So I survived the drive from Pretoria to Bloemhof and made it back to the field site. It feels good to be back. I miss the good times with my hostel friends but I love the quiet, and the stars, and the jackals that my field site offers.
I thought I would be terrified the entire drive back--but I was not. I also predicted I would be scared to be alone in the middle of nowhere---but I am not. Isn't it funny? I obviously do not have a realistic perspective on what I can handle. I think I will continue underestimating myself however, so I can continue to be pleasantly surprised.
Spring is in the air at the reserve. All the scorched areas are turning from black to bright green and budding even though there has been no recent rain. Baby squirrels are popping up everywhere! Wild flowers are blooming in every colour imaginable and birds are starting to molt into breeding colors. It is a wonderful time of year in South Africa-- no long bitter cold but not yet too hot either. The snake experts should be here next wait to continue the mobbing trials. I can't wait!
Showing posts with label field work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label field work. Show all posts
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Monday, August 1, 2011
monotony is key
It is hard to think of things to say when you do the same thing every day.
I have been conducting sent trials with snake sheds to see if Cape ground squirrels use their sense of smell in the recognition of snakes. So in other words I spend hours everyday out on the floodplain chasing squirrels down burrows, placing cubes covered with snake odours by the burrows waiting for them to come back up, and then recording their behaviours when(if) they re-emerge again. I record what the squirrels are doing on my ipod (thanks dad!) and in the evening I transcribe my recordings into spread sheets. It feels a little odd talking to myself and then listening to myself for hours. I am predicting I may come back a little stranger than when I left. People who know me well are probably pretty worried by that remark. People who know me really well probably are having a difficult time imagining how anyone could get any stranger. Rest assured. I can.
In all seriousness though-- the monotony is not bad. I am handling it better than I thought I would. I find the day in and day out routine of field work meditative. My mind comes alive with ideas and songs. Since I am testing the same 10 colonies of squirrels over and over I even see the same wildebeest everyday. I have named him Bruce.
I think there is something amazing about visiting the same piece of nature consecutively for a span of time. You are no longer a tourist from the outside looking in. You are right in the midst of it-- looking around. I have felt this way before doing field work. When you visit a forest everyday for a while animals that run and hide start to come out. Critters habituate and you can really watch them.
I think everyone should get to know a forest at least once in their life. It does not need to be a rainforest or a savannah the forest down the street is just as good—if not better. Nothing feels more satisfying to me than recognizing all the voices of the birds in a forest or seeing Bruce first thing in the morning snoozing.
I have been conducting sent trials with snake sheds to see if Cape ground squirrels use their sense of smell in the recognition of snakes. So in other words I spend hours everyday out on the floodplain chasing squirrels down burrows, placing cubes covered with snake odours by the burrows waiting for them to come back up, and then recording their behaviours when(if) they re-emerge again. I record what the squirrels are doing on my ipod (thanks dad!) and in the evening I transcribe my recordings into spread sheets. It feels a little odd talking to myself and then listening to myself for hours. I am predicting I may come back a little stranger than when I left. People who know me well are probably pretty worried by that remark. People who know me really well probably are having a difficult time imagining how anyone could get any stranger. Rest assured. I can.
In all seriousness though-- the monotony is not bad. I am handling it better than I thought I would. I find the day in and day out routine of field work meditative. My mind comes alive with ideas and songs. Since I am testing the same 10 colonies of squirrels over and over I even see the same wildebeest everyday. I have named him Bruce.
I think there is something amazing about visiting the same piece of nature consecutively for a span of time. You are no longer a tourist from the outside looking in. You are right in the midst of it-- looking around. I have felt this way before doing field work. When you visit a forest everyday for a while animals that run and hide start to come out. Critters habituate and you can really watch them.
I think everyone should get to know a forest at least once in their life. It does not need to be a rainforest or a savannah the forest down the street is just as good—if not better. Nothing feels more satisfying to me than recognizing all the voices of the birds in a forest or seeing Bruce first thing in the morning snoozing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)