Firestone Center Science - Camera trapping animals and some spider work

While it is not my place to describe in great detail the science being done at the Firestone Center this summer, I can summarize things a bit and describe what we are doing in the field.  And what we were doing in the field today was going for a long walk across the entire Reserve placing camera traps as we went.

​It is so nice to see animals and pretty cool to hear animals, but the fact remains that there are many more animals on the property than we see or hear.  So to understand the whole wildlife picture we, literally, take pictures.

​Camera traps are just cameras that are triggered with a sensor when an animal walks by, taking either still photos or video of the animal.  These images can then be looked at on a computer and most often the species of animal can be determined.

​Placing cameras in locations likely to have animals moving through is key, and here are Leta Ames and Sara Freimuth placing a camera trap along the Firestone Center's border with the Hacienda Baru's property (old growth forest).  Lots of very cool animals come onto the FCRE from this large old forest, so having a camera trap here could score something nice.

Leta and Sara position a camera trap on the FCRE border with the Hacienda Baru

So, lots of camera traps are out there just waiting to record the wildlife.  And of course, somewhat humorously, they will record us going by as well as we struggle up the hill in the hot sun, or pouring rain as the case may be.

​A second science project relates to a web-making spider here, and so two students are keen to find and start seriously looking at these spiders and their webs.  While setting up the camera traps we were able to locate a couple webs.  And oh dear, the first one was...

Gabriela Ochoa knee deep in water in calf-high boots to measure a spider and its web

So instead of some web along a dry road, the first study spider was over water and I will let you know that the pond is quite deep and another step forward she would have been waist deep.

​Well, the next one had to be easier, right...

Using cheer techniques and balance Sabrina Wu is elevated to measure a spider and web well off the ground. Gabriela sits and smiles in the background

So much fun, but only so much time.  We had to head down the hill and figure out a late lunch and get on to other work.  But we were not in so much of a hurry that we didn't still look for spiders and set up camera traps.  And some of the wild things we saw walking back down the hill...

Capuchin monkey in the bamboo

Hive of honey-making stingless bees, a no-pain photo!

And finally, a very striking-looking tortoise beetle.  But not one I have seen before here at the FCRE and in the time available have not been able to identify.  Beautiful animal and I will update this post with a species if and when I can figure this gem out.

Unidentified tortoise beetle with striking neon colors