Porcupine in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

The Mexican Hairy Dwarf Porcupine (Sphiggurus mexicanus) is not a commonly seen animal. Although it is slow and not very small, it is retiring and blends in well. And some of its hairs transform into sharp spines as they age, providing them with a passive defense mechanism. Here we show photos taken of this animal in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, Nicaragua, some 100 meters from Estacion Biologica.


Mexican Hairy Dwarf Porcupine (Sphiggurus mexicanus) in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, Nicaragua. Photo by Pablo Somarriba.

 Although they are supposedly strictly nocturnal, this individual has ventured out in broad daylight on a tree on the main road in the reserve. We informed a park guard who remained near him for a few hours until the animal retreated into the forest. This species is nocturnal, solitary, and is thought to be strictly vegetarian. However, when we looked at these photos, we wondered whether this individual was feasting upon termites which are seen in a tunnel on the tree trunk, or perhaps on the tunnel itself which is made of semidigested plant matter.


Mexican Hairy Dwarf Porcupine (Sphiggurus mexicanus) in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, Nicaragua. Photo by Pablo Somarriba.

 It has a long prehensile tail which is evident in these pictures. Once somewhat common in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, a sighting today is remarkable. The porcupines are often killed by locals because dogs may bite them and be affected by their spines.


Mexican Hairy Dwarf Porcupine (Sphiggurus mexicanus) in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, Nicaragua. Photo by Pablo Somarriba.

 It was a special treat to see this animal, because they are not common and not out during the daytime Several students from the Laguna de Apoyo Spanish School got to see the animal, too!

Mexican Hairy Dwarf Porcupine (Sphiggurus mexicanus) in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, Nicaragua. Photo by Pablo Somarriba.

Please let us know if you see any special wildlife in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. We are always interested.



 

 

Bird population monitoring in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

This week, our team of Marlene Kroner, Lucas Betthausen, Soren Kraack, and Lorenzo Lopez conducted bird population monitoring by mist netting in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. Every month, we use mist netting to capture birds for a population monitoring longitudinal study. Here is a selection of the birds they caught in photos, followed by a list of all species captured during this period.

Grey-headed Tanager (Eucometes penicillata). Photo by Soren Kraack.

This gorgeous bird escaped our view for years in the reserve, particularly because it is only found in the southwestern section of the crater. We have never documented the Grey-headed Tanager on the northern side of the crater, where Estacion Biologica is situated. In spite of its bright yellow plumage, it is not easily seen, either! It is a resident species, present year-round.


Male Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) having its plumage reviewed and noted in our data bank. Photo by Soren Kraack.

The Painted Bunting is among the most colorful birds in Nicaragua and also in North America, where it nests. The males are exuberantly colored, whereas the females are drab yellow. Our population will be heading northward before the next time we monitor birds by mist netting, next month. This species is of particular concern because of diminishing populations and is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Habitat loss by the intensification of agriculture in the southern and midwestern US is thought to be the principal cause of its recent population drop, but we know little of birds like this one in their southern habitat. Our captures may contribute to better conservation of this species. We have made another blog entry on this gorgeous bird, where you can read more about it.

Stripe-throated Hermit (Phaethornis striigularis). Photo by Soren Kraack.

There are at least ten species of hummingbirds found in the Tropical Dry Forest habitat of Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. The Stripe-throated Hermit prefers more dense forest cover than others such as the Cinnamon Hummingbird which is more common at Estacion Biologica. This little bird may have co-evolved with specific flowers from which it feeds, hence the decurved bill. This species has recently been named as distinct from the Little Hermit (Phaethornis longuemareus) which now is limited to South America.

Lesser Greenlet (Hylophylus decurtatus). Photo by Soren Kraack.

The Tropical Dry Forest habitat abounds in flycatchers (Tyrannidae). Among the less flycatcher-like in behavior of this family is the smallish and retiring Yellow-olive Flycatcher (Tolmomyias sulphurescens). It makes a small pyriform nest with an entrance near the bottom. We often have nests in the yard at Estacion Biologica. The feathers at the top of this bird's head have been wettened by the handler to examine ossification of the cranium-a test for the bird's age.

Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus). Photo by Soren Kraack.

The Red-eyed Vireo migrates long distances between its nesting areas in the US and wintering ranges in Central and South America. Migratory birds are especially vulnerable to the many dangers of a long trip and need to re-establish territories in potentially crowded and hostile areas twice each year. This species is common in season throughout the Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve forests.

Here is a list of the birds captured during the April mist netting. Notice how different this list is from the birdwatching list of the same date. It gives you an idea, too, of what you can see when birdwatching in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve.

Catharus ustulatus
Thryothorus rufalbus
Hylocharis eliciae
Chiroxiphia linearis
Eucometis penicillata
Passerina ciris
Xiphorhynchus flavigaster
Turdus grayi
Vireo olivaceus
Chlorostilbon canivetii
Seiurus noveboracensis
Arremonops rufivirgatus
Vermivora peregrina
Basileuterus rufifrons
Myiarchus crinitus
Seiurus aurocapillus
Tolmomyias sulphurescens
Hylocichla mustelina
Thryothorus pleurostictus
Hylophilus decurtatus
Phaethornis striigularis
Dendroica pennsylvanica
Amazilia cyanura

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Birdwatching at Estacion Biologica I

The aquatic habitat of the lake combines with the tropical dry forest habitat of Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve to give a wide variety of birds to be seen in a birdwatching activity. Here is a list of birds we saw on a morning birdwatching walk around Estacion Biologica this week:

Osprey                                  Pandion heliaetus
Turkey Vulture                      Cathartus aura
Black Vulture                        Coragyps atratrus
Orange-chinned Parakeet      Brotogeris jugularis
Orange-fronted Parakeet       Aratinga canicularis
Turquoise-browed Motmot    Eumomota superciliosa
Northern Oriole                     Icterus galbula
Swainson's Thrush                 Turdus swainsonii
Clay-colored Thrush              Turdus grayi
Hoffmann's Woodpecker       Melanerpes hoffmannii
Yellow Warbler                     Dendroica petechia
Salvin's Emerald                    Chlorostylbon salvini
White-throated Magpie-Jay   Calocitta formosa
Dusky-capped Flycatcher      Myiarchus tuberculifer
Social Flycatcher                   Myiozetetes similis
Inca Dove                              Columbina inca
Red-billed Pigeon                   Patagioenas flavirostris
Tropical Kingbird                   Tyrannus melancholicus
Chestnut-capped Warbler      Basileuterus delattrii 
Melodious Blackbird              Dives dives
Great-tailed Grackle              Quiscalus mexicanus
Black-headed Trogon            Trogon melanocephalus
Banded Wren                        Thryothorus pleurostictus
Montezuma Oropendola        Psaracolius montezuma
Rufous-naped Wren              Campylorhynchus rufinucha
Yellow-bellied Elenia             Elenia flavogaster
Yellow-olive Flycatcher         Tolmomyias sulphurescens
Blue-gray Tanager                 Thraupis episcopus
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher        Tyrannus forficatus

Photo by Jeffrey McCrary.

Twenty-nine species in 90 minutes, all within 100 meters of Estacion Biologica. Not bad! And we didn't go into the forest, nor did we look near the water. Be watching for a coming posting on our mist netting results, for comparison.

We regularly make birdwatching walks at Estacion Biologica, in addition to the research studies, and we are able to see a similar number of birds without going far and returning in time for breakfast. This list was made with the participation of David Santillo who was studying Spanish with us.

Photo by Jeffrey McCrary.

Nicaragua has plenty of great places for birdwatching, among them is our wonderful Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. Come and bring your binoculars. Estacion Biologica can arrange a professional guide who knows his or her birds. Four members of our staff are published authors in the scientific literature about birds in Nicaragua. 

