the Jinocuabo trail for approximately 4km. It was another really hot day, and I was grateful for the shade that we had for most of the route. Although we were on a trail, it was quite hard walking with lava rubble in many places, but we walked fairly slowly as we had to scan for butterflies as we walked. We took a note of the species of butterfly seen, and also an abundance count. Identification was made by sight, though we also netted and caught some where we needed a closer look. We found 20+ species out of over 200 that are endemic to the region, and I was really chuffed to find a species never found in the area before. We also saw parakeets in the trees above us. At one point I heard a huge crashing through the jungle behind our group - the guide assured me it was only an iguana (about two metres long) and that it was moving away from us. It sounded like an elephant to me, so I swiftly repositioned myself so the guard was between me and the danger!
We finished the survey when the trail hit a more defined road, and it was another 1km or so until we reached the visitors centre. I kept my eyes peeled for the monkeys but they seemed to have moved on.We finished the walk early so hung out at the visitors centre for an hour or so until the other group finished their work and came to pick us up, grateful for a cold drink.
New park record, Synapte syraces, cunningly disguised as a rock!
No comments:
Post a Comment