Goodbye Ubatuba!

Well, we’ve had a very good run here in Ubatuba. We’ve worked with several individuals of three species.

 

Now we’re off to Santa Virginia, located just west of Ubatuba up into the mountains. It boarders on the Serro do Mar state park and sits at an elevation of approximately 1000 meters. Our host, Don Marcel, maintains a great many hummingbird feeders (like Senhor Jonas), so we anticipate a quick start to the work once we arrive. We’ll target the same species so we can examine how the cost of hovering and wingbeat kinematics differ in the thinner air.

 

Internet access won’t be as conveniently available at our next stop. I’ll try to post more updates as I can!

 

For now, enjoy a few random pictures from our time in Ubatuba.

 

 

Party!

All work and no play makes us dull boys.

 

Some of Cecilia’s extended family is in Ubatuba for a weekend getaway. Cecilia spent much of Saturday afternoon with them. When she returned to the UNITAU research station, she informed us we had been invited to the vacation apartment for dinner (BBQ!!). Derrick and I were missing home-cooked food so much we immediately accepted the offer.

 

The food was as good as we had hoped. Very simply prepared cuts of beef, linguiça sausage, and chicken wings, slow roasted rotisserie-style. Apparently, two of the cousins recently celebrated birthdays. So, there was a cake!

 

Only one of Cecilia’s cousins spoke any English, so the conversation was light. However, the international language of food and drink worked well. Our hosts constantly thrust tasty morsels, glasses of beer, and cups of cachaça toward us. We either put up our hands to indicate “No. Thank you.”, or received the food or libation with a “Obrigado!” We did much more of the latter.

 

The men and women mostly grouped together. Towards the end of the evening, the women began watching “Cheias de Charme”. This is a popular show in Brazil right now. I describe it as a mix between Desperate Housewives and Hanna Montana. If I understand it correctly, the plot revolves around three beautiful young house cleaners. Despite facing some hard times, they team up to eventually form a popular singing group. The show is complete with a set of identical twins (clearly played by the same male actor – in front of a green screen). One is apparently long-lost, but has recently shown up (and loves brooding and wearing hoodies). The other was horribly scarred in some sort of accident and now must wear a Phantom of the Opera-style half face mask and feel sorry for himself, throwing himself onto his giant, fluffy bed, in fits of despair, with great regularity. Like most sitcoms, this one plays almost every night for one season.

 

Somewhat predictably, when the São Paulo soccer team (São Paulo FC) game started playing, the women had to retreat into another room while the guys annexed the TV space. If memory serves, São Paulo’s team won easily.

Mais Vídeos–More Videos!

You haven’t asked for them (the blog has hardly received any comments!), but I know you want them!



Here are several more videos showing off these incredible birds!

This is a closeup of a male violet-capped woodnymph hovering at one of Senhor Jonas' feeders.

OK. You've seen this video before. But, I did a little post-processing to bring out the colors. Enjoy!

Here are several woodnymphs and a couple of festive coquettes pigging out at the feeder. Note how messy the woodnymph can be while eating and running.

This is an example of one of the videos we get while we have the birds under our care. From this overhead view (and with the bird carefully positioned in frame) we can easily calculate the wingbeat frequency and stroke amplitude (the angular area swept by the wings during each upstroke or downstroke). These two basic parameters are the most obvious (not not only) ways that a hummingbird (or any bird) can regulate lift production.

This is actually one of my favorite videos. Notice how the wings of the festive coquette beat much more rapidly than the much larger saw-billed hermit. I think it's a great illustration of how the negative relationship between mass and flapping frequency.

Now We’re Rolling

Another couple of days, another couple of birds. We’re starting to streamline our operation little by little.

Tuesday and Wednesday, we captured and studied another saw-billed hermit (this time a male…and almost 2 grams heavier than the female!) and a violet-capped woodnymph (a male, pictured right - one of the more common birds in Senhor Jonas’ yard).

 

Once again, the hermit was a champion respirometry data-giver, feeding for 24 seconds at a time, gulping down tenths of milliliters with each feeding (trust me, that’s a lot). But once again as well, the hermit absolutely refused to lift weights for us.

 

The woodnymph is is a medium-sized hummingbird, weighing in at 5-6 grams. The males are almost all an iridescent green save for the shiny violet cap that is the reason for their name. Aside from coloring, they look much like an overgrown ruby-throated or Anna’s hummingbird, possessing what I consider the typical hummingbird body plan. This male gave respectable respirometry data, feeding for several seconds at a time. He was a rather unwilling weight lifter, but was eventually persuaded to lift 3.5 grams while feeding. That’s 60% or so of his body weight. Pretty good.

