Dracula Youth Reserve Expedition: Day 9

The Golondrinas Protected Area at dawn. Photo by Callie Broaddus

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Part 1: Written By Pearson McGovern

Part 2: Written By Natalia Espinoza

Part 1

Today we said goodbye to half of the Herp Team as Juanito and Mario were headed three hours away to Altotambo in search of other exciting finds. We didn’t know it at the time, but this was unfortunately the last we would see of Mario before we left Ecuador. Though Callie, Natalia, and Javier had left early that morning to go inspect a potential new property to add to Dracula Reserve, the rest of the expedition team lined the dirt road in front of the campsite and waved goodbye. 

Photo by Pearson McGovern.

By this point, after just one day at the Casa Fischer site, we had already documented 17 species of herps. This rapid success had us eager to keep exploring the available habitats contained in this unexplored site. We started this day by making our way up Basilisk Stream into the Quebrada Oscurana (Dark Creek), a fast-flowing, rocky stream cutting through the sloping walls of the slippery forest above the road. The stream was around 3 meters wide and for the most part about 30-cm deep, though several deeper pools dotted it’s interior. We had been steadily climbing for around an hour when we reached a fork in the stream and decided to split up, with Daniel C and I going left towards the main stream and Miguel taking the smaller adjoining creek to the right. Continuing along the main stream, we made it all the way to the base of a gorgeous, shimmering waterfall surrounded with life. 

Photo by Pearson McGovern.

Eager to see the views from the top, but unable to traverse the steep slopes on either side of the stream, Daniel and I decided to ditch our slippery rubber boots and make our way directly up the waterfall barefoot. We carefully stretched and pulled our way up the mossy, misty sides. I will forever be glad we did because what laid above was a continuation of waterfall after waterfall, each with a crystal clear pool catching their falling waters. Daniel and I made our way up the next five cascades, enjoying a dip in each pool on our way up. We made our way down easier by sliding on the slippery center of the waterfalls, gripping on just long enough to jump into each pool from a safe distance above. On an expedition full of scenic views, I left this series of waterfalls putting them at the top of the list!

Photo by Pearson McGovern.

Nearing lunch time, we increased our pace heading back to the campsite, stopping briefly along the way to admire the bird nests lining the banks and precariously hanging over the running stream. In near perfect synchrony, Doña Rosio was serving lunch just as we peaked the hill to our camp. The Rodent Team had also just returned from setting up more Sherman and havahart traps as well as collecting their haul from one of the pitfall trap arrays. Their second night of open traps yielded more Heteromys australis (the most common rodent at this part of the site, locally called “Mochileros” due to their cheek pouches in which they store and carry food), as well as two new species for the trip (Melanomys caliginosus & Neacomys tenuipes). Though the traps had only been active for two days, it was already clear to Jorge that this previously intensively hunted site was producing a much lower diversity and abundance of creatures compared to other more pristine parts of the Reserve. It will be exciting to see the rejuvenation of this affected site now that it will be protected for the long term. 

The Minions work on taxidermying the rodents. Photo by Pearson McGovern.

After lunch I joined the Minions (Jacki and Karen, affectionately and officially called “the Minions” for their incredible work ethic working under Jorge Brito), Rolando, and Gaby in taxidermying the newly captured specimens to use both as vouchers for the area and as educational specimens in the INABIO museum in Quito. This trip was Karen’s first expedition and first time preparing specimens in the field. Watching her improve and gain confidence over the past 24 hours reminded me of all the times in the field when one goes from trainee to trainer. This is exactly what happened next as she walked Rolando, Gaby, and I through our first attempt at preparing a mount. It is a process of patience and precision, where attention to detail is the difference between perfection and, well, the opposite. Preparing just one individual took each of us over an hour (with Gaby taking over 2 hours but producing by far the nicest mount), leaving us entirely impressed with the completed “mischief” (the world for a pack of rats/mice) of specimens aligned in front of both Jacki and Karen.

In writing about the preparation and sacrifice of specimens during this expedition, it is important to clarify that for the scientists on this mission this was a collection trip. The collected individuals were to become ambassadors for this forest, playing a vital role in advancing learning and curiosity, expanding knowledge on habitat use and behaviour, and extending range distribution data in an area that is severely lacking in scientific exploration. 

As we did each night, the remaining Herp Team members (Daniel C and Miguel) and I set out to explore Quebrada Oscurana in the dark. We quickly documented the usual suspects; plentiful Emerald Glass Frogs (Espadarana prosoblepon) and Labiated Rainfrogs (Pristimantis labiosus) calling from the leaves and Cachabi Robber Frogs (Pristimantis achatinus) jumping between the streamside rocks. However, it wasn’t until we were within 50 meters of the waterfall that would mark the limit of the night's hike that we found another new species for the trip. As I rounded a fallen tree crossing the stream and pulled myself atop a streamside boulder, I looked up to see a beautiful Hyloscirtus palmeri, the cousin of the newly discovered species recently named during Reserva’s frog naming competition. Perched atop a Platanillo leaf, this spectacular green-yellow torrent frog would be the only individual of this species seen on this expedition.

