Earthwatch Australia Teach Live

Day 1 – Saturday May 1st

We checked out of the hotel in Kuala Lumpur and made the 3 hour drive to the field station. The station is located at the edge of Krau Reserve. Along the way you could see fields of cleared land where the locals were growing palm oil and rubber tree crops, bats rely on the thick jungle for their habitat. The purpose of the study is to investigate the impacts of forest destruction on bat populations.

Besides me there are three other teachers taking part in the research. Mr Logan and Mr Blackburn from Warrnambool and Miss Chamberlain from Melbourne. The principle investigator (head scientist) is Tigga Kingston from Texas Tech University in the USA. She is assisted by Aine and Julie from Malaysia who are also conducting their own research There are also three other scientists, Sevang from Cambodia, Zie from Indonesia and Jovic from the Philippines. We are also joined by Caroline Bayer from Australia who works for Earthwatch.

After arriving at the field station we received a briefing on safety and the different types of scientific research we would be undertaking. Then we were taken on a tour of the research area and shown the harp traps which would be used to catch the bats.

The heat is extreme about 35O during the day and it stays around 26o during most of the night. The major problem is the humidity which is around 90%, this makes it very sticky.

We didn’t collect any bats tonight as the traps had not been set by the local people. Our first night is tomorrow which I am looking forward to.

Day 2 – Sunday May 2nd

Today was the last chance for a sleep in but the temperature makes it very hard to sleep. After having a quick breakfast I walked into the local village with Mr Logan and Mr Blackburn. The village was simple but there were some young kids who were very happy to meet us.

Next we received some more training on how to measure the bats that are caught each night and morning. For each bat we need to

Determine the species

Weigh the bat

Measure their forearm length

Determine their sex.

They are then tagged with a small piece of metal with a number written on it which enables the scientists to keep track of bats they have caught before.

Along with bats, Aine the other scientist is collecting insects and comparing it to the bat guano (poo). This will give the scientists an idea of the sort of insects the bats prefer to eat. The insects are caught each night in a light trap and sorted the following day. We were taught how to sort the insects into their order eg. all moths, butterflies are in one order, types of beetles in another and so on. This was quite a slow process as many of the insects are quite small and fragile. After they are sorted they are counted then weighed, then dried and weighed again. This uses a very sensitive scale as the insects only weigh a tiny amount each.

Later that night we made our first journey into the rainforest to collect the bats that had been caught. There were only five bats caught so it was fairly short night. Female bats with pups are released back as soon as they have been measured but males and other females are brought back to the field station to be measured. These bats are released the following morning.

Unfortunately the forest is teeming with all sorts of creepy crawlies. I had two leeches tonight, one of which continued to bleed around two hours later. I think it will be the first of many

Day 3 – Monday 3rd May.

We go out each night and each morning to collect the bats. Which means a 6.00 am get up to ensure we are into the forest by around 7.45am. The morning bats are collected and processed in the field so that they can be released straight away.

Once again the leeches were out in force.

A Harp Trap	Measuring the bats	Dr Kingston and the other scientists

During the afternoon time was spent sorting the insects. The sorting of the insects is a very tedious task as there are thousands of them caught each night and every single one needs to be sorted and counted. Some are only 1mm in size.

Dinner which consists of rice, curries and local fruit is followed by preparations for the nights trek into the forest to collect the bats that have been caught.

The jungle is always teeming with life. The noises are amazing as each insect has its own distinct call. Trekking through the jungle is fairly easy as the paths are well worn but they are covered with tree roots and fallen branches which can make it difficult.

Once again tonight’s catch of bats was quite small, only 6 were caught. The bats range is size considerably. Some have a body that is only as big as an adult thumb others about palm size. It is amazing how well they can navigate through the dense jungle using echolocation. They are very wriggly creatures who don’t particularly like being caught and measured. I probably wouldn’t either.

Amazingly despite my precautions another leech found its way onto my ankle and like the night before it had had a good drink of my blood. When a leech grabs on it releases a anticoagulant into the wound which stops the blood from clotting. Therefore the wound continues to bleed long after the leech has been removed.

The variety of insects that you see is amazing. Tonight I found a huge leaf insect. About 10cm long. Unfortunately a lot of different insects like to get into our bedroom. So far I have been lucky and haven’t been bitten or stung by anything except leeches and the occasional mozzie. Touchwood.

Hope you are all doing your personal best at school.

Miss Chamberlain, Jovic and Dr Kingston weighing a bat	Sevang measuring forearm length.
A bat about to be measured.	Smile!

Day 4 Tuesday 4th May.

The day started as usual at 7.30 with collection of the morning bats. This process takes around two hours depending on the amount of bats caught. Currently the bat numbers are very low, which the scientists believe is probably the result of a lack of rainfall in the area.

The Harp Trap

The harp trap is what is used to catch the bats. It consists of 8 aluminium poles (4 top 4 bottom) with fishing line strung between each. The bats we are catching in the forest rely on echolocation. Sound waves pass straight through the fishing line and is therefore invisible to the bat. The bat becomes entangled in the line and drops down into the trap below. The bats are not harmed at all in the entire process. Once they are in the bottom of the trap it is our job to reach into the trap and pull them out.

Another Phd student is staying at the field station for the next two days. She is studying amphibians and seeing which ones have survived the removal of their natural habitat and have moved into the palm oil plantations.

Late in the morning we travelled into the local town to collect supplies for a special bat cage that is being constructed. The town is 13km away and it was good to get a break from the field station even if it was only brief.

After lunch we set to work building the flight cage in which they hope to conduct some experiments with bats later on. They plan to place obstacles in the cage and monitor how the bats go avoiding them. It was hot work but it was a nice change from the sorting of the insects.

