Hanging Out at the Clay Lick...Again (Day #2)

After the first great visit to the clay lick, we got set to do it all over again on the next day. This time, though, my group would get to stay longer and help the researchers count birds. I was all for this because it meant avoiding another long hike. By long hike I mean, four hours. This was how long we hiked after the first day at the clay luck, and frankly, it was a bit much for me. I started calling that experience the "Four Hour Death March." That's what it felt like after waking up at 4:00 a.m., watching birds at the clay lick, and then hiking for four hours in those rubber boots. I was spent!


Anyway, so I was looking forward to extra time at the clay lick since it meant that I wouldn't have to take another four hour hike. I was also laughing with some mean-spirited glee at my friends who missed the four hour hike on the previous day, but would probably have to take it today. I know, that wasn't nice, but sometimes misery loves company.


Since we were assisting the researchers, we got to go to a different viewing place than the rest of our colleagues. We also got "breakfast on the go," which basically consisted of scrambled eggs in a plastic container. That is exactly why I always travel with a stash of granola bars. They've saved the day more than once! We had our little aluminum folding chairs and we hunkered down again to wait for the birds.


The birds decided to go to a different part of the clay lick than where they had been on the previous day. This worked out really well for us because they were closer to where we were sitting. We got some pretty good views of them, and we could see them really well with the telescope. As they did on the previous day, it seemed like they all just left at once. Some were still perching in nearby trees, but they weren't at the clay lick anymore.

It was about that time that the researchers left and gave us the job of counting birds. Every five minutes we were supposed to write down how many birds were at the lick. It was our job to do this for about the next three hours. We also were to make some other observations of the birds that were perched in the trees and describe what exactly they were doing.

So, once we had the directions and the researchers were gone, we were ready to do our jobs. There was only one problem...there weren't any more birds at the clay lick. For three hours there weren't any more birds at the clay lick! Wow, talk about boring. If the birds would've been there, it would've been great. But it was like a graveyard. So, we sat. And we watched. And we waited. And that was about it. 

To make matters worse, the bugs were trying to munch on us like crazy. We even resorted to wearing mosquito net hats for a little while. I don't think I have ever worn a more ridiculous outfit in my life: convertible pants, knee-high rubber boots, long sleeved shirt, and a mosquito net hat. I'm sure that my students would have rolled with laughter if they'd seen me. It doesn't get much funnier than that! Just look at the picture and you'll see what I mean.

While we were waiting for the birds and swatting away mosquitoes, I took the opportunity to get caught up on my journal. We did get to make some observations of the birds in the trees by using the telescope. For one minute we watched a bird and reported on its behavior. There was a checklist to mark with information about what the bird was doing. We took turns observing the birds this way, and it also helped to pass the time.

Finally, it was time to head back to TRC. We hiked back down to the river, but the boat wasn't there yet to pick us up. I suggested that we wade in the river for a few minutes to cool down. What a great idea this turned out to be! It felt so good to dunk my feet in the water. I could've stayed there all day. In fact, I was really sad when the boat came and we had to put our boots back on. I actually took off the lower parts of my convertible pants and wore the boots with them as shorts. It looked funny, but it felt much cooler.

I learned something very important during our extended time at the clay lick....being an animal researcher can be extremely boring at times. (Oh, and my friends didn't have to take a four hour hike, so I guess I shouldn't have been looking forward to their pain and agony. Serves me right.)