Mexican Ecology and Culture

Basking in the Sol!  

By Clint Mobley

            March 15, 2002: We arrived at MSC at 8:00 p.m. We arrived a little early so that we could help load the van and get on our way. At 8:30 p.m. we left MSC on our way to the Prairie Kitchen in Ardmore where we would meet up with Dwight and the group from Kansas. As the group from Kansas arrived Matt and I were relieved that we were not the only smokers on the trip. After everyone had eaten we left for Laredo, Texas where we would meet up with Chris.

Day Two at 8:00 a.m. we arrived in Laredo. We stopped at the gas station for our last American meal. We picked up Chris and dropped off his truck at storage. We then proceeded on our way to the border. At the border Bruce pushed the button that controls whether or not you are checked at customs. The light turned red and we were mildly searched compared to the way everyone talked. We then proceeded to get our identification. We then left for Bustimante. At 4:30 p.m. we arrived at the Mescal factory, which happened to be its forty fourth birthday, and it was also Sean’s birthday. At 6:00 p.m. we arrived at Bustimante Canyon. The first thing I did was treat myself to a long needed menthol cigarette. Matt and I then climbed a small piece of the mountain trying to stretch from the long car ride. It was at Bustimante that I really met the people from Kansas.   Neish Benson, Christi Cummins, Bernadette Harkins, Sarah Hinman, Valerie Boyce, Brian Theel, and Sean Daly.

Day Three at 10:00 a.m. we left Bustimante for an eighteen-hour drive to San Blas. On our way we went through the Chighahan Desert, and went through many elevation changes. At about 7,600 ft Juniper trees were growing pretty thick. On our way we stopped at the Tropic of Cancer. While we were there the smokers of the group made fools of themselves by taking pictures with cigarettes. We also passed through two of the largest cities in Mexico, Monterrey and Guadalajara. I don’t remember much about Monterrey, but Guadalajara was lit up like a Christmas tree. I had never seen anything like it. Just outside of Guadalajara we were stopped by federalies. The creepy thing was that one asked my name.

Day Four, at 5:15a.m. We arrived in San Blas. Matt and I put up our tent and walked to the beach were you could see crab tracks in the sand. Shortly after this I went to sleep. The funny thing was is that when I awoke I had thought that everyone had already left. Mark and I turned out to be the first one up that morning. Later that day I was told that I was in group c with Sean and Bernadette, which was good because I had no prior experience with the field work we would be doing. Sunday was my day of relaxation; I swam in the ocean and caught a Brown Boobie, which turned out to be sick. I just laid in the hammock for most of the day. And then retired to the small beach that had accumulated in our tent and went to sleep. 

Day Five, at 6:20a.m. I am awakened by the sun at 6:20a.m. It is my own fault I should have known better than to set the tent facing the east. It was a very nice morning the only complaint I had were the carnivorous nats, they seemed to like the way I tasted. We had a good breakfast and at 9:40a.m. We left to seine fish. We had one whale of a net it was one hundred feet in length. Sean and I quickly realized that being on the end of the net was not a piece of cake. We seined several different species of fish, my personal favorite happened to be the Tarpon. We caught a Threadfin which happens to be in the Barracuda family and a really small flounder. After a short break we then headed to the freshwater stream. The first thing I noticed about this place was the very small whitetail deer. The Kuwaitis were also very interesting because they seem to have there own personalities. While snorkeling I saw seven different species of fish one species in particular resembled Black Bass. We were also informed before entering the water that a crocodile had attacked someone six months earlier. This put me a little on edge its not the best thing for a person who has a fear of water to hear. After we were finished snorkeling we happened to notice about a fourteen-foot crocodile lying in the sun about thirty yards away from where we were swimming. After all of that excitement we came back to the camp and had dinner, which was very good. At 3:00p.m. We then left for a small stream that was not far from camp so we could seine some different species of fish, let Mojica give a demonstration on the electro shocker, and take the PH levels of the water. While there Chris and I pulled the seine the first few times and came up with two small minnows. We then took the PH levels of the water, which was the first time I had ever done that in fact this was the first time I had ever done any type of fieldwork. Mojica then showed us what the electro shocker could do. In this situation it proved to be more useful than the net. We then returned to camp and we were told that we would be doing some night seining in the ocean, so that we could see what different types moved into the waters at night. About an hour after dark my group along with Mojica and Bruce set out to go night seining. I t didn’t turn out like we had hoped we did catch some different species just not that many.

