February 25, 2016
The godwits are giving us a hard time. We’ve been having trouble finding the big flocks, and they don’t seem to be using the traditional bays. Sigh.
Today we were supposed to be back on Isla Quinchao - surveying the second big bay - except we didn’t survey either of the two the day before because there weren’t godwits. So today was try to survey those bays - wherever there are godwits. It went a little like this:
Nervous ferry ride over
Drive to Chullec - at the first glimpse of flats from the road the pit in my stomach grew. Down at the flats - zero godwits.
Drive to Curaco - at the first glimpse of the flats from the road the pit in my stomach grew more. Down at the flats - G scanned with his scope, and I looked naked eye, “how many do you think there are Rose?” - zero godwits.
We decide to try to drive to a different spot on the island that Jorge told us about - the road conditions went from good to bad quickly. We stopped and turned around.
Where to next? Goodbye Isla Quinchao.
Nervous ferry ride to Dalcahue - do we turn right or left?
G voted for left - that bay was a few minutes closer and the clock was tick tick ticking.
Drive to Astillero - at the flats and… 60 godwits! But, they were flying away! Sigh… A quick scan they left behind a lone friend. Finally some data for the day! We saw a godwit!
What to do now? There’s still an hour of work left but not too much else to do here with one godwit. Move on.
Drive to Ten Ten - at the flats and… No godwits? G scans and finds a distant group of 13. I get going with a focal and.. They flush. Goodbye last chance at godwits.
Talk about a wild godwit chase and with little reward! Where are those gosh darn birds???
29 individuals…
The godwits are giving us a hard time. We’ve been having trouble finding the big flocks, and they don’t seem to be using the traditional bays. Sigh.
Today we were supposed to be back on Isla Quinchao - surveying the second big bay - except we didn’t survey either of the two the day before because there weren’t godwits. So today was try to survey those bays - wherever there are godwits. It went a little like this:
Nervous ferry ride over
Drive to Chullec - at the first glimpse of flats from the road the pit in my stomach grew. Down at the flats - zero godwits.
Drive to Curaco - at the first glimpse of the flats from the road the pit in my stomach grew more. Down at the flats - G scanned with his scope, and I looked naked eye, “how many do you think there are Rose?” - zero godwits.
We decide to try to drive to a different spot on the island that Jorge told us about - the road conditions went from good to bad quickly. We stopped and turned around.
Where to next? Goodbye Isla Quinchao.
Nervous ferry ride to Dalcahue - do we turn right or left?
G voted for left - that bay was a few minutes closer and the clock was tick tick ticking.
Drive to Astillero - at the flats and… 60 godwits! But, they were flying away! Sigh… A quick scan they left behind a lone friend. Finally some data for the day! We saw a godwit!
What to do now? There’s still an hour of work left but not too much else to do here with one godwit. Move on.
Drive to Ten Ten - at the flats and… No godwits? G scans and finds a distant group of 13. I get going with a focal and.. They flush. Goodbye last chance at godwits.
Talk about a wild godwit chase and with little reward! Where are those gosh darn birds???
29 individuals…