Watch the GLTs on the web camIssue Seven, July 16
Travel Paths
The travel path to Holly Hill is much the same as it was last week. Everyone takes the ropes to the low black walnut and across. On the way back to the main exhibit, Laranja takes the low black walnut to the fence line, which she follows down to the hemlocks. The kids either follow her or they will climb down the tupelo tree on the far end of Holly Hill by the corner of the picnic area with their father and cross on the ground into the far corner of the exhibit into the hemlocks.
New Hangouts
A typical day for the GLTs this week was waking up around 6:40 and spending an hour or so in the hemlocks in the corner of their exhibit. They then cross to Holly Hill, where they either go to the bench holly or directly down to the shed holly. Once at the shed holly, they sometimes forage in the trees by the garden and once as far as Olmsted Walk. When they return to the bench holly, Laranja usually crosses to the main exhibit to eat and then crosses back to rejoin them.
They have also been foraging high up in the trees between the bench holly and the picnic area. Eduardo and Moe went as far as the tupelo and oak behind the picnic area and the next holly over from the bench holly. They have all been crossing back to the main exhibit late in the afternoon, between 3 and 4. After that they spend about two hours in the hemlocks, sometimes foraging high up in the white ash behind tree three. The kids are still playing a lot in the hemlock to the left of tree four, which is very close to the fence. They usually return to tree zero and start settling into the box for bed sometime between 6 and 7.
July 9
The group was already out of the box at 7 and in the hemlocks by 7:15. They ate breakfast and took off for Holly Hill at 7:40. They all crossed over the path using the low black walnut and headed straight into the bench holly. They stayed mostly out of sight in the high branches except for when Moe and Mara played rowdily together. Laranja crossed back into the main exhibit at noon to eat for a few minutes before returning to the bench holly.
At 1:25, she crossed again using the low black walnut, and Moe and Mara both followed her. Dad carried the two babies down the trunk of the tupelo tree and across the path. They ate and settled into the hemlocks near the corner of their exhibit to forage, rest, and groom each other. At 2:20, Baby 1 was climbing on the food tray hung by tree four and fell off. Instead of crying and waiting for someone to come to the rescue, it instead stayed quiet and climbed back up the tree by itself. Baby 2, however, seemed alarmed at suddenly being alone and made several small chirps. Laranja came down and immediately picked it up. At 4:45 they returned to tree zero, where they moved in and out of the nest box. At 7, everyone was inside and under the platform except Eduardo and Mara who were resting outside and Baby 1 who played by itself on the top platform.
July 10: Caught in the Rain
The family came out of the box at 6:45 and foraged and sunned themselves in the hemlocks for an hour. Eduardo, carrying Baby 1, led the crossing party down the ropes and across the low black walnut. Moe, Mara with Baby 2, and Laranja stopped and climbed down on the fence briefly before crossing. They stayed in the bench holly for several hours.
At 10:20, Moe and Mara were feeling adventurous and explored the rubber tree that hangs over the bamboo patch and the bench on the elephant walk. At 10:57, the family scolded a deer that wandered under the bench holly. It thundered ominously as Laranja crossed back to the main exhibit to eat shortly before 1. A few minutes later she crossed back to Holly Hill on the low black walnut. The whole family was still in the bench holly when the skies opened up and rain poured down. Laranja looked like she wanted to make a break for it, coming down low on the edge of the holly toward the magnolias but turned back instead. Rain came down in sheets for a half an hour as they all huddled together at the center of the tree.
After the rain ended, the whole family climbed high up to the very top of the holly, peering into the distance as if watching the clouds blow away. They scratched and fluffed their damp hair and sat in the sun to dry out. Their hairdos were pretty amusing for the next few hours.
Laranja crossed back to the main exhibit over the low black walnut at 3. Eduardo carried the babies down the high black walnut and across the path followed shortly by Moe and Mara. It rained again briefly before the family started foraging in the food pans and out toward the hemlocks. The babies played together in the hemlocks while everyone else foraged high in the white ash behind tree three. They headed back toward tree zero right after 6 p.m. Both babies climbed from the hemlocks, down the rope to tree three, down the rope to tree 2A, and then down the rope to tree zero by themselves. At this point, Baby 2 fell trying to find a grip on the slippery beech tree. Laranja went down and retrieved it and then got Baby 1 from the rope as well. Everyone was inside the box by 6:30 and settled below the platform by 7.
