Day 3 Montserrat, The Cloud Forest

      Our first full day at Montserrat started with an early morning bird walk!  There is no sleeping here in the cloud forest.  The sun comes up around 4:30am and with the first sliver of light the birds are turned on!  The cloud forest becomes a symphony of chatter.  We are not talking a little light conversation here, we are talking about a yelling match that announces the presence of every type of bird you can imagine.  We didn't even make it to the fence and Margherita, Adrian, Michael, and Dr. Mo had their binoculars to their eyes announcing all of the different birds that were making such a huge fuss.  Yellow birds, red birds, the Fruit Loop bird, and green birds.   Hummingbirds darted in and out, territorially chasing each other over which flowers belonged to whom.

     We were making our way down the road to Nellie's place so we could join her in the search for her free-range cows that needed milking.  Nellie's place was just down the hill and around three curves.   Not a long distance from Armonia Natural, but farther than a rock's throw.  Every few steps, a different bird announced it presence with a call or a dance.  We moved five steps...and stopped. Five more steps...and another bird appeared.  Unfortunately, before our binoculars even reached our eyes the birds were on their way to another branch or treetop.  We had to ask Dr. Mo, Margherita, or Adrian what we missed; they were quick to spot, identify, and show us the picture of the bird in their books.  Dr. Mo spent much time training us on how to use the binoculars, "No, you don't look through the binoculars and then randomly move them up and down trying to spot the bird.  You find the bird, then, keeping your eyes on the bird, you move the binoculars up to your eyes.  Makes guessing where the bird should be much easier!"

     Forty minutes later, after what could have been a ten minute walk, we arrived at Nellie's house.  Nellie came out to greet us with a broad smile across her face, and  Margherita told us the story of how she first met Nellie: climbing the mountain calling for her cows, "Benga! Benga! Benga!"  Nellie took us around back to see the two calves she had already tended.  Nellie had all the milking materials out and ready to go:  a homemade backpack full of four separate bags of feed, one for each cow, a couple of ropes, a bucket, a poncho and two empty, plastic containers to hold the milk.  The backpack must have weighed at least forty pounds, and  Nellie, who is in her mid-fifties, put us all to shame by climbing up the hill with grace and speed.  We, on the other hand, stumbled over rocks and roots,  and our heavy breathing belied our lack of fitness.

    Half way to the Center, we cut through a grassy field as Nellie called for her cows, "Benga! Benga! Benga!"  The path became very uneven and muddy, and  a slow, steady drizzle soaked us with each soggy step.  As we slipped and slid left and then right, Nellie kept an even pace and steady footing.  We worked our way down a very steep hill, over a small river, and up the other side before the five cows came into view.  Nellie went to work securing the first cow by pulling offering a bag of feed while she tied its back legs together.  She then knelt down and began to milk the cow. We stood in awe, watching her muscled forearms move in rhythm, creating a melody as she swiftly filled the pail with milk.

    When the first cow was finished, Nellie prepared the second cow for milking.  Since we would be milking the second cow, she used a lead rope to tie the cow to the tree and secured the back legs so we would not get kicked.  Nellie taught us how to milk a cow, and we had a blast! As we stepped forward to milk the cow, we worked hard to avoid her other emissions.  It was a great experience.  After we collected the milk and made our way back to the road, we bid Nellie good-bye and headed home to the Center.  Nellie, relieved of the cow feed but loaded down with two large jugs of milk, strode down the hill to her house. The experience, and the strength and work ethic of this incredible woman, will not be easily forgotten.

On our trek home, the clouds rolled in over the mountain, creating a thick white blanket that hid the valley from our view.  The air was heavy with moisture and the misty dew settled on the large leaves of the surrounding vegetation, rolling down their drip tips, creating a soothing melody.
    After breakfast, we grabbed our boots, binoculars, and rain gear to set out on a nature hike around the property.  We enjoyed looking for birds, learning about the flora and fauna, and sharing our micro-teaches when the opportunity arose. The hike allowed us to see all the different types of vegetation thriving on the property.  This information would be used later when we completed a research project.  We saw many different types of birds on our walk as well:  Vultures, toucans, trogans, wrens, sparrows, hummingbirds, redstarts, flycatchers, and more. The list was long, and twenty-three species later the list was still growing.  We returned to the Center to rest, work on our journals, play games, and hang out until lunch.


After lunch, we started our service research project with Margherita.  We split into teams of four or five, and each team was assigned a section of the surrounding area.  Each group was tasked with measuring the diameter of twenty different trees, tagging each tree, recording the data, and taking a sample of each of these trees.  Equipped with a trash bag, measuring tape, ties to tag each tree, and our notebooks, we set out.  Together, we made our way to the Biodigestor to learn about how the Center  addresses sustainability issues.  Margherita explained what the Biodigestor is, how it was constructed, and how it contributes to the Center's sustainability.  Margherita also explained other sustainable efforts, such as recycling water, harvesting methane gas, and creating fertilizer.  Once we were set loose to begin our research project,  each group headed for their section of the property and began to collect data and tag trees.
       Once the research project was completed, we had a scavenger hunt from Dr. Mo to complete. This activity had us looking at the make up of the foliage in our area taking a closer look at the relationships between the plants and animals in the area. We drew our surroundings and then made observations of the wildlife depending on the plants for shelter, food, and protection.  We all loved this project because we had the opportunity to go off the trail and get up close and personal with the cloud forest's flora and fauna.  Without this assignment, we may not have taken the time to look so closely at the interactions going on around us.  It was awesome!
 

Once the groups completed the assignment, we took our data and evidence back to the Center's classroom.  During our free time this particular afternoon, Blanca gave us a lesson on how to make empanadas.  She demonstrated how we should use the heal of our hand to roll and press out the dough.  Then we had cheese and beans  to use as fillers.  Everyone had the chance to make two or three different empanadas.  Once they were made, we put them in the frying pan and Blanca cooked them for us.   We had a great snack before dinner!

After dinner we had dance class!  Adrian taught us how to salsa!  We danced until dinner at 7:00. After dinner, we were sitting, playing cards and minding our own business, when a rhinoceros beetle crashed the party.  He came through the crack in the door and landed with a thud.

Dr Mo picked him up so we could take a closer look. Some of us wanted to hold it and mustered the courage the to do so. But then, after being passed from hand to hand and person to person, he got restless, and grew tired of entertaining us, so he decided to fly away, causing utter mayhem!   The courage, curiosity, and inquisitive nature quickly turned to shrill screams as we dove for cover.  Once we were able to gain some order and organization we returned to playing cards, chatting and preparing to end the evening.  Oh what a night!