Watch the GLTs on the web camIssue 16, September 17
Travel Paths
As usual, the family is crossing to Holly Hill once or twice a day over the low black walnut. When they cross back, they take the low black walnut again and run down the fence line into one of the hemlocks. Now and then, they climb straight up tree five and cross over into the high black walnut. The GLTs have also been traveling down the fence toward Olmsted Walk fairly often, stopping in the fence holly or moving down to the tree stump and the empty bobcat enclosure and farther into trees 17 and 19. Once, the family crossed over Tamarin Run from tree 17 to Holly Hill, heading back past the shed holly into the bench holly.
The monkeys have also been exploring the Red Light District—the area of trees between the bathroom and the main exhibit—more often. They cross there using the place where the hemlock branches reach over the path. They also crossed to Bird Hill twice more this week, in different places each time. The first time Moe and Mara crossed only briefly on an overhanging branch of a tree close to the path behind tree zero, they crossed back into the same tree. Later in the week, the whole family crossed over from tree 30 high above the path where the branches reach over onto Bird Hill. They all crossed back the same way.
New Hangouts
The family has been spending increasingly less time in the bench holly and is moving around quite a bit. On cold mornings, they seem to follow the sun and spend a good deal of time high in trees like tree zero or tree 34. They have been spending more time on the fence and in the trees along it toward Olmsted Walk, their favorites being the fence holly, the tree stump and the empty bobcat enclosure, tree 17, and tree 19.
The newest addition to their repertoire has been two trips to Bird Hill this week, once briefly and down low, and once for longer and high up in the trees. They are also seen playing or foraging on the ground throughout the main exhibit almost every day.
September 10
The monkeys were all out of the box and foraging in the hemlocks at 6:45 a.m. on this humid, overcast day. They crossed to Holly Hill early over the low black walnut at 7:04. They settled into the bench holly, staying mostly out of sight among the high thick branches. Around 7:45, they moved off in the direction of the shed holly, foraging along the way. They reached the holly and continued past it, foraging in the trees along the pathway and stopping in the small holly tree near the border of Olmsted Walk.
Shortly after nine, they made their way back toward the bench holly, taking their time to forage and play along the way. They crossed back to the main exhibit over the low black walnut at 9:46. They ate briefly before heading off down the fence toward Olmsted Walk. They stopped and explored the large tree stump and the empty bobcat exhibit for about half an hour before continuing on to tree 17 and then settling into tree 19, the small holly at the end of the walkway. They rested, foraged, and groomed one another in this holly until 12:30.
Laranja led the family home to the main exhibit, scent marking along the way. They spent half an hour in the exhibit, eating and resting, before crossing to Holly Hill once more. They settled into the bench holly again, forming a monkey ball high in the branches. At 2:30, the ball of monkeys broke up into spurts of play and grooming. The kids moved down low in the trees to the right of the bench holly, playing and foraging on the ground.
At 3:30, the whole family crossed back to the main exhibit over the low black walnut once again, moving to the food trays to eat. They moved about tree three and the hemlocks in the corner of their exhibit, playing, grooming, and foraging. They headed back to tree zero at six and moved in and out of the box until seven when everyone was inside except for Eduardo, who kept watch from outside.
September 11: Nuts!
The GLTs were in the hemlocks in the corner of their exhibit at 7 a.m. and they rested peacefully and groomed one another there in between trips to the food tray. At 7:33, Laranja, Baby 2, and Eduardo crossed to Holly Hill leaving Mara, Moe, and Baby 1 in the hemlocks. A few minutes later, Mara went up tree four, over into tree five, and then over the path into the high black walnut to join her parents. Moe followed part way, remaining high in tree four. Baby 1, who was left all alone in the hemlocks, began long calling insistently. At 7:52, Laranja crossed back over the low black walnut and ran down the fence line into the hemlocks to rescue her baby. With little one in tow, she climbed up tree four where they were joined by Moe. They all crossed into tree five and then over the high black walnut crossing into the bench holly.
