Tag: Caribbean

Exploring with a guide by your side… Anguilla, Vol. 3

by fetchingtheworld, posted in Birds, Own Photos

Two years ago, I was fortunate to discover Nature Explorers Anguilla, the lone – and wonderfully so – ecotour company on this fabulous little island. Here are more highlights to the three days we went out together on my recent trip down, which included a wonderfual array of birds, and most any wild life and sea life that crossed our path….

We started our first day early with a sunrise view from Sandy Hill Bay, which seemed to set the tone for all the beauty we’d continue to see during the week!

  • Snowy Egret with breeding plumage
  • How different birds can look in flight, with their fancy feathers!
  • Brown Pelican: Strike the pose!
  • Goats!
  • Semipalmated Sandpiper, here for the winter before it heads back to the Tundra to breed – wow!
  • Tricolored Heron – fancy!
  • American Kestrel
  • Chillin’ birds: White-cheeked Pintails and Lesser Yellowlegs
  • Gray Kingbird – yup, he really is King!
  • Semipalmated Plover giving a little hop and show. This cutie is also a summer Tundra bird!
  • Lesser Antillean Bullfinch. Handsome!
  • A rare treat on Anguilla, the American Flamingo. I’m told this is the returning male, named Martin. Hello, Martin!
  • Brown Pelican taking flight. The blue on its belly is the reflection of that beautiful turquoise Caribbean water!
  • The critically endangered Hawksbill sea Turtle – beautiful, and humbling to see!

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Back to Anguilla, Vol. 2

by fetchingtheworld, posted in Birds, Own Photos

This my fourth trip to my all time favorite island of Anguilla, with new places to explore around and on the remote islands of Dog Island and Prickly Pear Cays! Both gave us several species of nesting birds!

An early start as we to head out from Sandy Ground, Anguilla, for the day on (and off!) our boat!

Gorgeous Prickly Pear Cays

First up is the unique-looking Brown Booby. I love the pastel colors of their beak and eyes, and the chocolate brown plumage. We came across a pair actively nesting, with one egg thus far. This was a first for me, and it was spectacular to witness.

  • Hard to say who is the female!
  • Perhaps both pretty and goofy?
  • The wait begins – Booby eggs take about 45 days to hatch.
  • Both Boobies will share in incubation and chick-rearing duties.
  • Sitting on the egg!

To be so close to a nesting pair of Red-billed Tropicbirds – without infringing on the nest of course – was another amazing first!

  • Red-billed Tropicbirds
  • The egg! And, the bird closest is banded (a tiny band placed around the leg for tracking)
  • See the wispy tail on the bird on the right?
  • A priceless photograph!
  • In flight.

While we were able to dock our boat at the beach of Prickly Pear and take our short hike to see these beautiful nesting birds, we viewed the nesting Masked Boobies and Magnificent Frigatebirds from the boat, as it was a bit too rough to dock there. It wasn’t until after our trip when I was looking at the photos on my laptop that I realized there were chicks!!

  • Masked Booby chick with parents.
  • Another little fluffball Masked Booby chick.
  • Would love to see them up close! Next time perhaps.

The Magnificent Frigatebird colony too was on Dog Island, with many flying high in the sky above it. While I couldn’t see any chicks, the Frigatebirds were clearly sitting on nests. As to the ones in flight, during breeding season males will puff out their red throat sac to attract females! I was fortunate to see a male in flight doing just this!

  • Male Magnificent Frigatebird looking to attract the ladies!
  • Soaring high above the colony
  • Juvenile Magnificent Frigatebirds
  • A colony, with nests and a couple male’s throat sacs puffed out!

We saw many other birds and wildlife that day, both on land and at sea, as we finished the day at Little Bay and Crocus Bay on Anguilla. I’ll save those beauties for my next post!

Anguilla Birds and Beauty

by fetchingtheworld, posted in Birds, Own Photos
  • Common Terns at sunrise
  • Common Tern
  • Mixed flock of Snowy and Semipalmated Plovers
  • Snowy Plover, breeding adult
  • Snowy Plover, trying to distract us from its nearby nest by feigning a broken wing
  • Snowy Plover chicks, just hatched
  • Bananaquit
  • “Stella”, a resident Green-throated Carib Hummingbird
  • “Stella”
  • Bananaquit
  • The very tiny Antillean-crested Hummingbird
  • American Flamingo pair, a very rare treat on Anguilla
  • American Flamingo
  • American Flamingo pair, a very rare treat on Anguilla
  • Wilson’s Plover
  • Ruddy Turnstone, breeding adult
  • White-cheeked Pintail
  • Semipalmated Plover
  • Lesser Yellowlegs
  • Ruddy Turnstone, non-breeding adult
  • Lesser Yellowlegs
  • Killdeer Chick
  • Killdeer with chick
  • Killdeer with chick
  • Killdeer with chick
  • Killdeer chick
  • Killdeer chick, only hours old and possibly its first time in the water
  • Killdeer with chick
  • Killdeer with chicks
  • Killdeer chick nestling under its parent
  • Feet!
  • Red-billed Tropicbird trio
  • Red-billed Tropicbird
  • Red-billed Tropicbird

Weekly Photo Challenge: Satisfaction

by fetchingtheworld, posted in Own Photos

It’s quite difficult to decide if our horses, Tango and Mario, were more satisfied on their seaside ride than we were. Though, I know that Tango – my son’s horse – hands down loved this beautiful bay in Anguilla. He wouldn’t budge for a good 15 minutes, once in…

For The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge, Satisfaction.