Rain! (but not enough to trigger breeding)

Today, Sarah and I spent the day taking care of logistics so we could go the field. This involved a couple meetings with people to make sure all our permits and papers were in order. We got our hands on a bike, so Sarah and I both have bikes now, which makes getting around town much easier. As we were going around town to do our business, we noticed some rain clouds rolling in. I didn't think much of it because it can rain in the highlands without any rain making it to the coastal areas. However, we came out of a meeting and the distinct smell of a rain storm was in the air. The bike I had obtained didn't have air in the tires since it hadn't been used in a year, so I couldn't ride it home. So, Sarah and I walked home. The rain was warm and refreshing, and as we turned onto our street, we noticed three children playing in the street. Actually, they were literally swimming in the street! The rains were intense enough to cause temporary flooding in a valley in the street, and the boys splashed and played in the rain quite happily!

Children playing in the temporarily flooded street

We had hoped this might be enough rain to trigger breeding in the finches at our field site. Unfortunately, though there was buckets of rain in Puerto Ayora, there was very little at our field site. However, this will not affect the main objective of our field season, so off to the field we go!!