Last day

9 August 2015

With the typhoons nearby, I was fortunate to make it back to the mainland.  I anticipated it would probably be my last night on the island (though I couldn't be sure boats would be running the next day, and it was unclear whether the weather would allow me to return another day after that), so I decided to camp underneath the stars to observe the Perseid meteor shower.  What a great night sky for stargazing!!

Camping on the beach.  No tent, but kept the bug net. 

I radioed the field station that morning and the boats were running, so I packed up all my supplies. There happened to be some other researchers visiting Koshima, so I was lucky to witness a sweet potato provisioning!  The Koshima monkeys are famous for potato washing - a classic example of cultural transmission in non-humans.  When I was an undergraduate in my first animal behavior course I learned about Imo, the first Japanese macaque to begin washing her potatoes before consumption on Koshima.  Eventually this behavior spread to the rest of the group and was passed on to the future generations.  Presently they are not provisioned sweet potatoes very often (maybe once a year), so it was pretty awesome to witness the event.  A number of the monkeys still dipped their potatoes into the ocean.

Sadly, it was my last day on the island, but it was a great day.  The weather had significantly impacted my study timeline and postponed the start of my data collection, but I was able to push myself to the limit and collect the data I needed in a very intense stretch on the island.  I can't wait to begin data analysis, learn more about fractal analysis, and see what the data tells us about parasites and behavioral complexity! I already miss the island, and hope to return again in the future for some follow-up studies. :)

Leveling up

7 August

This morning was the first time my sleeping net failed me...a cockroach got in - _-

I can image following monkeys on Koshima to be a video game, with increasing levels that one can complete with increased skill.  For instance, level 1 would be something like ‘find the monkeys.’ The next level might be, ‘follow a traveling monkey for 30 minutes,’ or, ‘follow the monkey group to the center of the island.’ I feel like I leveled up earlier this week when I followed them to the rocky side of the island and back, which involved some very steep terrain, and the last two days I’ve reach yet a higher level when I was able to follow them to the opposite end of the island.  I keep losing them at the same steep slope after following them for a good 7 hours…maybe that is the next level.

The main difference from a video game though is that here, you only get one life!

Gotta love that view!

Okara, the cutest monkey.

I made it to the summit of the island!

Statue at the highest point.

Kaba, the alpha male, taking a rest.

Today I saw my first snake on the island.  I probably would have missed it but Kizu was alarm barking at it. 

Snake!!

Here is a video of Okara feeding.  They often rub these small nuts against trees to help remove the outer layer.

8 August

Leveled up again - finally made it to the furthest point of the island!  :D

View from the other side.

#fieldworkfail

Nothing like a warm beer at the end of the day...

Since the hashtag #fieldworkfail seems to be circulating Facebook and twitter now, I figured I'd make a post in it's honor.  

1.)  It is amazing how little water we actually need to shower! I can do it with about a liter now. However, water is precious so any opportunity to use freshwater from the island is great, and this has been quite limited with the intensely sunny days. There were supposed to be thunderstorms all day and I was looking forward to a bit of rain. I made it all day with only hearing distant thunder once, and there was no rain until my nightly attempt to get internet access on the beach.  When I made it back to the hut it really started raining hard, so I saw it as an opportunity for a good shower.  I stripped down and ran out to a clearning equipped with a soapy sponge.  I got all sudsy, and then the rain stopped.  I stood there wet and soapy, until I was dry and soapy, waiting for the rain that never started up again.  I ended up finishing the shower with my water back at the hut.  

#fieldworkfail

2).  The SIXTH typhoon during my field season is now on the radar.  

#fieldworkfail

And finally, the one I am most embarrassed about…

3).  In my previous post you may have read that the window locks on the hut aren't very secure and a monkey broke into the hut when I was on the mainland.  I had been careful sense then to make sure the windows were locked the best they can, until one night I forgot to lock a window before my return back to the mainland.  I realized the mistake later that night, and could only hope I would return the next morning before the monkeys got there.  That morning when I reached the hut the window had been pushed open, but there were no monkeys around and seemingly no destruction. Relieved, I shut up the windows and went out for data collection.  A few hours later I returned to the hut and noticed monkey feces on the floor, but the windows were still shut.  Had I really not noticed the feces in the morning?  It did look fresh…but maybe it was just that humid?  I quickly realized that there is no way I had just not noticed the poo that morning, which could only mean one thing…there was a monkey still in the hut.  

