My Little Pumpkin :)

Happy happy news! My heat rash has subsided! It looks like my body has finally adjusted to the climate here! I have been able to band for 4 days straight with no problems! :) I have been wearing baggier clothes which helps significantly! As soon as I get back home from work I have to shower and get into a dress! I also got hiking boot replacements, although they didn't come easy and they're not exactly hiking boots. They're Nike's. And they're regular running shoes. But it's better than nothing! There really aren't any places on the island to get hiking boots....amazing eh? I asked three different people and went to three different stores, partly because I simply couldn't find a pair of any sneaker in my size!! The pair I ended up with is still a half size too big, but I figure with slightly thicker socks which I wear to work and some insoles, they'll fit perfectly. They're definitely better than my rubber boots and my hiking sandals!

My lonely boot!

Other good news! The kitten, who was originally named Halloween due to the date of her arrival at our apartment complex is NOT going to another family....she's staying with me! I've decided to adopt her and my mother has given me the green light to bring her home when I return. I renamed her Pumpkin, because Halloween had too many syllables and she wasn't able to learn her name. Pumpkin seems to be getting a better response :) Plus, it suits her better ;) Her transition into our house was so easy...she has really chosen to live with us! The second she saw the kitty litter box, she used it! No training required! It's official, I've got the best kitten in the world! She's young and curious about everything and is so affectionate! She loves sleeping and cuddling at home with me. We've spent the last 3 nights together :) She'll wake me up sometimes in the middle of the night rubbing her face under my chin and purring madly. I can't get mad at her for interrupting my precious sleep because she's too darn ADORABLE!

Yet more exciting news! After only a few days of banding out here I started to notice a difference in eye color of a particular species between the Hatch-Year individuals (babies) and the After Hatch-Year individuals (adults). I've discussed it with the head Biologist here and it's something that has not been noted before. He thinks we (my coworker and I) could publish a note on it and would like to help us out as a backseat author. We might include a couple of other age-related observations made by previous crews on another species. Even though previous crews passed on the information by word, the characteristics weren't thoroughly documented. All of this information will help us age individuals correctly, giving us an accurate picture of the population demographics and population productivity and survivorship of these endemic birds! How thrilling!! I'm so happy to be getting my feet wet in producing REAL research results that will impact the field of Avian Ecology, Conservation and Bird Banding here in Saipan!! I'll be talking with the Biologist out here more about it this week. If I'm miraculously able to get something published on this subject before next winter, I may just apply to a PhD program instead of going through a Master's degree program first...I have to ROCK the GRE though. ROCK IT!

Other fun banding news! Even though these last three days have brought us very few birds (at most, 12 in 6 hours), we caught 5 Collared Kingfishers!! THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL!!! And I really had the bird joo joo, as I like to call it, as they all ended up in the nets I was checking. Keep in mind they eat Hermit Crabs via breaking their shells open with their bills! So their bills are very sharp! And strong! They also break through them like a woodpecker hits a tree trunk, so you have to watch yourself when holding these birds or else they'll lunge at your eyes. 

Ah, yes, the flat tire I forgot to mention! Woo hoo!

Brent doing the grunt work. Getting that car 8 inches above where it was!!

The spare.

Woo hoo! He did it! Thanks Brent!

OBYA :)

Our lovely banding station :)

Our opening temperature (that's right folks, it's 85 degrees here at sunrise!)

LATA :)

Pretty spider web

The inside of the trunk of a Papaya tree

So gorgeous watching the sun come through the vegetation :)

Collared Kingfisher :)

Female :)

Male - note the difference in the color of the plumage between Male and Female?

The view on the drive out of LATA - the camera doesn't do it justice!

The reef :)

While banding we made two discoveries at two of our work sites. One is an unexploded ordnance (which, granted we were warned about from my friend who banded out here in the summer -- but the crew that was here July-Nov didn't know about it!! They walked by it three days each month!! AHH!!). Exciting and frightening, I know. The other discovery was the carcass of a large dead animal. It emitted such a putrid odor that we had to cover our faces with our bandanas when we'd walk past it...it was sadly unavoidable, right next to a net lane! The bandanas didn't do much either! I ended up just holding my breath and jogging past that part of the trail, unless I had birds on me, in which case...I just held my breath! hah!

