Well, my first morning in the park was filled with a storm that lasted from 8am to 1pm, and then decided to come back for round two from 5-6pm. It was quite the thrill getting to watch a torrential downpour filled with wind and lightning from the back porch. It also was a thrill to get to the top of a hike mid-afternoon and have the second wave come in. But, getting soaked was a small price to pay for the views high in the Chisos.
The worries and stresses of conducting fieldwork have immediately been dispelled and I could not be more relieved. For the last few days, I’ve been following around a group of researchers in the park here who are tracking a few different bird populations. Now, I know nothing about birds other than “that’s a red one” and “I think that was a hawk”. So not only has this group been incredibly welcoming and a hot-bed for my own research, but I have also learned to distinguish between a Cardinal and a Pyrrhuloxia. If only I could be fluent in bird law as well.
More than anything, it’s been wonderful to have another researcher here at K-Bar ranch. Given that I have no connection to the outside world other than sending up smoke signals, the nights would have been quite lonely and a bit eerie out here in the desert. I had totally forgotten how dark it gets out here at night. So instead of locking myself inside and huddling in a corner brandishing a kitchen knife at all the creaks and moans of the old house, the researcher and I sit on the porch watching the bats and owls fly by.
So far that has been the highlight of my time here: sitting on the porch, drinking a cold Lonestar, and watching the sunset over the Sierra del Carmen. We sit and chat about our work, life, and the birds—always the birds. The best part about anthropology is that it fosters these types of relationships, where conversations can be had in an open manner and friendships can be forged in the process. Overall, I’m off to a great start and I’m thrilled to see where the next thirty-something days will take me.