Rainforest Live Extra! Extra!

Sep 12	After about an 18-hour flight, we arrived in Warrawee, the Center for Rainforest Studies in Cairns, Australia. We drove up a pretty windy road to the Atherton Tablelands where we are living. There are lost of trees, plants, and birds here at Warrawee. It is a beautiful place. It is very sunny and warm today. We played two introduction games so we can learn the student's and staff's names. We also walked around the Center to see what's all here.
Sep 13	This was our first morning at the Center for Rainforest Studies—the first of many to awake to melodic bird calls and the rustling trees of the rainforest. We were all surprisingly awake for breakfast at 7:15 a.m. After breakfast we played a few "orientation games" that helped us get to know and trust each other. Then we formed groups to talk about difficult issues that might come up and ways to resolve possible problems.
Sep 14	Today was a busy day at the Center. We arose at 6:30 to go on our first bird walk of the rainforest and begun the task of memorizing bird calls for our upcoming quiz. After breakfast we went into town to water trees that were planted last year by a previous SFS group. We ended the afternoon with a swim test at Lake Eacham, which (thankfully) we all passed with flying colors. An ice cream stop on our way back to the center was a fine ending to an exciting day down under.
Sep 15	Today was cooler and a bit cloudy. This morning we went on a bird walk to continue identifying birds for our bird quiz. During our morning RAP session, we saw our first snake (whip snake). This evening we are all going to Bruce's house to view the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.
Sep 16	Today we slept late and then enjoyed a huge, delicious brunch. A long hike to Gillies Lookout was scheduled, but it was cancelled due to bad weather. We’ll do a shorter hike instead, but students who do not wish to hike will stay at the Center and write letters, read, or play games.
Sep 18	We started the day with an early morning bird walk—saw a beautiful blue forest kingfisher and some rainbow lorikeets! Our classes started, and we had our first field exercise about mulching.
Sep 19	Today started off with lectures all morning. During the afternoon we had Warrawork, a full site clean-up. After Warrawork we had free time in the afternoon until dinner. The highlight of the day was a visit from the Yadinji people, a local aboriginal tribe. The place will be rockin’ tonight, as there will be lots of didgeridoos playing at the Center for Rainforest Studies!
Sep 20	This morning we went on a bird walk around the site (only six more days until the quiz!). We then met for lectures on Gap Dynamics, Rainforest Vegetation, and Marginal Analysis. This afternoon we will be introduced to the Directed Research projects and go on a botanical walk.
Sep 21	Today we are visiting Lake Barrine, a crater lake that was formed by a volcano about 10,000 years ago. We are also going to see the red cedar tree. We are all anxious to see the new and exciting things that surround us in the rainforest.
Sep 22	We saw three water dragons in Malanda–but no platypus yet!
Sep 23	Finally the weekend. Today the plan is to experience life in Yungaburra—we are going to the markets! They have stalls of fun crafty things and fresh fruits and vegetables. Then we are up to a fun game of ultimate Frisbee at the fields. One of our favorite Saturday activities always is swimming in Lake Eacham. After all the fun, it's time to start studying for our plant and bird quizzes.
Sep 24	Today we got to sleep in. Most of us took advantage of this and did not roll out of bed until 10 a.m. or so. Students studied as we have two quizzes this week: one on birds and one on plants. A group of students went on a hike through part of the World Heritage Forest and others played some soccer. A few of us are also nursing some sunburn from yesterday.
Sep 25	An early bird walk with Caitlin helped to reinforce the names of birds and their calls. The bird quiz is tomorrow, so this afternoon will be devoted to studying. The rest of the morning was spent in lecture where Florry taught us about taxonomy.
Sep 26	This morning (at 6:30 a.m.) we had our very first quiz on rainforest birds, where we identified—by sight and sound—thirty different birds. It was drizzling, and this made bird watching difficult (since everybody's binoculars were covered in raindrops). This afternoon we will be doing Warrawork, our big site cleanup.
Sep 27	This morning we are going to take a plant walk with Florry, our botanist, to study for tomorrow’s plant test. Later we will receive our assignments for our Directed Research projects and begin working on these projects with our assigned professors.
Sep 28	Today we are taking our plant quiz at 1:00 p.m.—we have to know how to identify 50 plants. We’ve been studying hard, and we plan to do well on this quiz. The rest of today will be spent in lecture and studying for an exam tomorrow. Who says we don’t work hard?!
Sep 29	Today is going to be a hectic day. We will be quite stressed preparing for three exams. Our reward for studying hard will be a trip into town tonight for a double feature movie!
Sep 30	Today is a beautiful day to play some ultimate frisbee and go for a swim. Some of us will go into town to shop while the others will play sports. We need a break after our bird quiz, plant quiz, and three exams last week. Tonight we’re playing murder mystery!