The
month of May has been the month of rain - this has led to flooding, changes in
species behaviour and new different sightings being observed. A more constant
stream of rain means there are more mosquitoes, insects, storms and flooding
around, although it has also provided me with many more unique experiences and
memories to treasure for life.
What
happened this month:
The
Snake Friend
To Summarise:
- 1st time - 5am squeak turns out to be a snake eating a bat, put the snake on the beach…
- 2nd time - Snake thuds on floor in my room, and therefore taken 500 metres to a bridge during a monsoon
- 3rd time - Snake appears on the ceilings wooden beams, then disappears!
- 5th time - Appears on the beams again, mini-struggle, took snake 30-40mins away to Playa Balsitas
o
I
meanwhile had read that the snake was venomous!
I
learnt cartoons do teach you things…
- Remember army ants carrying picnic baskets away on various shows? - that basically could almost happen as I saw huge numbers carrying off bodies of birds, giant beetles etc.
- Remember in Disney's The Fox And The Hound when the Woodpecker pecks along a branch to scare out insects/a caterpillar? - Well now I've witnessed a couple of Woodpeckers doing this
Others
Monte Verde -
CSU Course Preparation: I met p-man and we thoroughly created a plan with DL
and from this we learnt a lot about course logistics and the running of a
tropical-based field course.
- I got to take part in coffee planting: Working with my host dad on land digging holes, adding fertiliser and planting young crops - which take 3 years to grow!
- I bumped into a mistake of nature or evolution gone wrong: An adult Ant Lion flew around my head in my room like an odd-looking moth… but what an ugly thing it turned out to be!
- Ice Lolly Revolution - Had both coconut and milk, and lemonade (US style) epiphanies!
- My First Tree Frog - I found this guy on a hammock outside my temporary snake-less room.
- The Dog - The plumbers dog became a pet of mine after I rescued it from a large storm.
- The New Fish - I saw a Rainbow Chub in the shallows of the lagoon, still no photo though…
- Baby Opossums - Over in Cabuya I got to feed and handle these cute animals.
- Staff Vacation - The cooks (and one of their sons) went with me on a holiday to Monte Verde
- Spanish School - The first week of Spanish school had gone well, was really fun and I learnt a lot.