06/28/2023
Today was outstanding. This tour of Caño Negro was the best we have ever been on. We actually saw three “lifers”, birds that many professional birders search for their entire lives and maybe only see once, if at all. So. Much. Luck:
1) Garza Agami
2) Patitos Cantiles
3) Yellowtail Oriole
We found bats inside a Ceiba tree—a majestic tree full of life!
We saw juvenile jaguar tracks off a lagoon of the río frío.
We saw soooo many other birds and learned fascinating information about all of them. Basilisks, iguanas, howlers and spider monkeys were all over, too.
After the hike into the forest, our boat was invaded by army ants! Insects weren’t all bad, though. Students learned they can survive by eating termites. And yes, we always aim to please the palette, so several kids braved the live, tasty treat!
This evening we briefed students on their research. Dr. Silva, director of Loyola University Chicago’s data science graduate program, will give a lesson tomorrow on academic poster and research design. Students will then tour the grounds, and select their research topic/track. Teams will be established before lunch and our first core research block starts after lunch!
The kids are pumped and so are we!
Enjoy some pics…
