The mark-resight aspects of this project involve hours of solo searching for lizards in a forest, both during the day and night. This was something I was a bit trepidatious about prior to the field season last year. Would I be scared to be alone in a forest at night? Would I get lost? Would I be bored? Would spiders fall on my head?
It only took one night survey last year to realize that none of these fears needed airtime in my head. Yes, it is easier to get turned around at night, but we have a GPS on our phones to help us navigate. Plus, navigating in a forest at night is not so different than during the day.
Spiders have yet to fall on my head--although I wear a bandana to prevent animals and twigs from getting lodged in my hair. And while there are usually less lizards to see at night, there are so many other animals to see that boredom is usually avoided. Night is when the frogs, owls, and insects come out and is also when we see sleeping birds perched on branches.
But perhaps most importantly, walking through a plot is methodical and requires meticulous concentration. It is not fun, per se, although there are moments of excitement when I see particularly cool lizards, but it doesn't allow any extra space for fear.
Every night and day for three,
A total of six:
Spiralling inwards from the pink
To the blue
to the double pink
Encircled on the big tree.
Step by step
Pace by pace
Scan up down sideways around and back
Step again
Repeat.
Working inwards,
Passing by branches, logs,
A paint splatter 4m up.
Familiar friends by the twelfth cumulative hour
Of walking
Stepping
Breathing
Searching with concentration so profound
The hours fly
Marking, resighting
Repeat.