It smells like death over here...

Oh hey, there's a wild pig carcass. Yay.

Don't kick it. Photo by: Matt

Brent and I are finally getting all moved into the downstairs apartment. It needs a big clean, but we're both really wanting to turn it into a home. We already bought dish towels (awww). It's been just about two weeks since I arrived and it's all felt like transition time! I think by the end of next week I'll feel completely moved in and settled!! 

Brent and I have the next week off before we start banding the next series of pulses. We've been invited to a Thanksgiving potluck dinner and hope to make some new friends :) We also plan on doing some serious exploring of the island :) Hopefully some panoramic pictures from the top of Mount Tapochao will be posted here by December 1st! I also hope to get to a Yoga class! Gasp!

And no, this week off isn't all fun and games. We have to review our data, all of our photo files, rename them all, fill out monthly progress reports and send it all out to the office. It's not that bad, but renaming the photo files could be really time consuming! As could putting them in Drop Box! Lot's of bandwidth required!

I hope all is well with you all!! Happy (almost) Thanksgiving! :)

Cheers,
Erin

I'm Cinderella and My Prince....is a Dog

Hey all!

So, day 1 was wonderful, as I already described in my last post. Day 2 and 3 were all about work (still wonderful though). We went out banding, I learned the bird calls and songs that are out here (species diversity is so low that I have almost all the main ones down now), got back into the rhythm of things as far as banding and extracting go, and visited the rest of our sites (all of which are STUNNING!). Differences from North American stations: our tools are rusted, we don’t have small band spreaders, the poles are breakdown poles that we hike in and out of every station, re-growth occurs seriously quickly, rain is not so scary when it’s hot out (normally it's scary in the cold because birds get cold-stressed so easily), we can catch chickens in our nets, there's lots of edible delicious fruits around and…drum roll please…the temperature is always 78 or above!

We took a day off after the first two days of banding to go to the DMV and get our CNMI civil and governmental driver’s licenses. This cost $40. Normally, they just hold onto your other state-side license if your CNMI license is going to be temporary (like mine), but they JUST changed their policy and they now destroy your other state-side license! DESTROY I SAY!! So I better get a new one as soon as I get back state-side! Another mini chunk of money I have to think about when I'm on such a tight budget! Goodness gracious, thanks DMV. Just goes to show that it doesn't matter where in the world you are, the DMV will always get you. We also met our Fish and Wildlife Department cohorts, which was fun. Didn’t really have a chance to get to know them, but we have plenty of time for that!

After our day off, we were back to work! I got up, as usual, sauntered downstairs to get my breakfast made and packed in my bag, then went outside to grab my hiking boots only to discover that one of them was missing!! It would appear that a little dog came and took my little boot in the little hours of the morning. So that leaves me with ONLY my rubber boots for work until I go buy another pair of hiking boots, which is a big expense for someone on a tight budget. Even more sad news: my orthodics were, yes, IN MY HIKING BOOTS. Sooooo, my feet are not happy and my rubber boots are now big on me, in addition to being heavy, which = yes, blisters! Top it all off with my getting horrible menstrual cramps at work, and ending the day with heat rash ON MY FACE and everywhere below the neck to boot. Yes. It’s been a mighty pleasant 24 hours.

Now, having only had heat rash once before in my life in Costa Rica where it dispersed with a change in elevation over the course of a week, I am concerned what my body will do here where there is no higher ground to take me to cooler temperatures. Everything I’ve read about getting rid of heat rash suggests not working outside in excessive heat, or not exercising outside in excessive heat, staying inside with air conditioning, drinking lots of water, taking frequent cold showers and even cooling yourself down with ice packs (I lay here with one under my belly and one on my shoulders). As for the first two recommendations, I don’t have a choice! I also WANT to work outside; it’s what I DO!! If I keep going outside though…in such weather…the heat rash may get worse…and heat exhaustion might become an issue for me, not to mention some serious heat rash lesions. This is not good. If my body is unable to adjust to the climate here, I’m going to have to leave : ( this @!$&ing sucks.