 

 

I’m sure you’re wondering how we transport the hummingbirds 30-45 minutes to and from Senhor Jonas’ house and the research station. After all, the VW gol is not a big car and can’t hold hummingbird cages. And it doesn’t make sense to let the birds flitter around the car while we drive. Nor is it practical to hold them in our bare hands. The solution is simple: hummingbirds in a tube! Neatly tucked in a 30 or 60 ml syringe barrel, the hummingbird stays cozy, safe, and (with my help and another syringe full of delicious nectar) well-fed. It’s better than thrashing about injuring one’s wings!

 

 

A quick note: Tomorrow, I will apparently be interviewed by a Taubaté television station news program. Cecilia explains that a visiting researcher like me is a rare thing in Taubaté. The research permit approval process is a public one. When our permits were approved, an announcement was published listing Derrick’s name, my name, and our University of Toronto affiliation. Cecilia says the television station caught wind of this announcement and contacted her to set up the interview. I’ll let you all know how it goes.

 

On a side note: In the permit announcement, Derrick was also listed (prematurely) as “Dr.” Groom. He says if Brazil recognizes his title, so should we all. We’ll see if his thesis committee agrees!

Our First Two Subjects

On Sunday, we finally caught a few birds and spent the rest of the day training them. We ended up with a beautiful little male festive coquette and female (we think so now) saw-billed hermit.

 

The male coquette (left) is easily distinguished from the female by his much more brilliant iridescent green forehead and the almost comically festive frills (bursting from his chin and cheek) that give him his name (when they have them at all, the female’s frills are not as ‘festive’). Both sexes are quite small. Ours weighed approximately 3.5 grams. Roughly the same as a female ruby-throated hummingbird (for those of you in the east) or as much as a well-fed rufous hummingbird (for those of you in the west). They have rather short tails and short bills. When the male was startled, he could expand his frills and crest. It was not unlike the spitting dinosaur from Jurassic Park (though much more beautiful and less intimidating).

 

 

Saw-billed hermits (right – a male) are thought to be among the most ancient species of hummingbird. And they look it. They are large (8-11 grams), and rather reptilian in appearance. They have very long bills and rather large legs (for a hummingbird – after all, the order of birds in which all hummingbirds reside is “Apodiformes” = “footless form”). In the past, I have only worked with much smaller North American hummingbirds. So, I was caught off guard by how strong the saw-bills are. And, as I found out later, they are vicious! They definitely try to bite. Now, with smaller species, this is a rather cute and harmless thing. But, saw-billed hermits are so named because the males have a distinct curved (and serrated) tip to their bill. It’s not going to break any skin (at least not mine). But, it pinches a little. Considering it’s a hummingbird, it’s quite ferocious. Aside from this, the saw-bills are rather unremarkable to look at (well, again, compared to other hummingbirds anyway). They are mostly an assortment of drab brown, white and black spots and stripes. They have fairly long tails, and they perch more more horizontally than other hummingbirds, while conspicuously bobbing their tails.

 

 

Our research centers on understanding the energetics and flight performance of hummingbirds along elevational gradients. To gain this understanding, we’re studying hummingbird metabolism and wingbeat kinematics during flight. Wingbeat kinematics are relatively easy to obtain (as long as you have an expensive high speed camera – check!). Recording hummingbird metabolic rate during flight is more complicated. This requires convincing a hovering hummingbird to stick its head up into a tube (at the back of which is a nectar source) while air is pulled into the tube past the hummingbird’s head. In doing this, we can record how much oxygen the hummingbird consumes, and how much water vapor and carbon dioxide it exhales while it flies.

 

So, training the hummingbird involves acclimating them to captivity (life in a small enclosure for a few days) and getting them used to feeding from a syringe which is either suspended from the top of the enclosure (for video/kinematic measurements) or inside the tube (for respirometric - i.e. oxygen/CO₂/H₂O -  measurements). I find that, compared to most wild animals, hummingbirds are easy to train. Still, that doesn’t mean that training happens quickly.

 

By Monday morning, we had two reasonably cooperative birds. We set about accumulating data. The coquette was a master flier, easily lifting almost any weights (small strings of beads hanging from a yoke around its neck) we asked it to bear. The saw-billed hermit was not a cooperative lifter. Unencumbered, she hovered like a champ. However, the moment even the smallest chain of beads was added, she proceeded to throw herself about, madly trying to rid herself of the nuisance load. Luckily, while the female saw-billed hermit wasn’t a good lifter, she was a champion mask user, keeping her head inside for dozens of seconds continuously. I almost never get this long a measurement from smaller North American species. So, we can be quite sure we are obtaining accurate data!

