Dia 7: A Hard Day's Work

Hola everyone! The blog is back after a day off spent exploring Bocas Town, relaxing on its beaches, and diving deeper into the surrounding waters than our just our snorkels allow.  Having had the time to relax, we were ready to launch into another full day of project work! As we gathered in the early morning light for another of our wonderful cook's hearty breakfasts, there was a sense of urgency as we discussed action plans for data collection, but also one of excitement at the prospect of productivity with a whole day devoted to our research.

Mack and Emily having fun outside La Buga Dive Shop on our day off.
(Fun fact: La Buga means "a special place" in Garifuna.)

Doing my best to be a mermaid.

Ellie was stoked to be putting her Open Water dive certification to good use.

Exploring one of the beautiful beaches in Bocas del Toro.

Here's to a great day off!

Bolstered by coffee and fresh fruit, we all got an early start this morning, pulling on fins and rash guards just after breakfast and heading out to our respective study sites for the day. Unlike most of our days here so far, we were split into our groups today, each in slightly different areas of the bay. However, we are lucky enough here to have our study sites within a short swim of the STRI dock, which resulted in one group frequently looking curiously across the stretch of calm ocean separating them from another group, wondering at what they could be up to. Emily and Ellie, the sponges group, set out from the dock with a small sea kayak loaded down with jars, bottles, buckets, and other equipment for taking water samples and measuring water quality. Their mission for the day was to collect data on dissolved organic material (often referred to as D.O.M.) suspended in the water column. Since they are interested in studying the anthropogenic effects of coastal human populations on sponges, understanding differences in water quality near and away from a village is essential to their research.

Emily and Ellie ready to take some samples!

Meanwhile, the parrotfish group were working valiantly to follow individual fish around the reef. They are working to establish ranges occupied by different ages of parrot fish, as well as track behavior within their ranges. Unfortunately, one member of the group was forced to stay on land by a case of swimmer's ear, but determined as she was to not waste the day, Haley began the process of working up data her other group members collected.

(From left) Mack, Christina, and Haley hard at work calculating the ranges of their parrotfish.

Molly and myself are working on a project centered around mangrove roots and the sponges that grow on them. Our research concerns the effect that animals which feed on the sponges have on where the sponges can grow. So we have moved sections of mangrove roots to the patch reef to see if the sponges are more heavily grazed than in their normal habitat.

One of our relocated sections of mangrove root.

A bridled burrfish (Chilomycterus antennatus) hiding in the patch reef.

Field research is often both fun and frustrating, so after working through the day with only a quick break for lunch, by late afternoon we were all ready for a change of pace. So we swapped our fins for Chacos and walked to a nearby botanical garden in the midst of a wonderfully refreshing rainstorm. Here we spent two entire hours enthralled by the lush beauty of jungle trees, orchids, vines, palms, and more varieties of ginger than we could count. As we gazed up to the vaulted ceiling of trees and palm fronds above us, rain drops falling onto our upturned faces, we occasionally caught glimpses of birds as brightly colored as the flowers that surrounded us closer to earth.

Royal palms

Embracing the beauty of the silver palms

Haley was not ready to leave the garden.

At the end of the tour, our guide served us a tea made from the leaves of the citronella plant which was so delicious and refreshing we could not stop exclaiming over it. Then it was back to home base for dinner, where good conversation, jokes, and laughter were as abundant as the food. At least once a day I wonder, often aloud, at how this adventure can be real, a sentiment usually echoed by whomever I happen to be with. I'm still not sure, but I look forward to my second week here in Panama and even more adventures with this incredible group of scientists and friends.

¡Buenas noches!
Erin Parker