After dinner we once again headed into the research area to collect the evening bats. It was another poor catch with only six being trapped. Unfortunately one of the bats died after it was attacked by ants in the trap. This occasional happens as the ants can be quite vicious, if it does occur the trap is closed.

Using my carpentry skills to help build the bat cage.	Recording data on the bats in the rainforest at night.	A insectiverous bat just after capture.

Day 5 Wednesday 5th May

The morning always starts with a walk through the jungle to collect the morning bats. Once again the amount of bats captured was quite low so it was a fairly short morning.

The Research Grid

The research grid is an area of dense rainforest around 1km x 1km. The grid is divided up into sectors that have a network of paths. Each path is marked and along each are small marker poles which show where the traps need to be set. The traps are set each afternoon by local villages, which is good because it provides them with employment. The forest is full of amazing sights, enormous trees and weird and colourful flowers. I am able to find my way around the paths fairly well now.

Lunch and dinner is always something different it usually involves rice and curries with fish, beef or chicken. Today it was fried catfish, rice and local vegetables. The afternoon was spent insect sorting again, and although it is repetitive work I enjoy the challenge of trying to identify and then group the various insects. I am becoming quite good at it. In the afternoon it rained for the first time since we have been here but it wasn’t the tropical downpour I had been hoping for more just a light shower that barely wet the ground.

The night trapping was different which was interesting. The bats we were attempting to catch were (molossids) these bats tend to keep to more open spaces even though they still use echolocation. To trap the molossids we use a net called a mist net which is set up on a bridge across a river. There is also the possibility that we will catch fruit eating bats.

The net is large (approximately 20m across) and is strung between two large poles (that resemble fishing rods). The poles have a reel that allows the net to be raised and lowered.

To ensure the net doesn’t catch birds we wait until just before dusk to raise the net. Then we wait in the darkness for the bats to become entangled in the net. The net is made of very fine material and I found it extremely difficult to untangle the bats once they had become trapped. The fact that the bats wriggled and tried to bite didn’t help.

We managed to trap 6 bats during the 2 hours we were there. All of which were as ugly as sin. After dismantling the net we returned to the station to identify and measure.

Tonight I was able to completely work through the processing of the bat. After watching for the first part of the week I am now able to

• Identify the species of bat
• Whether it is male or female
• Whether it is juvenile or adult
• If it is pregnant, lactating or non reproductive.
• Measure the forearm length.
• Measure the weight.

This may sound easy but when the bats are small, wriggly and trying to bite you it can be awkward. The hardest part I find is identifying the species as there are sometimes only very subtle differences between 2 different species. It was quite late by the time all this work had finished and I crawled into bed exhausted.

Trying to untangle a bat from the mist net.	One of the many paths in the research area
Lunch - Catfish and rice	Setting up the mist net just prior to dusk.

Day 6 Thursday 6th May

Today was a regular day. Up early to collect the morning bats which once again were few and far between. However the flora in the forest was amazing, enormous trees and flowers, easily the best I have seen so far.

Apart from writing my daily journal the rest of the morning was before lunch was free which allowed me to wash some clothes. The Field station is comfortable and provides a break from the heat but it is very basic. Cold showers, toilet you flush with a bucket, no tv, internet, washing machines or air conditioning. Most of the luxuries we sometimes take for granted but I find I don’t miss them much. The washing is done in a bucket of soapy water by hand and then hung on the line. Due to the heat it does dry very quickly.

After lunch we had to continue work on the bat cage. The structure is enormous and not overly stable. Watching the local ranger balance on the very top of the ladder (which was broken) to hammer in some nails provided some nervous moments but was also very entertaining. He didn’t fall. The cage is nearing completion.

In the evening we went out to collect the evening bats. Tonight we caught a Balionycteris maculata (Spotted Winged Fruit Bat) which is a bat that navigates through the forest using just sight instead of echolocation. This is why it has such big eyes. Of all the species I have seen I like the fruit bats the best because they look like small dogs with wings.

	Balionycteris maculata (Spotted Winged Fruit Bat) just prior to being released
	Roosting on a branch.
	Processing the bat. Balionycteris maculata (Spotted Winged Fruit Bat)

Day 7 Friday 7th May

After collecting the morning bats we had the rest of the day off. This is our one day off for the two weeks so we were all looking forward to getting out and seeing a bit of the local area. First we were driven to a town about one hour away to have lunch which was a Chinese banquet. After that we had a chance to do a bit of grocery shopping and collect a few luxury items like Coca Cola and cans of 100+ (which is an isotonic drink to replace all the fluid lost through sweating).

Next we moved to Kuala Ghanda Elephant Rehabilitation Centre. As forests are cut down across Asia elephants like the bats are losing their habitat. The centre tries to relocate these animals to places where they will be better protected. They also take elephants who have been wounded in traps or by landmines and working elephants from places like Myanmar and Thailand. Although the centre is doing a good job to promote the cause of elephant conservation I did feel very sorry for the elephants especially one small one who was missing a foot and had to hobble around on a stump. We did get a chance to swim with the elephants which was very refreshing.

A ranger guides an elephant to the creek.	The injured baby elephant.	The Earthwatch team after our swim with the elephants

After the elephant centre we went to Kuala Krau night market. The market has a range of things for sale but mainly food. They had exotic looking fruit and vegetables which we tasted. You could also get fresh fish which is still alive when you chose, then it is killed, scaled and filleted on the spot. I decided to try a local delicacy which was fried chicken feet. To be honest I didn’t enjoy them very much but they only cost me 30 cents for 7.

It is hard to believe the first week is over and I am over half way through the project.