Rescuing the mountain chicken: 05/04/09

Having 26 frogs in captivity adds an extra dimension to the work here but it is a great feeling to have them safely tucked away in our transit facility. We had left them overnight to settle in undisturbed and this morning we weighed them all and allocated them numbers according to the identification record of Gerardo’s photos taken in the field – these frogs all have distinct and unique markings and it was decided to rely on this method rather than microchipping at this stage so as to cause them as little stress as possible with a long journey ahead of them. From now on we will minimise contact with the frogs to limit disturbance and to prepare them for a peaceful transfer from Montserrat.

One of the challenges in looking after these animals in their ponds is their incredible ability to hide in the leaf litter we have given them. It becomes almost impossible to find them as they are so well camouflaged. Having fed them on the insects that Gerardo had managed to catch last night, we changed their water and sprayed the leaf litter to keep it humid and then left them again in the peace and quiet of the facility. This time of year is the start of the breeding season and so males normally start calling and defending territories to attract females. Hopefully the quick transfer to facilities in Europe, will allow them to set up territories in their new homes and we can have a successful breeding season this year.

We had arranged to meet Blacka at 4pm to take a trip to Mournful looking for live but sick frogs that Andrew will be able to use to take samples for chytrid analysis. This was only a short walk compared to what we have been used to and we found exactly the animals that Andrew Cunningham needed fairly quickly.

I then experienced my first opportunity of sight seeing in Montserrat – a quick trip to the Volcano Observatory from where we had a fantastic view of the volcano – seeing it so much closer you really feel a sense of awe – it dominates the south of the island and you could plainly see the village below it, which had had to be evacuated due to the eruptions. It was a clear day and although there were clouds as usual around the summit, the plumes of gases and steam pouring out of the cracks or fumaroles in the side were an incredible sight. Although the volcano is relatively quiet at the moment, it was easy to imagine how quickly the situation could change at any moment and reading the website news of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory, I read that “one small pyroclastic flow occurred on 1st April. An increase in volcanic activity could occur at any time and with no warning”. Sounds really exciting but for the people who live with this volcano every day, it must be quite menacing.

After dinner we drove to Cassava Ghaut, looking for the elusive bugs for frog food and also to collect leaves for leaf litter for the captive frogs. Leaves were not a problem to find but we are still struggling to find bugs – seems impossible to understand in a forest but it is very dry and there is very little insect life to be seen. One thing we did learn though is how carefully you need to check under the leaves for wasp nests before disturbing them – we thought we had been really careful but somehow missed a nest and paid the price with both Javier and I getting a really painful sting!