Whoa, a post? Really?

Yes, I'm actually updating... just before my extended stay in Nicaragua comes to a close. I'm still waiting for word on my application from UA's grad program, but I've been assured I'll be accepted, so I'm trying not to worry too much on that front. I'm not looking forward to the temperature shock upon returning to Pennsylvania, but it will be great to be home for the holidays before (fingers crossed) I head off to Tuscaloosa in January.

Man, I just checked, and my last update was in June. I'm so, so sorry.

Guilt trip aside, the last several months have been what I'd call uneventful. I'm one of those boring folks who feels comfortable in some sort of routine, so I quickly settled into my weekly monitoring procedure. Laguna de Xiloa is generally a very quiet place, so aside from the occasional power outage, nothing very exciting happened... above water, that is.

Well, I did turn 22. There's that, I guess.

Underwater, however, the last month has seen an explosion of activity as most of Xiloa's cichlid species enter their main breeding season. The rocky, sloped areas of lake bottom between 30 and 50 feet deep are so jam-packed with breeding pairs of fish defending their territory from adjacent breeding pairs that I can only describe it as a warzone. Considering that many of these cichlid species come in brilliant gold or orange colorations, it makes for quite a spectacle! (That is, when the visibility is decent. Most of the time you can't see more than 5 feet in front of your face.) As a result of all the activity, I've gotten plenty of chances to practice my fish ID skills. This paid off when, after so many months of diving in Xiloa, I finally sighted a single Archocentrus centrarchus defending its fry. There are plenty of attractive fish in that lake, but these guys have an especially weird breeding coloration.

Not pictured: Laguna de Xiloa. Image yanked against its will from Google Image Search results.

Little buggers do a good job of hiding in holes in the shallow weed beds.

I also had the opportunity to do my first night dive in Xiloa. Most of the cichlid species I've been observing during the day just sit on the bottom asleep. You can swim right up and poke them, which is strange considering how twitchy they are when they're awake. I had heard that Xiloa has herring (alliteration, whoa) that stay out in the middle of the lake during the day, but this night dive gave me a very physical introduction to them. They seem to be quite fond of lights, and, like aquatic moths, they'll senselessly ram themselves into what they perceive to be the light source. Thankfully, they seemed to be feeding very close to the surface, so the barrage of 4 inch fish abated once I got down to 15 feet or so.

Back above water, I did get the chance to visit a couple of tourist destinations near Managua, some of which were part of a brief visit by my mom and sister last week. I've now been to the Masaya volcano twice - great view, but the sulfurous fumes will probably limit your time close to the crater. I also got to visit the fort-slash-prison-turned-national-monument El Coyotepe. It has a fantastic 360-degree view of the surrounding countryside as well as guided tours that explain all of the horrific things the prisoners got to experience. Blood stains on the walls? Check. Electro-shock torture room? Checkaroo. Tiny bats? Check.

And now, a few pictures:

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Photos don't really capture how freakin' deep (and smelly) this thing is.

Sparse local wildlife around the crater

Part of the Coyotepe prison fort

It's been quite a year! There's a decent chance I'll be back in Nicaragua in February or March for research-related stuff, but for now, it's hasta luego, Nicaragua.