 

Following their service, the two birds were transported back to where they were caught and we released. We hope all they nectar we served was payment enough for their effort.

A Casa Do Senhor Jonas - Hummingbird Lover

On the morning of Saturday, August 11th, 2012, our hummingbird adventure really began.

We traveled to the home of Senhor Jonas, located an hour's drive south of Ubatuba along the coast. It wasn't that far as the hummingbird flies. But, these were rural roads. Still, it was a beautiful drive along the edges of the Serro do Mar.

When we finally arrived, we found a rustic home under siege by a thick swarm of birds. The gracious Senhor Jonas spends his retirement working as hard as any mid-career professional. His demanding hummingbird clientele requires constant attention, guzzling 20 liters (more than 5 gallons) of sugar water while throngs of honeycreepers and other passerines scarf down dozens of bananas each and every day. There are no restful golden years for this bird lover. The results, however, are worth it. I think it's best if I end this post now and simply let the following video snippets do the talking for me.

A video of a male and female (respectively) Blue Dacnis (Dacnis cayana) gobbling away on bananas.

A video of the multiple species of hummingbirds competing at each of Senhor Jonas' feeders.

A closeup of a Violet-capped woodnymph (Thalurania glaucopis)

To Ubatuba We Go!

Let's put things into geographical perspective: the Brazilian state of São Paolo is located in the southeasterly part of the country.

It's not quite as wet and humid as the Amazon, but it is known for it's great beaches and phenomenal Atlantic dry forest. Of course, when they say dry, it's only with respect to the Amazonian rain forest.

São Paolo's most famous city, Rio de Jeneiro, sits right along the Atlantic coast and will play host to both the 2016 Summer Olympics as well as some of the games of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.




Taubaté is located 2 hours northeast of São Paolo state's biggest city, which is creatively named São Paolo. Like São Paolo (the city), Taubaté is land-locked and relatively dry.

Ubatuba, a renowned beach vacation destination, is located a winding 2 hour drive southeast of Taubaté and just east of the Serro do Mar mountains.

Inga spp. This variety is apparently found
only at elevations above 1500 m.

While we snaked our way through the Serro do Mar State Park, Cecilia stopped to point out a few of the local hummingbirds' favorite flowers. The first was the Inga (Inga spp.). This flower made me think of what Beaker's hair might look like after a particularly frightening Dr. Bunson Honeydew experiment. Cecilia explained that hummingbirds love this tree because the flowers produce such huge volumes of nectar.

Fuchsia spp.

Next, we saw the familiar fuchsia. Of course, this ain't your mama's fuchsia, dangling over the sides of a small hanging basket on the patio. This plant reached at least 50 feet up into the canopy. I was surprised that these wild flowers were just as audaciously colored as the cultivated varieties I remembered. I am proud to say that, for the first time, I resisted the urge to pop open the immature flower buds as I had done so often to my mom's plants (sorry Mom).





Now, when I say Ubatuba is “just east of the Serro do Mar mountains”, I mean, “a precipitous, harrowing drop from the mountains straight toward the Atlantic Ocean.” Signs advise drivers to descend the switchback roads in 1st or 2nd gear only. But, in reality, you'll still have to use your brakes.

I could swear I heard Click and Clack groaning in sympathy along with the whine of the engine of our official UNITAU early 2000s VW Gol as we made the descent.

But, my white knuckles were worth the view during our drive.

The UNITAU research station is a humble little operation. But, the location couldn't be better. It's in the middle of the tourist area and right on the beach. The bed seems comfortable enough. So, I'll head off to bed and get ready for some hummingbirds tomorrow.

Our hosts welcome us...and then some

Cecilia Toledo, the ecologist with whom we are collaborating picked us up this morning at 9 AM to head to the Universidade de Taubaté (UNITAU, for short) for meetings with her "boss" and her "boss's boss".

I now wish I had packed some nicer clothes. For the most part, Robin sent me off with field clothes: zip-off cargo pants, most with a small stain here or there from previous work in the field. Our first meeting was with Prof. Dr. José Rui Camargo, President of the University, and Prof. Dr. Edson Ap. A. Q. Oliveira, Vice-President of Research and Graduate Studies. Profa. Ms. Ana Beatriz R. Pelógia, international Cooperation Officer, served as translator. Each was dressed in full business suites or other formal business attire. At least I remembered to bring plenty of business cards (a first for me). Many cards were exchanged.

