Our helicopter rose with the sun as Mr. Berthus was taking us to the location where we had previously conducted the rainforest survey with Ed. My plan was to search within the rainforest floor for additional ant species and discover what other invertebrates were in and around the understory.
On the approach to the mountain we passed over a layer of low clouds that skirted the base mountain. Such varied topography leads to very interesting microclimates here which shapes a variety of ecosystems, resulting in the great biodiversity of the region.
The smoke from grass fires had been frequent down low in the Park, but here at 4700 feet the air was fresh and crisp. Initially, I assisted Joel from National Geographic with the mist nets for bird collection. We were joined by Ninda from Angola and Daniel, a biology intern from Portugal. On arrival we walked down to a stream bed where I had photographed a variable sunbird on the last expedition. This ended up being a good collecting spot, netting 4 different birds.
Once the nets were in place I decided to explore a new region of the rainforest. I brought the machete and collecting gear on the upward slope of the meadow. To access to the forest within I would have to clear with the machete. Most of the entry had thorn covered vines and some dense low trees. I made a path just large enough so I exit easily with the bags of soil and leaf litter, shovel, and camera gear.
Before I really start collecting I found my eyes needed time to adjust to the dim light. As I began searching through leaf litter I notice that there was an abundance of springtails (Collombola). Ed was surprised that the previous sampling of leaf litter showed none. He had discussed how the springtails are prey for a variety of predatory ants. Maybe this ground material will yield new ants.
I spent much of the time exploring the bark on fallen trees and logs. The older material mostly had millipedes and earwigs. The newer wood had a variety of spiders, crickets, an unknown type of land snail, slugs, and the small white millipedes that Ed and I were finding in the leaf litter sample. No ants were found. The majority of the animals excluding the birds are incredibly cryptic. In Ed’s report from the previous survey he commented that most of the invertebrates were quite small, which could be due to this rainforest being montane with extended cold weather.
The expedition seemed to go so fast. Wish I could spend more time in this location. I caught a very large Carpenter Bee on the return to the helicopter. On the way back to Chitengo I handed off the collection to Joel for photography and then to Ed for identification at Harvard.
We were delayed a little coming back to Chitengo due to taking the nets down along the forest edge. Upon landing back at camp, Bob was there with his Land Rover to pick me up at the helo landing area. He was with Candida Pinto a well-known Portuguese television news journalist. She is here by way of Libya, Egypt and some other places to do a story on Gorongosa for Portuguese and Mozambique television.
Bob’s next project is to shoot the elephants of Gorongosa for an elephant recovery story. Some of the animals may have still not recovered from the civil war and the slaughter that occurred here. We went on a drive with a guide last week whose vehicle was thrown on its side by an elephant last year. Everyone survived but the experience sounded pretty intense. Bob will be here to document the work of this expert to calm them down so there behavior stays on the up and up. He has survived a few himself. The instances I know of include a rhino attack that missed him by inches and a plane crash at Ndutu that killed the pilot.
The day ended at the Hippo House, on the edge of Lake Urema. This is an old restaurant and bar structure from the glory days of Gorongosa. It sits on the edge of Lake Urema and is an incredible spot for birding. On arriving to the area I watched a Black-headed Heron swallow a 14” snake.
We used the site to shoot Ed for a couple of pieces for Life on Earth. Beautiful scene on the marsh. Interviews were also conducted with Mark Stahlmans and Greg Carr.
Just another day in the Park.
Jay, it is just amazing to imagine everything you are experiencing...new species, a world very far away from East County...thank you for sharing it with us.
ReplyDelete