After this chaotic crossing, they all settled into the high branches, staying mostly out of sight for nearly an hour. At 9:45, they crossed back to the main exhibit together, taking the low black walnut to the fence. They foraged for an hour before everyone but Eduardo settled into the nest box for half an hour. At 11, they moved out and into the hemlocks. Shortly before noon, Moe made his way into the Red Light District, climbing over the path where the hemlocks branches connect overhead. Mara, Eduardo, and the babies followed closely behind and Laranja eventually left her resting place to join them as well. They foraged and explored through the trees, dislodging many squirrels intent on their own foraging. Mara took a great interest in one squirrel in particular and moved slowly toward it, when she was close enough; she reached out and poked it. They both jumped back and then she did it not just once, but three more times before the squirrel finally ran off, Mara in hot pursuit! Laranja long called and they all gathered together and crossed back to the main exhibit as if on cue at 12:20.
They all moved into the nest box for some time, everyone disappearing below the platform as it started to drizzle outside. The rain did not keep them inside for too long though and they braved the damp day to move back into the hemlocks at one. Eduardo groomed everyone in turn, and when it came to Moe and Mara’s turns, he would groom them for a few minutes before playfully biting them on the necks and wrestling. At two, they all took the ropes to tree nine, where they investigated the holes in the tree stump once dubbed their vacation home. There must have been a squirrel or some other creature taking refuge from the rain in there because the entire family began to predator call before taking the ropes to the low black walnut where they jumped on the fence and ran back to the hemlocks.
They spent the next hour eating and foraging from the food trays. Moe took an interest in the hard-boiled eggs that were hung on the ropes as enrichment. He took a small bite from the first one before squaring his haunches and pulling. He seemed surprised when it came free of the twine holding it and he took one more bite before dropping it on the ground. He moved to the other one that was hanging two feet away and did the same thing, ripping it free and watching as it dropped to the ground. They continued to play and forage until shortly after five, when the drizzles increased and the monkeys retired to the nest box. They moved around inside, usually with one or two monkeys visible resting or grooming. At seven, they were all below the platform save for Eduardo who had moved to the top level to watch the rain.
September 12: Tubes!
It was another early crossing day at the GLTs took the low black walnut to Holly Hill at 7:13. They moved straight toward the shed holly and part it, foraging along the way. They settled into the tupelo tree close to Tamarin Run near Olmsted Walk. Laranja climbed very low on the trunk of the tupelo, staring at the watchers as they wrote on their clipboards. She then jumped to the ground and ran up the neighboring white ash. She did this once more before the family moved further down the pathway. At 9:30 they moved back toward the bench holly where they foraged and rested.
At 10:45 they crossed back to the main exhibit over the low black walnut. The babies seemed reluctant to cross on their own but Eduardo refused to carry them and they finally all scurried across uncarried. They stopped briefly in the exhibit before running down the fence line to the fence holly. They foraged amongst the branches, eating the porcelain berries that grow up through the tree.
Shortly before one, they all jumped onto the fence and scent marked the garbage can before returning to the main exhibit. They settled into a monkey ball in the hemlocks. They groomed one another and the babies nursed from Laranja. They are typically seen nursing about once a day. At 2:30, they broke from their monkey ball to eat from the food trays.
Today’s enrichment consisted of bananas hung in cardboard tubes. One of the tubes required the monkeys to pull on the rope the banana was hanging on in order to eat it. Laranja soon lost patience with this one, but Moe figured it out in no time. The other half of the banana was wedged into its tube tighter and Eduardo went to town ripping the cardboard away as easily as he would a peel. It worked so well that after a few bites, it came free and his prize dropped to the ground. He moved to the other banana half as Laranja moved stealthily down the trunk of tree five to get the dropped half. She seemed very nervous about being on the ground and only took a few bites before moving back up. Moe, Mara, and both babies followed her lead and were soon on the ground too, though they never found the fallen produce.
At three, they moved back through the hemlocks and up tree three, playing and grooming one another. Shortly before six, they moved back to tree zero, climbing up the branches on the back of the beech tree. They foraged up there for a few minutes before going into the box at six. Eduardo groomed Laranja for awhile while the others disappeared below the platform and by seven, they were all resting out of sight.