Hyloscirtus palmeri. Photo by Callie Broaddus

We quickly followed up this exciting find by adding Quebrada Oscurana to the list of localities for the endangered stubfoot toad Rhaebo colomai. If it hadn’t been for Miguel’s trained eye, this beautiful female individual would have watched as the three of us passed casually below her elevated perch in the hollow of a fallen tree suspended meters over the stream. It took putting Daniel on my shoulders to capture this beautifully positioned individual, our first female Rhaebo of the trip. Female Rhaebo, as in most Anurans (frogs and toads), are the larger sex and are characterized by a more vibrant golden/yellow mask across the face.

Rhaebo colomai female. Photo by Callie Broaddus.

Yet again excited about our finds, we made our way back to camp to reunite with the team. We quickly learned that our adventures that day paled in comparison to what Javier, Callie, Natalia, and Bebecito had been through…

Part 2 - Written by Natalia Espinoza

After causing a ruckus from having trouble starting the car, Callie, Javier, and I were on the road at 5:30 AM. We would be spending the morning in Pintal looking at a large property that EcoMinga is interested in purchasing. It was the beginning of an unexpectedly long, adventurous day.

A view from the drone above our hike shows the Rio San Juan cutting through the landscape, dividing Colombia and Ecuador. Photo by Callie Broaddus

We met the landowner, Don Daniel, and started hiking to his property at 7:00. For the first stretch of the hike, we climbed steep trails through pastures destined for cattle ranching. We spotted the occasional bird, including our first Squirrel Cuckoo, and made sure to hug the few giant trees that were still standing.

Squirrel Cuckoo. Photo by Callie Broaddus

But, to complete the full 180 from our previous days’ work in a pristine cloud forest, were soon surrounded by destroyed habitat destined for naranjilla planting. For 40 minutes straight, we walked through what was left of fallen trees, flowerless orchids, and dry branches. The heat was almost unbearable, the air stuffy and suffocating. There was no life.

Unlike deforestation for pasture, which often includes burning, trees are left to decompose and enrich the soil for naranjilla plots. Photo by Callie Broaddus

As soon as we got to the forest edge, the temperature dropped drastically—a stark reminder that climate change is not just a global issue. It also happens at a micro-scale, affecting regions, localities, and even individual plots of land. Within moments of entering the forest, Javier pointed out an orchid that may be new to science and we were delighted by another new bird for the trip, a Golden-winged Manakin.

Golden-winged manakin. Photo by Callie Broaddus

Though no more than a mile by GPS, the difficulty of the incline meant that this one-mile hike took us two hours. We finally reached a recovering pasture on the ridgeline, which provided the perfect open opportunity to send EcoMinga’s drone, “Bebecito,” into the air. From the phone screen, we could see sweeping vistas of intact forest ahead with the dramatic backdrop of the Golondrinas mountains in full view on this clear day.

Callie’s remote control kept indicating that there were transmission issues. Thinking that some of our devices could be causing interference, she asked us to step away. The screen came back, and all was well for a few minutes until she realized that what she saw on the screen did not match the direction of the drone’s locator arrow on the remote. Realizing that something was terribly wrong, Callie decided to pilot Bebecito back towards us visually, hoping to get the drone within earshot. That’s when the screen went black, with the simple message: “Aircraft Disconnected.”

She stared at the screen, aghast. After a minute of waiting for signs of life, we sent a search party to the last known GPS coordinates. Javier and Don Daniel left, but came back twenty minutes later, empty handed and baffled—Javier’s GPS had sent him in one direction for ten minutes before suddenly pointing in the opposite direction! Something odd was clearly afoot in this mountain range. [Note: Since writing this, two drones have since lost GPS and crashed in the same general area with similar stories of haywire electronics.]

Finally by midday, we conceded that we would have to split up if we were to find Bebecito before the afternoon rains. Javier and Don Daniel went off in a new direction while Callie and I retraced our steps toward the car. While we didn’t like being separated in an unfamiliar area with no cell service, Callie’s Garmin inReach mini gave us connectivity to the outside world in case of emergency. We told Javier that if he didn’t come back within four hours, we would drive back to the expedition team for reinforcements.

We hiked back through the blistering hot deforested path alone, hoping Javier and Don Daniel would return safely. Photo by Callie Broaddus.

Javier reached the car after three and a half hours, looking exhausted. He narrated how each time the GPS indicated that they were getting closer to Bebecito’s location, the information would change and say that he was further away. They scrambled up and down canyons—losing Javier’s cell phone permanently in the process—until finally, they made it to the point indicated by the GPS. And there was Bebecito, waiting in a wide pasture with a single fig tree, apparently unharmed. Laughing with relief, sunburned, and completely exhausted, we headed back to Casa Fischer with a story to tell.

Marco returns with a jar full of potentially new species of orchids. Photo by Callie Broaddus

We came “home” to find that we weren’t the only ones who had an adventure. Marco had finally arrived to Casa Fischer after a 12-hour hike through Dracula Reserve, placing data loggers and collecting three potentially new species of orchid. We passed the evening photographing specimens late into the night until the density of moths surrounding our lights made work (finally) impossible.

Photographing at night ultimately became a futile endeavor due to our popularity with the insects. Photo by Callie Broaddus