Day Six, 5:15a.m. I woke up and got ready to go look at birds. Although birds are not something I get into unless its duck season, I will say they had some very unique birds. The coolest looking bird had to be the Black Throated Magpie Jay, it was very easy to identify because of its long tail feathers. After breakfast we went out to set nets so we could catch some birds and tag them. We had captured a Kentucky Warbler a bird that had only been recorded twice in that area of Mexico. Sean and I were going to take the measurements and tag it. As we were doing so the bird slipped from Sean’s hands. We didn’t even get to tag it. That was a long day and I don’t think I have ever been happier getting back to my tent.

Day Seven, 5:30a.m. I woke up in no hurry to do any thing because today I had mammals and we weren’t supposed to leave out until 4:00p.m. Didn’t do much that day just took it easy for the most part. That afternoon we left to set traps. Mammals had to be my favorite because of the fact that I can relate to trapping be cause I have ran traps for as long as I can remember. My only goal was to trap more animals than any one else in my group.

Day Eight, 5:20a.m. I wake up because I am covered in dew, which who could sleep like that. At 7:a.m. we left to go check are traps. After we had gotten there I soon realized that I had achieved my goal and trapped 50% of the animals, that sounds much better than saying two rats. I had trapped a Liomys Pictus or Spiney Rat. We were told that later that night we would go with Chavez and the Herpetology group. We left at 7:00p.m. To look for snakes, frogs, and what ever else we might find by the creek. This was going to be a different thing for me because I am used to killing snakes when I see them. We went out to the creek and to my surprise, and great relief we didn’t see a single snake. We did catch two frogs Leptodactylus or Leopard Frogs. Friday we could sleep in because we weren’t leaving out until it warmed up a bit. Chavez showed us how to shoot the rubber bands so that we could stun the little lizards. We went out at 11:00p.m. I didn’t shoot any lizards because they would not set still long enough to get a shot. As we were trying to catch lizards Caves spotted a large Iguana at the top of an old building. We got the noose around its neck but it cut the line on the concrete. We then went to the banana groves where I was given the pellet gun and the name Rambo, because I shot a lizard. Ricardo and Caesar caught three Iguanas. The whole time we had not seen one snake. We then returned to camp at 4:00p.m.

Day Nine, we went to the Mangrove Swamps on a boat ride. It was fun we saw crocodiles, iguanas, and several fish. I didn’t snorkel but I did dare to try a flip off of the rope swing. The bus ride back was kind of depressing because we new that is where we would have to say our goodbyes. We loaded every thing up and went on our way to Real De Catorce. We drove all day and all night and arrived early that morning.

Day Ten, we went on our way to the shops that covered the street up one side and down the other. The streets in this city were designed for mountain goats the way they were sloped. Matt and I had to pull the van around to the hotel. This was an experience in itself because of the street. The shower at the room was indescribable, it was warm water. The town was full of very nice people; in fact most of the people I met in Mexico were very nice. That afternoon we all met at the restaurant and had a meal before heading home.

Day Eleven: We didn’t get to leave right on time because of some last minute things. We then got ready for the long hall home. We made great time at the border. We went through much faster than the first time. We then got to Laredo and got Chris back to his truck. We ate at Dennys, which isn’t my idea of home cooking, but it was good. We then settled in for the last leg of the trip. We said goodbye to our Kansa friends, which was kind of sad because I had gotten used to their company. We then returned to Tishomingo and I settled back into being at home.