My, How You Have Grown!

Am I really bigger?!

Have I really been gone from Palo Verde National Park for 6 months? In my absence, the OTS station was abuzz with changes, for humans and iguanas alike.

Pale Blue-Black-Red (Pb-K-R) has more than doubled in weight. If not for the beads, I wouldn't have recognized him! He also moved from the lab near Green-Green-Green to the Big Tree area near to White-Orange-Green.

Many other iguanas are larger, growing throughout the green (rainy) season. Adults look good and plump. This is day 2.5, and we are still rounding up the lizards (thank you, humane traps and bananas), but 19 of 53 are present and we expect to approach near 100% recapture by trip's end. We've also caught 3 new lizards.

For humans, buildings have received a fresh coat of paint, outdoor showers have been added, and the entire laundry area is shaded for staff, a great improvement. Faces are familiar and food is still good! Dry and cracked in May, the wetlands are full of water with incredible numbers of birds and and a few visible crocodiles.

Six of the 60,000,000 Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks at Palo Verde!