La Laguna

Coming to the end of our first five weeks, we all went on a walk to the lagoon in an area of beautiful primary rainforest. At this point in the program most of us had completed our BTEC work in biological survey techniques, which included amongst other things, a species ID test. Getting all the work done throughout the beginning of the expedition is something I found very helpful when out in the field, as others did too.

When we got to the lagoon the group had real initiative and enthusiasm in looking for amphibians and other creatures. When we first got there we found a White-lined Monkey Frog (Phyllomedusa vaillanti) that looked perfectly adapted for a tropical rainforest. We were told of caiman living in the lagoon and we caught a glimpse of some caiman eye shine, with our head torches. We split into two groups, with both groups finding a Dwarf Climbing Salamander (Bolitoglossa peruviana), a lungless species that breathes through its skin. One group saw a Fer-de-lance (Bothrops atrox) and just before we all left to go back to base camp the rest of us were given the chance to see it. We rushed back to the location and found it moving slowly across a log, curious of our presence. It was an amazing experience, my first snake citing on the reserve.

Hope Swift – GVI Amazon Conservation Intern, Oct 2010 – Mar 2011

La Laguna