Now, things to keep in mind before jumping to such sad conclusions: I got here 5 days ago, have been out in the field for 3 days total and just got back from banding in Oregon where opening temp was -3 Celsius. Opening temp here today was 26 Celsius, closing temp was 33!! So, I'm going to be patient, and give my body a chance to figure out what latitude it's in now.

I checked out the little farmer's market here on Tuesday night and it was great :) I will definitely be returning and buying some $1 empinadas and coconut milk (yes, I know, I can get it for free, but it's ready to drink, with slivers of meat in it!! YUM!!) not to mention organic produce, great GREEN juicy tangerines, bananas, green beans and eggplant! Woo hoo!

One last piece of sad news (sorry, I don't mean to bring you down): my kitty....will not be staying here anymore : ( Her first mommy is far too allergic to her to keep her and I can't take her, knowing that I'll be leaving in 5 months. Sigh. It seems she knows...she was particularly cuddly with me today. BUT at least she'll be going to a good family. Yes yes. 

Cuddle fest - and the scratches on my legs are not from her....they're from plants.

Onto more serious things…UC Berkeley’s Campus! Dang, I wish I was there to Relive the Free Speech Movement!!! This is what we need!!! Show the country what democracy means! Show the country what free speech means! Show the country that corporations aren’t people, that WE ARE THE PEOPLE, and that we’re coming back to LIFE, right now, whether the 1% like it or not. “The days of apathy are over, folks!”

Indeed.

Erin

Already Feeling at Home :)

Hello!

So, I’m somewhat settled into my temporary apartment (see pics). I'll move downstairs into a nearly identical apartment once the current crew leaves. Until then we all get to have privacy and space! The landlord was kind enough to let us use this spare apartment for the week! It’s a really great place and even though it’s free for me, it’s surprisingly affordable ($500/month) for everyone else. There’s a large house for rent as well, adjacent to our apartment building, which is $1500/month. Amazing!

The view from my temporary apartment - second floor!

Our little backyard :)

Enough room for a small chicken coop!

My room :)

My room

Living room

HUGE KITCHEN!!

Dining room

Cute tiles in the kitchen

Front view of the building...look at those coconuts!!

The current crew has been really great, showing us around the island and taking us to some of our banding sites. My first full day here was wonderful! We woke up, walked outside our apartment with a view of the ocean!! We couldn’t see it when we arrived because we arrived in the dark! We were then shown to the roof of the building, which has an even better view! It’s absolutely gorgeous here!!

We got a tour of the western side of the island, picked up some drinking water, attempted to drop off recycling (recycling center ended up being closed), got some grocery shopping done (will discuss below), visited one of our sites (OBYA) and returned to the apartment building where we were welcomed with fresh grilled parrotfish (wrapped in banana leaves to retain the moisture), salad, chicken and rice that our neighbors prepared (Rosa and Hermis). I helped myself to some fish (so yummy!) and salad. Hermis’ son was turning 4, so we all sang him happy birthday, and they shared their cake with us. Hermis then went to harvest some coconuts from the coconut trees in our parking lot! Hah! They were delicious!! Full of delicious food, we continued to have some great conversation. Hermis pulled out his guitar, Brian pulled out his harmonica and we all sang Hotel California : ) Then Rosa continued to make us feel at home and offered up some tequila and margarita mix WITH, I might add, some mango flavored salt!! Hah! We each had two delicious fruit-filled margaritas (orange, tangerine and pomelo slices included). Then Rosa gave us a ride to the beach where we swam and snorkeled as the sun went down. It was so beautiful! 75 degree water : ) Not as hot as it usually is here apparently, but still very warm indeed : )

Yes, this is right down the road from where I live : )

