A day in the field – Colombia
21 Oct, 2017 The past two months I spent in the field finalizing research sites and setting transects for my PhD work in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Although we traverse across properties and elevations every few days, below is what an “average” day looks like. 5:45 am : I rise with the sun, whether I like it or not. 7 am : After pretending to sleep in my tent or bed (depending on the site) I, finally, meander out of my hidey hole, where I am often presented with my first cup of tinto – black, sugar, coffee water. 8 am : Breakfast. If we are staying with a family this consists of an Arepa, cheese and maybe eggs or rice, plus another cup of tinto or hot chocolate (my favorite). 8:30 am – 2 pm : Depart for the field to search for sites and set transects. This consists of hiking around the properties – whether it’s coffee fields or forests. This is the most difficult part of the day. Trying to find parts of habitat where we can set a 30 m transect without fallin