But where?  I searched everywhere (the hut is not that big), but there was no monkey.  Then it dawned on me…the monkey could be hiding under the floor (there is a space under the hut accessible only from inside the hut).  I used a light to search the area and couldn't see anything, but I knew it had to be there.  I opened the hut door and waited.  Within a minute a subadult male darted from under the floor out into the forrest.  

I accidentally locked a monkey in the hut.  

#fieldworkfail

I scrubbed the crap out of the floor (literally), and after this experience I took it upon myself to build extra window locks.  I duct taped the screens on the window, and broke sticks the length of a window pane to stick alongside the bottom edge of the window, so it couldn't be slid open without the removal of the stick from inside.  So far this has proved monkey proof.

Beginning the final stretch

It’s the final stretch!!!

Kinu joined us in the shade.

You got a little something on your lip there, dude.

As typhoon #5 approaches I’m keeping myself on the island to wait out the waves.  They typhoon will be a bit south of me, so hopefully all I get are some waves and rain, and I’ll still be able to collect data.  I’m being very careful with resources this time because A) I’m not sure how long I’ll be here and B) It may be my last chunk of time on the island so I gotta be efficient.  The concerns are the 2 things I have run out of previously: electricity and water.  I’ve stocked up on both, am hoping or sun for solar power, and am writing on pen and paper to save electricity.

Hopefully this is enough water...

Some upgrades to the hut.

The last few days I took advantage of the calm waters and slept at the field station, boating back and forth each day.  This was actually per suggestion of the boat drivers, as they were concerned about me staying alone when so many tourists were coming to the island (by boat, paddleboard, jet ski, etc), and they offered a discount.  It was nice while it lasted. 

Monkey footprints.

Monkey hand. 

Toga and baby.

Asa and baby.

Yamu & Co. 

Babies are exhausting.

I had some great days following the monkeys to the other side of the island where they eat shellfish off the rocky shoreline.  It is probably my favorite place to collect data, despite there being very little shade – the monkeys are active which yields good data, it is easy for me to follow them, and it is an awesome view!!

The forest isn’t hard when it’s flat and they aren’t arboreal, which is pretty much never :P

Siso, snoozing before another foraging bout.

Can you spot the monkey in the tree?

Forest terrain.

Sleep site

sleepytime

This stay on Koshima I’ve been sleeping in the tent since it hasn’t been raining, but I’ve been questioning this decision so I made a list of advantages of each.

Hut:

-       Quiet – you don’t realize how much noise walls block until you are sleeping without them.  High winds are especially loud. 

-       Greater sense of security.  Security from what, I’m not quite sure.

-       Easy to get out of to pee in the middle of the night

-       No extra travel at bed time, and since all of my gear is stored here, so I can’t forget to bring something with me

-       The floor is level*

Tent

-       Does not contain trash with rotten food or fecal samples

-       I don’t breathe moldy air in the tent

-       More natural lighting

-       Monkey-proof

-       No cockroaches

I’m still not sure which is superior…maybe by the end I’ll have a preference.  I think noise is the biggest disadvantage of the tent so I’m giving it a few days to see if I become habituated.

*When we first pitched the tent we picked a place that had a slight incline so water wouldn’t puddle under it.  It was actually quite a process – we used machetes and shovels to hack down some shrubbery in a place that was not too steep and in an area partially guarded from wind.  At one point I was even designing a moat for water flow either around or underneath the tent, which would have been completely unnecessary had I followed through.  Since it is no longer raining the incline isn’t as relevant, but I realized the flatter areas don’t have as good wind blockage, which is still relevant.  Also, last time I went to a store I purchased some non-slip sticky pad things to stick under the sleep pad – whoever designed tent bottoms, sleeping pads, and sleeping bags all out of slick materials clearly wasn’t thinking about people sliding down their tent when they sleep. I think the sticky pads help a bit, though having part of the sleep pad lined with rubber would be ideal.

Listening for monkeys

30 July

When I was doing research in Gibraltar, we had the often difficult task of distinguishing monkeys from rocks (and other objects that look like monkeys) during our group-wide scans.  Here, I don’t play the monkey-or-rock game quite as much, but sometimes I have a difficult time telling whether or not a noise came from a monkey, which is relevant when I’m trying to track them down in the forest.  