Brent and Rosa admiring the beach

Brian, testing the water

By the time we got back it was 7pm. It felt so much later than that!! We had such an enjoyable afternoon. I felt so at home so quickly. Rosa and Hermis really welcomed us into their lives. Rosa definitely takes on the role of third-mother : ) (because I already have 2) I don’t mind at all. She's great! Oh! She also has a kitten she recently adopted. Her name is Halloween….she showed up the night of Halloween at the complex....and never left! She's a little black and white short-haired adorable kitten! I’m so happy!!! I get to be her second mommy : )

Ah, grocery shopping. Yes. I have come to accept that I will not be eating much organic food while out here. It’s just not possible without going completely over budget and a lot of things simply aren’t available. I will get what I can. For example, this time I bought Organic Brown Rice, Organic Sprouted 7-grain Bread, Organic apples, and Organic Spinach. I did not get the Organic Ezekiel Tortillas because for a 6-count bag you paid nearly $8 dollars. Avocados, a Bell Pepper, yellow onion, mayo, mustard, frozen corn, cheese, hummus, raisins, dried black beans, bananas (itty bitty bananas), tomato sauce, and limes were all non-organic. A lot of the brands here I’m familiar with actually, and know that some are relatively good quality (lots of Western Family, for those of you who know the Pacific Northwest grocery stores! Crazy, huh??). However, the tomato sauce selection is terrible!! No Newman’s Own, no Classico even! Mostly…Ragu. But I’ll deal with that. Maybe find more of a selection in the bigger store….or make my own if I can find decent organic tomatoes (unlikely though). There was also….a wall of spam. I took a picture to prove it existed.

Today was our first day of banding. We banded BICA, which is usually a relatively busy site, but we only had 18 birds. Ah, let me explain busy here. In Saipan, a busy day is 40 birds. A slow day is 0 or 1. Very different than what I’m used to. The species are new for me too, so it was kind of nice not having a busy day so I could really look at everything on each bird. Today we caught Bridled White-eyes, Golden White-eyes, Rufous Fantails (the one we will catch most-often), and a couple of Mirconesian Honeyeaters (BEAUTIFUL!!). Now, because I’m still learning about these species and what we do and don’t know about them, it takes me awhile longer to process than usual. Also if we have a bird that is molting flight feathers we take photographs of the wing, determine the relative age of each individual flight feather (growing -- and how much it has grown, old or new). All of this is leading up to me saying….I didn’t take a lot of pictures of birds today. Sorry!! They’ll come soon though. I have a nice Golden White-Eye for you at least  : ) 

Slow net round = walk down to Bird Island

Beach! North end of Saipan

Boys looking out at Bird Island

Most of the pebbles on the beach were actually coral!

Might be in Paradise, but people are still people...grr

Banding Station

We band in the back of the Ranger : )

PAPAYAS!!

WE'RE GONNA HARVEST THEM!! When they're ripe that is.

Golden White-Eye

I look forward to understanding everything about each species (what we do know that is). That way I can process the birds faster and take more pics for you! Haha!

It’s really hot here. When we closed nets it was 87 Fahrenheit (31 C) in the shade. I was sweating profusely all day. As in sweating through my thin field pants and my tank-top (which became somewhat see-through and shall not be worn again in the field!). They have still not dried! They’re hanging in my room….where there is a lovely breeze coming through my window next to my bed where I’m laying down right now. I don't think drinking 80+ ounces of water a day is going to be difficult.

Jet lag has been strange. Before I left home I was staying up until about 1am-1.30am (tiny bit of insomnia for me), which is about 7-7.30pm here (the following day of course), so I’ve been getting REALLY tired at 7pm which is fine when you’re banding and waking up early, so it’s kind of working out…but I still feel like my body is off. I get really tired and sluggish at odd hours…like right now. Hah. It’s 11pm at home and I’m feeling like I should have a lie down. But if I do that I wont be able to sleep when I should sleep. So, NO NAPPING ALLOWED! I also don’t think my body is quite used to eating at the hour it is used to sleeping. Hah. 

I'll be in touch!

Erin