A gift from our hosts, courtesy of the photojournalist that joined us. From left to right: Prof. Camargo, Dra. Toledo, me, Derrick, Prof. Oliveira, and Profa. Pelógia.

During our 45 minute-long meeting a reporter and photographer from the university newspaper joined us. We were asked about why we had come and what we were hoping to accomplish while we were there. I have a hard enough time making my work easy for everyone to understand (I can't help it if I get lost in the technical jargon). The language barrier was no help.

Neither Derrick nor I expected the red carpet to be rolled out like this. Universidade de Taubaté is a relatively young university (~50 years old) and is, I take it, not one of the more noted or prestigious Brazilian universities (at least not yet!). I gather that they are excited about our collaboration as a means of raising that profile. I'm blown away by my involvement in all of this. But, I must remember that the University of Toronto name seems to carry a fair amount of clout most everywhere.

Following our meeting with the big-wigs, we moved on to meet the chair of the department of Biology and some researchers. Their microbiology and physiology labs are not lacking in top-notch equipment. Very nice to see. We were told all of the facilities and equipment were at our disposal. Our hosts are so welcoming!

We leave for Ubatuba later today. Universidade de Taubaté maintains a field station in Ubatuba. So, it will serve as our forward operating base. Also, I should note that the beaches there are apparently quite well known. Ah, the trials of field work!

We arrive

Our team and equipment. The dry shipper made the customs folks very nervous. It turns out "hummingbird" sounds a little too much like "human-bird". Read more below.

We've arrived in São Paulo. The flight was rather uneventful, which was fine by me. I'm glad I paid extra for the non-stop flights from Toronto to São Paulo. Colleague Jason Weir recently returned from a trip to the Brazilian Amazon and lost bags (and more than $1000 in supplies) on his trip most likely because of the stop-over in the states. The items eventually arrived in Brazil, but were confiscated by police because Jason couldn't be present to receive them.

Processing through immigration was relatively simple. It was the trip through customs that took longer than usual. This was expected. We were traveling with specialized scientific equipment and I expected these foreign looking items to raise suspicions. I wasn't wrong.

The biggest problem was with the 'dry shipper'. For those that don't know: a dry shipper is a container designed to hold biological samples at very low temperatures for transport. Liquid nitrogen and dry ice are not allowed on planes for safety reasons. A dry shipper is 'charged' with liquid nitrogen. The liquid nitrogen cools a solid-state material in the chamber and then the nitrogen is allowed to boil away. You are left with a container that will keep things very cold for days and days, but doesn't have any potentially explosive solids or liquids inside. The metallic dry shipper is contained inside a padded plastic bin when travelling.

The shipper raised suspicions because it's a large metallic, cylindrical object. The customs officials didn't speak English, so they had to wait for a Federal Police officer to arrive to translate. The customs officials seemed especially worried because they were confused about what we intended to carry in the dry shipper. When we explained that we were going to transport "hummingbird" tissues. They heard "human....bird" tissues. The potential transport of 'human' tissues was especially worrisome.

Luckily, the translator was able to provide the Brazilian/Portuguese word: "beija-flor". In hindsight, I realize I should have gone ahead and memorized that before the trip. It's actually a wonderful description of hummingbirds. Translated literally, it means "flower kisser". That pretty much sums up hummingbirds.

Satisfied we weren't up to any mischief, the customs officers made copies of our export and scientific collection permits and sent us on our way.

Ah, the many destinations in Brazil.

Taubaté is a 2 hour drive from São Paulo. The drive was quite nice. It was good to leave the polluted confines of large São Paulo for the more scenic countryside. Taubaté is about halfway between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. A side trip to Rio will have to wait for another time.









We arrived at our hotel in late afternoon and settled in for some dinner and much needed sleep. It's good to finally be here.

The starting line

Our Brazilian adventure begins late on Wednesday night with a 10 hour flight from Toronto to Sao Paolo. The flight is delayed by about 30 minutes, but that doesn't seem like much considering we had to move our departure date back by 1 month already. Doing research in Brazil is hard. The bureaucratic hurdles are numerous. Though we handed them in more than 6 months ago, our research permits were only issued about in the last few days.
Now, we wait just a little longer.
Let's just hope our flight goes smoothly and our bags make it!