July 11: A New Holly
Everyone was out of the box at 6:40 and, as seems to be their habit lately, they spent an hour in the hemlocks. Everyone took turns grooming Eduardo. At 7:45, Laranja led the family across the ropes to the low black walnut to cross to Holly Hill. She jumped down to the fence and waited there as Mara, with Baby 1, and Moe crossed. By this time, Eduardo had left Baby 2 on tree seven and it was attempting to follow him across the rope. Laranja went back to pick it up and they crossed over together. They spent the rest of the morning in the bench holly playing and foraging. At 9:15, the neighborhood fawns were romping under the bench holly, which heralded much calling from the family.
Shortly after 11, Laranja made her way to the crossing site but continued on to forage in tree 33. Moe and Mara followed her. Several minutes later she crossed over the low black walnut into the main exhibit and Moe and Mara moved back into the bench holly. After eating, Laranja crossed back to rejoin her family. In an encore of yesterday’s weather, the skies opened up at 1 and the family again hunkered down in the Holly close to the center. During the rain, the doe moved around under their tree but Laranja did not notice and start calling until the rain slowed. At 1:30, Laranja started to cross back and made it halfway across the branch of the low black walnut that overhangs the path before turning around and returning to the holly tree. The family once again went high up into the tree and groomed themselves in the sun to dry out their coats.
Instead of crossing home, the family moved into the high black walnut and white ash to forage. Moe and Eduardo, who was carrying Baby 1, went exploring and made a wide circle through the tupelo tree to the alder to the tupelo tree behind the picnic area into the oak by the elephant walk, and finally into the small holly that lies slightly west of the bench holly. Eduardo has been here in past years but it was the first visit for this summer. After a few minutes of foraging, they circled back the way they came and everyone regrouped in the bench holly. At 3:40 everyone crossed back to the main exhibit. Laranja climbed over the low black walnut carrying Baby 2 and was followed by Moe down the fence line and into the hemlocks. Eduardo with Baby 1 and Mara climbed down the tupelo tree and across the path into the hemlocks. They stayed there and foraged, rested, and played until 5:30, when they headed back to the nest box. At 5:15, Eduardo and Laranja were seen copulating. By 6:15, everyone was in the box and by 6:45, Laranja was the only monkey left on the top platform.
July 12
At 7, the family was up and foraging around tree five. They moved over into the hemlocks at 7:40 and groomed each other there. Moe played with his new favorite toy, a piece of paper pulled from a tree number. At 8:45, they all crossed over to Holly Hill and into the bench holly. Both sets of twins played amongst themselves and everyone rested in the sun.
At 11:40, Laranja crossed over to the main exhibit briefly to eat, using the low black walnut. She crossed back ten minutes later. At 1, she crossed to the main exhibit again via the low black walnut. Moe followed her onto the branch but turned around and followed Eduardo and Mara down the tupelo tree and across the ground to the fence. Everyone foraged, played, and rested in the hemlocks. At 2:30, Laranja and Eduardo faced down a squirrel that was climbing around in a tree above them amid a chorus of predator calls. They headed back to tree zero around 4:15 and stayed there, aside for a few brief trips onto the ropes, for the rest of the afternoon. They stayed in the trees around the box until 6:45, when they settled in under the platform.
July 13
It was an early morning and the family crossed to Holly Hill at 7:08. They hung out in the bench holly until 8:50, when they moved down the way to the shed holly. Eduardo carried both babies and, as he climbed, a branch broke underneath him and they fell three to four meters to the ground. The kids held on tight and they were back up and on their way in no time. They played and foraged and Eduardo and Laranja were seen copulating on the shed roof. At 10 they headed back to the bench holly where they continued to forage and rest.
Laranja crossed back to the main exhibit to eat at 12:10 and returned ten minutes later to join the rest of the family in the bench holly, both times via the low black walnut. At 2:15, Laranja crossed back to the main exhibit again, this time followed by Moe and they foraged by the nest box. Laranja crossed back to Holly Hill at 2:30 and Moe crossed back to join the family a few minutes later. At 2:40, they left the babies alone in the holly and foraged in the branches of the high black walnut, the white ash, and the tupelo tree. At 3:40, everyone crossed back to the main exhibit on the low black walnut except for Eduardo, who carried Baby 2 down the tupelo tree and across the path. They stayed in the area of the hemlocks, foraging and grooming until 6, when they moved back to tree zero. Eduardo and Laranja were once again seen copulating at 5:41. By 6:15, they were all moving around in the box and by 7 they were not visible below the platform.
