- Listen to your guide when he or she is giving
directions to where something is. It is not always
easy to describe where a small bird or monkey
is in the complex foliage of a rain forest. Guides
are amazingly good at doing this, and you must
listen and follow their directions. Guides will
usually have a green laser pointer to shine in
the vicinity of (but never on) the animal they
are attempting to show you. Above all resist
the impulse to raise your voice in frustration at
not yet having located the animal in question.
Be cool. You’ll see it. And remember to let the
guide do the talking. Even if you are looking
at the animal, do not blurt out your version of
directions, because all things considered, it is
likely that the guide will be more concise, clear,
and accurate, thus helping more folks zero in on
it. And finally, do not point. If a bird or other
animal is close, and you abruptly point at it, the
sudden movement of your arm is often enough
to alert the animal— and off it goes. - If you have questions, try to save them for when
the walk is concluded or when the guide asks if
anyone has questions. Guides are trying to find
wildlife for you to see, and peppering them with
questions while walking causes unnecessary
talking and can be distracting to the guide. Do
not, for example, ask for a detailed explanation
of the ecology of leaf- cutter ants while the
guide is attempting to find wildlife for all to
see. Experienced guides will typically stop the
group at various convenient spots and entertain
questions and provide information to the group. - Remember that guides appreciate having things
pointed out to them. The value of group travel is
that many eyes are searching in many directions.
If you see something, do not be reluctant to call
attention to it. And don’t be embarrassed if it
turns out to be something common. What may
be common to some is not common to others.
And besides, common stuff is still well worth a
second, third, or hundredth look.
6. Do not be upset if you call out a sighting and you
turn out to be wrong. “There’s a spider monkey
in that big green tree with the vines!” Your guide
patiently figures out which “big green tree” you
mean, and then gently tells the group that it’s
a great sighting but actually is a young howler
monkey, which can sometimes be mistaken for a
spider monkey. It’s still a fine sighting.
7. Be aware that you may not be the only one in the
group with a camera. Digital photography has
provided unrivaled opportunities to document
wildlife. The illustrations that grace this book
are testament to that reality. Even small point-
and- shoot digital cameras are now available with
extremely good telephoto capacity. But alas, I have
seen some overzealous photographers actually
push folks out of the way to get positioned for
a clear shot. So please don’t thrust your 500mm
lens in front of someone’s field of vision so you
can get that “perfect shot” of the Swallow Tanager
(Tersina viridis; plate 4- 35) perched in the open.
Of course, if you are alone, shoot away.
8. Try to resist one- upmanship. Suppose the group
notices a flock of Turkey and Black Vultures
circling the forest over the canopy. Among them
is one adult King Vulture (Sarcoramphus papa;
plate 4- 36), a wonderful sighting. Everybody gets
a good binocular look and is pleased— smiles all
around. Then someone cannot resist saying that
he saw a King Vulture much closer when he was
at such and such place. This is not OK.
9. If you happen to miss something noteworthy,
suck it up. It happens. Brooding and complaining
about a missed sighting makes others around you
uncomfortable and does you no good anyway.
Remember, lodges typically have well- stocked bars.
Consider that you likely experienced a great many
more really cool sightings than you missed (plate
4- 37). Celebrate them at happy hour, and be happy.
10. Last, and most important, enjoy what you see
and learn from it. That is why you made the trip.
70 chapter 4 finding animals in rain forest