September 13: A Late Morning
The monkeys were already out of their nest box by 6:45 and had climbed up the back of tree zero by seven. It was a chilly morning and they spent a half an hour seeking the sun at the top of tree zero. At 7:45, they moved down and into the hemlocks where they foraged and rested. At 8:30, Mara and the babies returned to the nest box and played inside before moving back out to eat from the food trays. At nine, all the kids went into the box with short visits from the parents. At 9:37, they all crossed to Holly Hill over the low black walnut and settled into a monkey ball in the high sunny branches of the bench holly. They stayed quiet and out of sight as two hawks called to one another and one flew over at 10:30. The ball broke up briefly at 11, before reforming for another hour of rest. Shortly before 12:30, they all moved down to the shed holly and past it to forage near the path.
At 1, they moved back toward the low black walnut and everyone crossed back to the main exhibit. They rested, foraged, and groomed in the hemlocks until about 2:30 when Laranja spotted three deer grazing on Deer Run across Valley Trail. She predator called and then moved closer, climbing down to the edge of the exhibit bordering Valley Trail, where the whole family crossed to Bird Hill last week. She watched them closely, yelling continuously and everyone followed her, except for Eduardo who remained near the nest box.
Laranja looked briefly like she might cross but was hesitant of the flimsy branch that she used last time. Moe took the jump though and crossed the path. When he realized no one was following, he made a hurried jump back to where he had come from. Mara was the next to give the crossing a try, but she couldn’t quite manage the jump back like her brother. Instead, she climbed straight up the white ash she had crossed into and made the jump back high up in the tree. Eventually the deer left and the monkeys settled down.
They began to forage low in the trees along the path. They moved back toward tree zero, using the ground now and then to move from tree to tree. By 3:45, they were all playing and foraging on the ground around the nest box. By 4:40, they were all done playing on the ground and had moved back into the trees in the hemlocks. At 5:45 they moved back toward tree zero and into the nest box, disappearing below the platform and calling an early night.
September 14
The family was out and climbing around on tree zero at 6:50. They crossed to Holly Hill at 7:15 moving into the bench holly shortly before heading down to the shed holly. They moved through the trees along the garden, foraging. Shortly after nine, they moved back into the shed holly where they hunkered down, mostly out of sight, for an hour. They headed back toward the low black walnut at ten and crossed to the main exhibit shortly after. They stopped briefly in their exhibit to eat before jumping onto the fence and heading down toward Olmsted Walk.
When they reached their favorite trash can, they scent marked it before jumping into the trees bordering the path. They moved to the tree stump and the empty bobcat enclosure, foraging before continuing on to settle into tree 17. A few minutes after noon, Eduardo climbed far out over the path where the branches of tree 17 reach the branches on Holly Hill and crossed over head. The rest of the family soon followed, with Laranja tentatively bringing up the rear in the thin branches. They moved through the trees past the shed holly and into the bench holly where they settled into a monkey ball high in the branches.
At 1:14, Laranja crossed back to the main exhibit over the low black walnut followed by Baby 2, Mara, and Moe. Baby 1 jumped onto Eduardo’s back and they stayed in the bench holly. Those who had crossed ate for a few minutes. Baby 2 climbed out toward the fence in the hemlock to the left of tree four and long called, looking around for his brother and father.
At 1:30, Moe quietly climbed straight up tree four, over into tree five and crossed the path into the high black walnut to rejoin his father and Baby 1. Shortly after, Mara jumped to the fence, running along it to the low black walnut and over. Then Laranja went straight up tree 5 and crossed over the high black walnut, leaving Baby 2 alone in the hemlocks. Baby 2 started crying once he realized he was alone and Eduardo crossed back over the high black walnut, climbing down tree five and picking up his son. He climbed into the hemlock to the right of tree 4 and sat with Baby 2 on his back. Laranja crossed back over the low black walnut as Eduardo was picking up the baby, and seeing that her son was no longer crying, she crossed back to the bench holly. She long called several times but Eduardo paid no attention. Laranja, Moe, Mara, and Baby 1 moved into the white ash and the tupelo to the left of the bench holly to forage high in the branches, calling to the other two family members now and then.