July 14: Another New Holly
The family was up shortly before 7 in the hemlocks grabbing a quick breakfast. They crossed to Holly Hill at 7:15. Eduardo briefly explored the holes in tree nine first, chattering about something he found or smelled there. Mara, Moe, and Laranja all waited for him on the trunk of the low black walnut before crossing. They stayed in the bench holly for about 45 minutes before Laranja led them down to the shed holly. They did not stay put though, and foraged all along the garden and into the trees bordering Olmsted Walk. There is a holly there that Eduardo has been to during previous years, and he and Moe spent some time foraging in it.
It seems that most explorations of late have led to new versions of their old favorites, holly trees! Mara and Moe chased each other around in the tops of the trees, sending branches showering down through the canopy. They were even seen play copulating for a short time. Laranja and Eduardo were also seen copulating as well. They moved back to the bench holly at 12:15 and Laranja immediately crossed back to the main exhibit to eat. She crossed back a few minutes later and the family spent another two and a half hours in the bench holly, playing and foraging. They crossed back in typical fashion, with Laranja taking the low black walnut to the fence and the rest climbing down the tupelo tree and crossing on the ground.
They spent the afternoon in the hemlocks, foraging, playing, and grooming each other profusely. At 3:20, the mother doe and her fawns wandered through the exhibit and the monkeys let her know how strongly they disapproved of this with a chorus of predator calls. They moved back to the tree zero at 6:15 and were in and out of the box until 7, when everyone went below the platform except Laranja, who slept above.
July 15
Eduardo and Laranja were already out of the box with the babies at 6:40, and Moe and Mara joined them shortly afterwards. They moved into the hemlocks and foraged while the babies stole food from any nearby monkey hands.
At 7:45, there was quite a ruckus when a raccoon ran through the exhibit under the trees. Laranja ran to the babies, who were alone, and scooped them up before shooting high up the trunk of tree four. Not a minute later, two squirrels came climbing up tree four, and the babies, who had jumped off Laranja, shot up the tree after them. Laranja picked up the babies again just in time to start a fresh chorus of scolding as a Zoo employee entered the exhibit briefly from the Valley Trail side.
This was quite an agitated morning for the tamarins! They rested in the hemlocks then until 8:15, when they started their crossing to Holly Hill. Laranja led the way, followed closely by Moe, and they both crossed over the low black walnut. Eduardo and Mara stopped at tree five, where Eduardo deposited both babies. Mara crossed just as Laranja was coming back over the low black walnut. She jumped down to the fence and ran to the kiosk, watching as Eduardo left the babies in tree five. She hesitated and then ran back to the ropes and picked up one of the babies just after Eduardo picked up the other. They crossed together and Eduardo headed to the bench holly with the kids. Laranja had other plans, however, and went straight to the shed holly, long calling all the way. Moe and Mara followed shortly behind and eventually Eduardo did as well. The rest of the morning was spent playing, resting, and foraging in the shed holly and surrounding trees, sometimes coming down quite close to Tamarin Run.
At 12:30 they moved back to the bench holly. Laranja crossed into the main exhibit 15 minutes later to eat before crossing right back. They were mostly not visible for several hours except for a little playing and foraging.
At 3:30, Laranja looked like she was going to cross and almost made it back to eat. While she was crossing, Baby 2 fell about two meters to the ground from the bench holly and called out. Laranja was just moving down the fence line toward the hemlocks when she heard it. She jumped down to the ground, looking in the direction of the bench holly before jumping back up to the fence and practically flying back over the low black walnut past Moe, who had been trying to follow her. By the time she got there, Eduardo had already climbed down and picked it up. She rested with the family for a while then but finally made another cross at 3:50 with Baby 2 across the low black walnut. Moe and Mara followed Eduardo carrying Baby 1 down the tupelo tree and across the ground. They all foraged and rested in the hemlocks until 5:40 when they moved back to tree zero. By 6:45 they were all in the box, and by 7 everyone had disappeared below the platform except Eduardo and Baby 1.
