Springtime in the mountains
I feel as though I have lived here for ages. The time passes differently here in the Andes. Maybe it is because the weather changes so drastically every day, with bright, strong sunlight in the mornings and heavy clouds that literally fall upon you in the afternoon starting around 14:00. There are chilling crosswinds cutting across the plain during the day that become far more noticeable once the sun falls behind the clouds. You know the old Texas adage ‘if you don’t like the weather, wait 10 minutes and it will change’? Yep, it applies to here, too. Today, Nasrim and I had to cut it short because the clouds that stole the sun today were actually full of precipitation. Guess what it manifested itself as it fell on our heads? Hail. HAIL! As we rushed back to the cabin we were chased by thunder clouds that periodically lit up with lightning.
Two hours later the sun came out and erased any trace of the dime size clumps of cold, icy, evil that fell on our heads. For someone who really has no interest in being cold, snow, or anything associated with such things, I keep find myself in these conditions. However, we bore witness to a lovely sunset at about 20:30.
Nasrim, the saint who volunteered to be my field assistant for the first two weeks of my study, has taken everything in stride. She has been bit mercilessly by monster coruros (150 g, that’s big, trust me), moved heavy equipment with me up, suffered the blazing sun, tolerated the cold nights, and borne my terrible Spanish. We have taken turns cooking and every meal has been splendid.
Nasrim y yo
Nasrim en el campo con un coruro
To give you an idea of how cold it is here let me try to paint a picture for you. Nasrim and I are sitting in the living room, we are not using the gas heater because it uses too much gas and does little to warm the 3 bedroom, 2 bath cabin. After taking a hot shower, I find myself in sweatpants, wool socks, polypro thermal top (thanks Dad!), hoodie, and 2 blankets, my wool blanket (thanks Mom) and another. Nasrim is in two sweaters and is bundled up in the extra comforter. I am about to go put the kettle on for another round of Milo’s.
Our Cabin, second floor. Roughing it.
By field biologist standards I am living like a queen. We are an hour outside of Santiago. We have hot water, hot food, electricity, spacious accommodations, a mattress to sleep on, beautiful vistas to view every day out my window, and all this in close proximity to my field site. It is only a good ¾ mile hike to the land of milk and honey. Just over a couple hills, the land is pock marked with coruro burrows! Their activities are easy to monitor as they pop their head out of the ground constantly. They have little fear of people and you can get within a meter of them before they bolt underground again. It’s very much like Whack-a-Mole game. It is odd to me too because they respond to each other’s calling by also calling, unlike my other study site in Rinconada de Maipú. It is like living in surround sound. In the first two days of trapping, in just one colony, we have managed to capture 9 individuals, who have all had something to say…each having provided alarm calls sufficient for analysis.
Though I have been extremely focused on what I came here to do, I have taken the time to look up from the ground a time or two. The bird community is fascinating; most appear to be migrants, but I have seen some of the residents pass over us with brazen curiosity. On day 3 I stood in awe as 2 Andean Condors passed just over my head. Enormous, elusive, efficient scavengers were taking an interest in my activities in their part of the neighborhood. Gorgeous! Of course, I didn’t think to pull out my camera. When I finally went for it, I observed 5 condors riding a thermal high above my head, drifting away to the west.
The Andean Condor
I have also seen chincóles, Chilean swallows, tit-tyrants, cynclodes spp., sierra finches and a resident mountain caracara. This guy really doesn’t give us much notice.
I have also had the pleasure of encountering hissing beetles, rather largish tarantulas, wily lizards, and few biting ants that found their way into my pants. The flies have occasion to run into you with the crosswinds, but really we are not pestered by any of the residents.
Greenish Lizard
Tarantula
Tomorrow is Day 6 and we begin trapping at our second colony. I hope we have as much luck as the first two day, but I am already beginning to worry about my supplies lasting into our third week.
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