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Duo Guardabarranco: CORAZON DE NINO

Salvador and Katia Cardenal made a memorable anthology of music as Duo Guardabarranco. Their music carried messages of social justice, the environment, spirituality, love and solidarity. The identity of Nicaragua can be read in their music, a country punished by oppression and violence, full of nature, and love for one's fellow man. Among their songs was a tribute to their uncle Juan, who inspired them to immortalize his Heart of a Child.

Here is the song, with its lyrics in Spanish below. Click on song title for video!

Corazón de Niño

Juan decía que tenia un plan
de viejo ir a vivir al mar,
pero nunca fue viejo,
porque el mar vino a traerlo.
Y en las costas de San Juan del Sur,
pintando esta Juan de la Cruz,
un cielo para los que amó
y un ángel cruza el tragaluz
y me besa un labio herido.
Hoy Reymundo y todo el mundo
vamos a ir a ver el cine de los cielos,
hoy sabremos el teléfono de Dios
esta desocupado, esta desocupado.
Juan contanos como hacer
para tener amor y corazón de niño,
Juan sabremos el teléfono de Dios,
el corazón lo sabe, el corazón de niño
el corazón de niño.
Ser un ave del amanecer,
cantando de amor y placer
al ver la madrugada
y sumarse a la batalla
de la luz contra la oscuridad,
del bosque contra la ciudad,
del arte por la libertad
del hombre que nació a vivir
y morir en paz con todos.

Heart of a Child

Juan would say he had a plan
To go to live at the sea when old,
But he was never old
Because the sea came to take him.
And on the shore of San Juan del Sur,
Was painting Juan de la Cruz
Skies for those he loved
An angel enters through the window
And kisses my wounded lips
Now the whole world
Goes to see the cinema in the skies,
Now we know God's telephone
Is waiting for us, is waiting for us to call.
Juan, tell us how to act
To have love and the heart of a child.
To be a bird of the dawn,
Singing of love and joy
To see the sun rise
And join the battle of light against darkness,
Of forest against city,
Of art for the freedom
Of man who was born to live
And die at peace with everyone.

SCUBA diving in Laguna de Apoyo

We dive to study fish. We study fish to save them. Doubtless the fish of Laguna de Apoyo are facing a race against time as man continues to encroach on their habitat. Each day, the shores of the crater lake have fewer trees. Houses are built, forests are cut, pesticides are applied, all slowly drying and poisoning the only home for six known species of fish and countless others which have not been "discovered" officially. Dozens of fish species remain undiscovered in the waters of Nicaragua.

Here are the endemic species which have been named to date:
Amphilophus chancho
Amphilophus globosus
Amphilophus supercilius
Amphilophus flaveolus
Amphilophus astorquii
Amphilophus zaliosus

The last listed species, the arrow cichlid, was discovered by George Barlow in 1976, while the other five were discovered between 2008 and 2010 by a multinational research team in collaboration between FUNDECI/GAIA, Jay Stauffer's group at Pennsylvania State University and Matthias Geiger at Maximillian Ludwig University (Munich). They are all very closely related species, evolved since an introduction into the volcanic crater lake 10,000-20,000 years ago. All the fish are descendants of a parent Midas cichlid (Amphilophus citrinellus) stock.

In the photo below, taken while SCUBA diving on one of our monitoring sites in Laguna de Apoyo, several of the above-mentioned species are present.

A multispecies Amphilophus school in our monitoring site. Photo by Balasz Lerner.

We count fish numbers at fixed depths in specific locations monthly, as well as fish nests. The counting methods have permitted us to gain the extensive experience necessary to begin to decipher the differences between the fish species-distinctions that the fish themselves "see" but we do not nearly as easily.

Lorenzo Lopez is taking notes on fish populations in our fish monitoring activity in Laguna de Apoyo.

This study is important because it permits us to detect changes in the lake habitat and fish populations, hopefully giving us time to respond in the event of a potential fish kill or extinction event. We are still trying to understand just how many of each fish species are in the lake in order to interpret our results better. We have recently published a baseline of fish populations and breeding rates at three sites in Laguna de Apoyo, which you can find here.