Here is a non-exhaustive list of things that sound like monkeys:

• Cicadas:  though you might not expect this, certain cicada chirps sound like a screaming juvenile monkey.  Cicadas tend to call for longer, and have a bit more periodicity.
• Frogs (at least I think they are frog noises): this is a new one…didn’t hear these last time.  Certain frog croaks sound like a monkey call.
• Birds:  this is a list in and of itself.  Many different bird species and calls, ranging in similarity to a monkey scream to an infant’s coo.
• Wind: rustling leaves or branches or a monkey in a tree?
• Crab: rustling in the forest, everywhere.
• Human children.

I’m planning to head back to the mainland station tomorrow evening to stay the night and return the next morning.  My limiting reagent this time is water, which I find quite ironic, since last time I could never actually get dry.  Because it is so hot I’m going through twice as much water as before.  

Side note: I met another tourist family today who were from Tokyo.  They had their daughters take their picture with me as well – I am becoming a Koshima attraction.  :P

Today was productive.  I was with the monkeys most of the day until I lost them around cliffs.  I tried to see if I could meet them on the other side of the island, but that was unsuccessful.  First I went a way that was not the trail I needed, and ended up sliding down a short portion of the hill on my but (only half on purpose), which somehow filled my pants with leaves and was not the most pleasant.  Eventually I headed back to the beach, which was full of monkeys -_- 

Also, I just gained wind (ha, get it?) that there is FIFTH typhoon forming in the seas.  I’m not sure yet what this means for my project, but it’s probably not good.  

My feelings about typhoon #5.

Knowing that I am going back tomorrow night I realized I could use up the battery on my computer.  So…I watched an episode of the Wild Thornberries, for inspiration.  

Also, dinner at sunset.

Summertime

29 July

Today was very hot again, 90s, high humidity.  It’s not so bad in the shade when the wind is blowing! The monkeys seemed to be feeling the heat as well – they spent most of the day at the beach.  This made for easy data collection, but bad data.  Ideally, I focal follow monkeys when they are moving around, so I can record patterns of activity.  If they don’t move, that doesn’t give me much to analyze later! 

Which of these monkeys would you rather be?

This is a good look-out point to scan rocks on the other side of the island, occupied here by Kaba the alpha male.

A postdoc who works at Koshima has been coming to the island the last few days so it’s been nice to have a bit of company during the day!  Also, since it is now summer season there have been a lot of tourists coming to the island – small family groups who come and take pictures and leave.  Funny to see how it went to so much traffic from absolutely no access. 

This evening when I was standing knee deep in the water at the beach, holding up my pocket wifi trying to get a signal (I’m sure I look like someone on one of those phone commercials), I saw some people paddleboarding to the island.  The irony, that people can now easily paddleboard to Koshima…

They made their way to the beach – a man and his two daughters – one who was sitting on his paddleboard and one who was floating on a small surfboard tied to the paddleboard.  I think we were both surprised to see each other.  They spoke some English and asked if I was waiting for a boat.  I explained, to their fascination that I was not, that I was camping on the island.  I told them I was there for the summer to study monkeys.  They were from Toi, a nearby town that has a population of wild horses.  They had only been to the beach before, not further up the island.  One of the daughters pointed up towards the outhouse and asked what it was.  I told them it was a toilet and they were quite interested.  They asked if they could go look so I gave them a tour of my luxurious accommodations.  They said I was a “strong woman.”  He took a few pictures of his daughters with me, and suggested that maybe sometime before I leave they come back and bring chicken.  I hope this happens, because that sounds fantastic. 

Paddleboard

Though I could complain about many things regarding the typhoon delays (like, you know, it severely compromising my research project timeline), the one thing that is most saliently unfortunate at the moment is having to get into Koshima shape twice.  By the end of the first week I was exhausted, but I felt like I was getting into pretty good shape and handling the forest terrain quite well.  I tried to go for a beach jog every day to keep it up, but it’s still a heck of a lot harder than if I had only taken a couple days off as planned, not a couple weeks.  The type of workout necessary to stay in Koshima shape is not one that one does for leisure. 

Also, I had to relearn that 99.9% of the time I hear something in the forest or in the dark, it’s a crab.