Erik Hammar

Today, I went with the extension officer, Kenny to visit a...

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:11:00 -0600

Today, I went with the extension officer, Kenny to visit a couple of farms. The farmers are using a mixed cropping system where many species are grown together. I saw cacao (the picture), pineapple, coffee, banana, plantain (banana for cooking), papaya and many other fruits and vegetables. There are some more pictures on Flickr.

A lizard in PG, probably belonging to the genus Norops.

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 20:19:03 -0600

A lizard in PG, probably belonging to the genus Norops.

I thought it would be a good idea to update the background image...

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:27:47 -0600

I thought it would be a good idea to update the background image of the blog and my homepage (erikhammar.se). This image was taken on the savannah on our way to Bladen last week. It will take some time to load the first time as it is rather big (1.1MB).

The bus stop in Punta Gorda where we normally get on the James...

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:08:00 -0600

The bus stop in Punta Gorda where we normally get on the James Line bus to the field station. Apparently, someone set fire to the roof which was made of palm leafs, not much left of it. Behind is the Caribbean sea.

Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) in a tree covered in...

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:31:00 -0600

Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) in a tree covered in epiphytes, Punta Gorda. The picture was converted to black and white in Aperture.

Male Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) in Punta Gorda,...

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:23:00 -0600

Male Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) in Punta Gorda, just outside of the café Snack Shack (they have really good buritos!).

A cryptogam growing on a wall in Punta Gorda.

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:08:33 -0600

A cryptogam growing on a wall in Punta Gorda.

Social Flycatcher (Myiozetetes texensis), Bladen Nature Reserve.

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:14:00 -0600

Social Flycatcher (Myiozetetes texensis), Bladen Nature Reserve.

Me and the ranger Abelino crossing Bladen River, I forgot that...

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:04:26 -0600

Me and the ranger Abelino crossing Bladen River, I forgot that my phone and notebook were in the side pockets of my trousers, luckily, they both survived.

Photo by Sergio Rejado.

I just got back from Bladen which is a large, protected area...

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:29:00 -0600

I just got back from Bladen which is a large, protected area only accessible by the rangers who guard it. We joined the rangers for two short patrols in the jungle. There are plenty of pictures on Flickr from the jungle (in Bladen) and from the savannah which you have to cross to get to the ranger check point where we stayed. I saw a lot of birds, frogs and a small lizard as well as fresh tapir and jaguar tracks. I also had a swim in Bladen river which runs through the area.

It was very humid and hot, and with a decent amount of horse flies and ticks. The ticks didn’t like me very much but they were all over Sergio. The Haglöfs boots I bought for Belize worked flawlessly, walked around in pretty deep water and stayed dried the whole time. They’re currently covered in mud so they will need some cleaning later. I almost forgot, I also saw a hummingbird! Really nice to see it flying in real life. Now we’re about to leave for PG where we will have dinner and hopefully some cold beer.

The track in the picture is of a tapir.

This is taken in the “chocolate factory” mentioned...

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:36:27 -0600

This is taken in the “chocolate factory” mentioned in the previous post. They buy the cacao beans from local producers and produce a wide range of chocolate products, including cacao soap. I tried the 70% chocolate and it was very good! I will probably become a chocolate addict while here. In the picture, roasted ground beans are pressed to extract cacao butter.

Today, me and Sergio (another volunteer) went to PG with two...

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:28:00 -0600

Today, me and Sergio (another volunteer) went to PG with two guys from UK working on a documentary about volunteering. The easiest way to travel is by hitch hiking, we were able to catch a ride that took us almost all the way to PG. We bought food, visited a chocolate factory (very small scale) and spent some time in the PG office. Tomorrow, me and Sergio will be going to Bladen, a large protected area north of the field station where we will join the rangers on their patrols for a couple of days. There are more pictures on Flickr, most of them taken in PG.

I have finally arrived at the field station where I will be...

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:22:14 -0600

I have finally arrived at the field station where I will be staying, about 50 km from Punta Gorda (PG). I am moderately jet lagged, sleeping in a sofa at MIA didn’t help. The domestic flight from Belize City to PG was in a small aircraft carrying 10 people. Citrus plantations are a common sight (in this picture) and also abandoned shrimp farms.

Right now it is quite sunny and about 25 degrees. In terms of fauna sightings, I have seen a group of vultures chewing away on a dog killed by traffic and a lizard of some sort. There is also plenty of birds singing, although, I haven’t seen any apart from the vultures. People I have met so far have been very nice, the organisation is quite diverse with people from all over the world. The field station is powered by solar panels and the internet is wireless of some sort. It seems to work fine anyway. I will upload some more pictures later as soon as I have some to upload.

Miami

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:37:56 -0600

I arrived at MIA yesterday night, currently waiting for the flight to Belize which is scheduled to depart at 9.55 local time. I hope that British Airways did manage to transfer my luggage, which they said they would.

Beautiful!

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:34:00 -0600

Beautiful!

Promo edit.

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:13:00 -0600

Promo edit.

New awesome tech remix from Stefano Noferini!

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:51:00 -0600

New awesome tech remix from Stefano Noferini!

Preview, release 12th February.

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:13:00 -0600

Preview, release 12th February.

A very neat and indescribably messed up remix!

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:09:00 -0600

A very neat and indescribably messed up remix!

Funny because it’s true.

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:12:44 -0600

Funny because it’s true.