At 12:40, they all finally crossed back to the main exhibit over the low black walnut, rejoining the others in the hemlock. They all ate from the food trays and then settled into the box at three, where they rested for half an hour. They moved back into the hemlocks at 3:30 to forage and rest. At 4:45, they all crossed over to the Red Light District though the hemlocks. They foraged and explored in the trees before coming down low and even moving from tree to tree on the ground and climbing on the short black fence. At 5:30, they all crossed back to the main exhibit, resting in the hemlocks for another half an hour. At 6 they settled into the nest box for the rest of the night, sleeping on the top platform at seven.
September 15: Cold, Chilly, and Quiet
The family slept in a little today, staying in the box until 7:05 on this chilly and damp morning. They foraged around the exhibit until 7:41, when they crossed to Holly Hill over the low black walnut. Mara lagged behind and wound up crossing by herself several minutes later over the high black walnut. They settled into the high branches of the bench holly, mostly out of sight in the thick foliage. They moved in and out of monkey balls, trying to stay warm in the sun.
At 11:25 they crossed back to the main exhibit and moved into the hemlocks. They foraged and played around and behind tree zero and tree three. At 2:30, they moved into the hemlocks and settled into a monkey ball. They continued to be relatively well behaved for the rest of the afternoon, moving about their exhibit to forage and spending a lot of time close together in the cool air. At five, they moved into the box unusually early, coming out only once at 5:15 to eat from the food trays before disappearing below the platform to sleep for the rest of the night.
September 16: Another Chilly Day
The GLTs were awake and foraging in the hemlocks at seven after their early night last night. They ate from their food trays and moved about the exhibit until they crossed to Holly Hill at 7:50. They went straight up tree 34, a high oak, and sat in the sun for half an hour before settling into the bench holly. They stayed high in the sunny branches of the holly 10:40 when they all crossed back to the main exhibit to eat.
As Moe was running down the fence toward the hemlocks, it was clear that he had large bubbles of spit around his mouth and he was drooling excessively. As everyone else went to the food trays to eat, he sat in the hemlocks and wiped his face on the bark for a few minutes before joining them. Laranja got done eating first and she went down the ropes to tree six, followed by the rest of the family. She climbed up it and into tree eight, straight to the top and then into the trees behind it. She was moving like a monkey with a mission!
To keep track of them, the watchers had to move to Valley Trail at the back of the exhibit and by the time they got down there, at least two monkeys had already crossed over to Bird Hill where the branches barely touch high above the path. It wasn’t long before everyone was over, though Eduardo hesitated for several minutes before joining them. Once over into the high trees on Deer Run, they were almost impossible to see, though we could get glimpses of them moving or foraging in a squirrels nest now and then.
Luckily, we had a surplus of good volunteers and they all did a great job keeping track of the monkeys as they gamboled about the high branches. After about 15 minutes, Laranja crossed back to the main exhibit through the same place they had crossed over and she long called for the rest of the family. No one paid her any attention for a few minutes but eventually Moe, Mara, and Baby 1 crossed back as well.
Baby 2 jumped on Eduardo’s back and he ran up and down the branches, testing crossing spots, but seemed reluctant to cross with the extra weight on his back. Finally, after about 15 minutes of this pacing, he kicked Baby 2 off his back and quickly made it across with a small jump. The baby was right on his tail, walking across with seemingly no effort. They all climbed down the beech tree behind tree 8 and Baby 2 slipped on the smooth bark. He fell, crying, but luckily caught a branch seven meters above the rocks that line the stream bed. He refused to move, hanging onto the branch that had saved him and Eduardo came down to rescue him. They climbed down into a neighboring holly and ran across the ground to tree 8 before taking the ropes to the low black walnut. Without hesitation, he crossed to Holly Hill and hunkered down in the bench holly with Baby 2 still on his back. The rest of the family visited the food trays briefly before joining them.
They sat in a monkey ball in the bench holly, resting after their latest adventure, until 2:30 when they crossed back to the main exhibit. They foraged in the hemlocks for the rest of the afternoon, eating from the food tray and the forage bin. Laranja and Eduardo were sitting in the forage bin at one point, looking for mealworms, when Eduardo got out. As he pushed off, the tray went spinning with Laranja barely managing to hold on. Wheee! They all moved back to tree zero at six and into the box shortly after. In a repeat of last night, they escaped the cool evening by spending most of the 5-7 shift asleep under the platform of the nest box.