Not only fish are observed in our monitoring work. We count the crabs seen as well:

Potamocarcinus nicaraguensis in Laguna de Apoyo.

Little is known about the crabs that inhabit the Nicaraguan Great Lakes system. We occasionally see them eating a dead fish, or more often, hiding in a hole or beneath an object. We usually see two or three each dive. We have begun counting them systematically, to look for trends in their population over time.

You can join us! Please let us know if you would like to dive with us in Laguna de Apoyo. If you are a certified diver, and you would like to accompany us, you can learn about the rare and threatened fishes of the lake, see them up close, and help us collect data that ultimately will contribute to scholarly publications about these fish and their habitat. We know far too little about these fish, and your participation helps us learn more about how to protect these species. We are saving Nicaraguan wild nature, and you can help.

Whether you are a field biologist or a tourist, we there are ways you can participate in our work. A few of the ways are:

1. Participate in our diving research program as a diver. Any certified diver can contribute by "buddying" on a research dive.

2. Visit us at Estacion Biologica in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve and meet us personally.

3. Tell others about us and the nature conservation activities in Nicaragua.

4. Patronize businesses with responsible management practices such as permits, pesticide use, waste management, etc.

5. Volunteer some time with us-we have a constant need for volunteers outside the water as much as inside, from computer data management, conservation professional support, to physical activities without technical expertise.

6. Collaborate with us as a visiting scientist. We have numerous projects and topics that could benefit from the involvement of more researchers. Our group publishes more than any research group in Nicaragua, and we would like to work with more international and local collaborators.

7. Donate-whether in cash or used dive equipment in good condition. We can get material transported from the US if necessary. We can receive financial donations via paypal, and provide tax information (we are a Nicaraguan registered not-for-profit).

Please contact us if you want to help. This project depends on individual, small-scale contributions, so your can make a difference.



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Don't eat turtle eggs!

Most species of sea turtles today are in grave risk of extinction. One important factor in their plight is the long-held, tasty tradition of eating sea turtle eggs. Poachers dig the eggs up on the beaches during the turtle reproduction season (June to December), or they are simply harvested as the turtle drops them into a hole on the beach. In Nicaragua, a campaign against the consumption of turtle eggs was very successful at raising the consciousness of the public and decision-makers. The drawing below is the logotype for the campaign.

NO COMO HUEVOS DE TORTUGA!

Click the hatching egg for video.

In spite of the publicity generated by this successful campaign, turtle eggs can still be found on menus in restaurants. In Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, one of our neighboring businesses, just short walk from Estacion Biologica, offers turtle eggs on its menu:

This restaurant in Laguna de Apoyo serves turtle eggs, in spite of the disapproval of a wide variety of people and the law against sale of turtle eggs. Photo Nathan Biondolino.

Photo Nathan Biondolino.

Photo Nathan Biondolino.

Here, the waiter at "Monteverde" Restaurant in Laguna de Apoyo is serving turtle eggs to a client.

Photo Nathan Biondolino.

Obviously, sea turtle conservation is completely incompatible with the disgusting practice of the traffic in turtle eggs. The sale of turtle eggs should be stopped at every level, including the boycott of restaurants that continue to offer turtle eggs. We recommend a boycott of this restaurant and any other that sells turtle eggs.

Turtle eggs should be hatched on the beach, not placed on a plate to eat. Photo Nathan Biondolino.

Photo Nathan Biondolino.

Friends don't let friends eat turtle eggs. Photo Nathan Biondolino.

Please do not patronize businesses that sell turtle eggs! Photo Nathan Biondolino.

Sea turtles found in Nicaragua and their IUCN classifications:

Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)    Endangered

Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)    Critically Endangered

Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)    Critically Endangered

Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta)    Endangered

Olive Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)   Endangered

What can you do to help to conserve sea turtles? Don't eat turtle eggs. Don't let your friends eat turtle eggs. Denounce all traffic in turtle eggs to the authorities. If you see any wild animal mistreatment or illegal commerce in wildlife or if you see turtle eggs on the menu in a restaurant, please contact us!

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