Life in the Amazon
I call them
magic moments. Those extraordinary instances when time stands still and one
finds oneself completely and utterly transfixed by the wonder that is nature.
As an
onsite naturalist at a mangrove wetland in Barbados for 5 years I witnessed
many such moments. By travelling across North America and visiting some of its
more renowned national parks i was treated to tremendous natural spectacles.
However never has the ratio of magic moments to hours spent in the field been
quite so high as during my first week in the Amazon working for GVI.
The signs
of the grandeur of this occasion became evident to me from almost the very
moment of my arrival. Indeed I was awoken from a fitful sleep on my first night
at base to the cries of “Boa!! Boa!!” Armed with little but my trusty head
torch I cautiously descended my dormitory stairs to the sight of staff members
carefully examining a recently captured 7.5 foot Red Tailed Boa. The beauty of
this powerful, yet docile forest giant was overwhelming as red, orange and
yellow iridescence reflecting from its scales seemed to dance in the glow of
candles and torches. Not one to rest on my laurels, I found myself the very
next night, traversing a forest stream at 10pm. I was struck by the stark
realization that without a head torch I would be utterly helpless in such
surroundings. The dense canopy prevents all but the brightest of moon/starlight
from filtering through to the forest floor and as available light wanes we
humans can be but mere visitors to this world. Eyes being useless, it becomes
necessary to rely on other senses. Despite not being able to see my hand in
front of my face, I soon realized that life was indeed abounding all around me
– my every step was greeted by a chorus of grunts, chirps, whistles, thumps and
tweets emanating from the throat pouches of several hundred overly amorous
amphibians. This is to say nothing of the crescendo of insect calls:
entomologists of the world – this is your playground!
While I
have found it difficult to sift through my myriad weekly experiences and
finally settle on “the best of the best”, another that certainly must be
mentioned is my first butterfly transect survey. These delicate beauties can be
found throughout the forest, and are regularly enticed towards our traps which
are filled with the somewhat curious concoction of bananas and rotting fish.
Entering
the first butterfly transect was an experience akin to stepping into another
world. Enormous ferns, palms and other floral varieties seemed to swallow our
search party in seconds. Dappled sunlight filtered through the dense overhead
canopy as we advanced towards our first trap. To our unequivocal delight a
giant Morpho had succumbed to the bait, and was awaiting inspection. For those
of you who have not been fortunate enough to see one of these organisms before,
allow your imagination to envisage an insect more comparable in size to a mid-sized
bird than a moth, and picture the absolute bluest of blues adorning its wings.
This is the Morpho in all its wondrous splendour.
I now find
myself in a position which provides me with the opportunity to bare witness to
such spectacles of nature on a regular basis - deep in the heart of the amazon.
This year –
LIFE is going to be good!
Ryan Chenery, GVI Amazon Field Staff
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