In today’s post we are going to celebrate the international wildlife day by talking about our fieldwork and some of the main challenges of the dry season that finally arrive in our study area. This year the dry season takes a bit longer to arrive with rainy days lasting until the beginning of February, by now the streams in the farms on which Zocay Project works are almost completely dried and wildlife, including monkeys, are using small ponds to drink water. Colombian squirrel monkeys continue to have new babies and the forest is drier.

One of the main challenges during the dry season in the area is fire. Some of the traditional practices in the area during the dry season is to burn pastures so new pastures sprouts can feed cows during the dry season when pastures are dry and the pastures are dry and with less nutrition. However, sometimes these fires can get out of control if precautions are not taken, especially because the wind during the dry season can be strong and spread the fire farther. Additionally, during dry season the soil and small streams dried out making the soil at the edge more prone to get fire if ditches are not done a few meters from the edge to protect the forest fragments from these intentional fires used in traditional practices. Fortunately, there is more research now on how to handle these fires in the Orinoquia region of Colombia and hopefully less damage from these traditional practices will reach the already highly fragmented areas of this region, if people are aware of their impact and follow established fire protocols.

Despite this, dry season also brings more wildlife sightings as animals concentrate in areas where water is available. During our samplings this month we were able to see new Colombian squirrel monkey babies as well as black capped capuchin babies. The scarlet ibis are everywhere with their radiant red plumages and deer are easier to detect at the forest edges resting during the hot midday hours. Fruits are available and life continues even in the hottest days…

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