PAINTED BUNTING: PICTURE PERFECT ON ABACO (7)

April 5, 2020 by Rolling Harbour

PAINTED BUNTING: PICTURE PERFECT ON ABACO (7)

Photo: Tom Sheley, taken at Bahama Palm Shores, Abaco

This wonderful and mood-brightening photo was taken by Tom while we were compiling an archive for my book BIRDS OF ABACO It is one of the most memorable images of the very large number of photographs featured. Every one of them was taken on Abaco (photos taken ‘off-island’ were ruthlessly excluded); and each one in natural surroundings (no seed-trails, recorded calls and so on). Sadly the edition sold out well before Hurricane Dorian so we have been unable to replace any of the many lost copies. However, I am contemplating producing a pdf version of the pre-print draft (a Covid displacement activity). If that goes ahead I will devise a way to distribute it simply, and possibly in return for a modest donation towards the work of Abaco wildlife organisations.

GREEN HERON: PICTURE PERFECT ON ABACO (6)

April 3, 2020 by Rolling Harbour

GREEN HERON: PICTURE PERFECT ON ABACO (6)

We saw this green heron (Butorides virescens) at Gilpin Pond, South Abaco. It’s an excellent location for waterbirds and waders, although in hot weather when the water level drops an algal bloom colours the water with a reddish tinge. The coppice around the pond is good for small birds; parrots pass through on their daily flights to and from the forest; and the beach the other side of the dunes can be excellent for shorebirds.

We watched this heron fishing for some time. I took quite a few photos of the bird in action, including its successes in nabbing tiny fish. However there were two problems with getting the perfect action shot. First, the bird’s rapid darts forwards and downwards, the fish grabs, and the returns to perching position with its snack were incredibly quick. Secondly, my slow reactions and innate stupidity with camera settings militated against a sharp ‘in-motion’ image to be proud of. So I’m afraid you get the bird having just swallowed its catch.

Photo: Keith Salvesen / Rolling Harbour

SPERM WHALE BONES & RESEARCH: LIFE AFTER DEATH

March 31, 2020 by Rolling Harbour

SPERM WHALE BONES & RESEARCH: LIFE AFTER DEATH

I made this short video last year at BMMRO HQ, Sandy Point, Abaco. A sperm whale had stranded earlier in the year, and after the necropsy some of the bones were taken from the beach for research. In order to clean them, the bones were sunk and anchored to the seabed offshore in quite shallow water. Strandings are always sad, of course, but it is good to know that even after death the creature makes an important contribution to scientific research. In a sense, it has life after death.

BMMRO / Rolling Harbour Abaco / Keith Salvesen

GROUPER AT THE CLEANERS: PICTURE PERFECT BAHAMAS (5)

March 29, 2020 by Rolling Harbour

GROUPER AT A CLEANING STATION: PICTURE PERFECT BAHAMAS (5)

This black grouper (‘Arnold’) is at a so-called CLEANING STATION, being groomed by gobies. The process is an example of species symbiosis known as MUTUALISM. This is a transaction between individuals of two species that is mutually beneficial. Here, the primary creature pauses at a locally familiar cleaning station and allows itself to be expertly cleaned by tiny fishes such as gobies and wrasses to remove parasites, dead skin and so forth. This nurture even includes, as here, inside the mouth and gills. The gobies benefit by feeding on the proceeds of their endeavours removed from the host (or ‘client’ as one might say). And of course, in return for their favours a collateral benefit is that they can feed freely without being eaten by a potential predator.

Credit: Melinda Riger / Grand Bahama Scuba

MANATEES: PICTURE PERFECT ON ABACO (4)

March 25, 2020 by Rolling Harbour

MANATEES: PICTURE PERECT ON ABACO (4)

MANATEE APPRECIATION DAY 2020

Mrs RH and I are sticking to self-isolation right now (we are fine, but thank you for asking). However I am already breaking my current self-imposed ‘single-picture-and-not-much-writing’ regime with today’s creature feature. The excuse? It is of course the last Wednesday in March and as everyone must know it is Manatee Appreciation Day.

Anyone can (and indeed should) appreciate manatees anywhere at any time, and their contemplation is a way to lift the spirits. They were first found in Abaco waters about a dozen years ago. BMMRO reported their movements and the ongoing research. Later, Bahamian locals enthusiastically followed the lives of Gina, Rita, Georgie, Randy & co; and the calves such as JJ and Sayle (winning name in a public competition). Citizen scientist reports were invaluable to the research. Unsurprisingly, since Hurricane Dorian reports have greatly reduced. Manatees may well still be around but even now, 6 months later, trichechi sightings are sporadic. There are other concerns, after all.

Manatees love the camera and, Madonna-like, are often pleased to ‘strike the pose’. Of a sort.

Today the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) showed their appreciation for manatees with a superb image and an excellent set of Manatee Facts that I recommend to anyone who has read this far. For example, recent broadcasts and news articles have featured the importance of seagrass. You will see that it is the primary diet of manatees.

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Happy #ManateeAppreciationDay! ☺️ We have a great photo-feature of these amazing animals in the Spring issue of our magazine coming to all members in the next few days but whilst you wait, here are some fun facts about them: ⠀ ⠀ 💙The manatee, also known as a 'sea cow', is a large marine mammal with an egg-shaped head, flippers and a flat tail. ⠀ 💙Manatees range in size from 8 to 13 feet (2.4 to 4 meters) and can weigh 440 to 1,300 lbs. (200 to 590 kilograms). ⠀ 💙Although they may seem like cumbersome creatures, manatees can swim quickly and gracefully.They have strong tails that power their swimming and usually swim about 5 mph but they can swim up to 15 mph (24 km/h) in short bursts ⠀ 💙There are three species of manatee: the Amazonian manatee, the West Indian/American manatee and the African manatee. ⠀ 💙Manatees often swim alone or in pairs. If manatees are seen in a group (called an aggregation), it is either a mating herd or an informal meeting of the species simply sharing a warm area that has a large food supply. ⠀ 💙Manatees are herbivores. At sea, they tend to prefer sea grasses. When they live in rivers, they consume freshwater vegetation. Manatees also eat algae. It's reported that a manatee can eat a tenth of its own weight in 24 hours! ⠀ 💙The IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species lists all manatees as vulnerable or endangered and facing a high risk of extinction. ⠀ Manatees are thought to have evolved from four-legged land mammals more than 60 million years ago. Except for the Amazonian manatee, their paddlelike flippers have vestigial toenails — a remnant of the claws they had when they lived on land. ⠀ 💙Manatees' eyes are small, but their eyesight is good. They have a special membrane that can be drawn across the eyeball for protection. ⠀ 💙Manatees don't always need to breathe. As they swim, they poke their nose up above the water's surface to catch a few breaths every few minutes. If they are simply resting, they can stay under the water for 15 minutes without taking a breath ⠀ ⠀ #marinemammal #marineconservation #marnebiology #marinelife #oceanlife #oceanindoors #manatee ⠀ ⠀

A post shared by Marine Conservation Society (@mcs_uk) on Mar 25, 2020 at 7:44am PDT

Credits: Photos #1 – #4 Charlotte Dunn / Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organisation (BMMRO) and #5 Caine Delacy / BMMRO; MCS UK

MCS links: https://www.mcsuk.org; https://www.facebook.com/mcsuk/

Gina with her calf Sayle

CUBAN EMERALD (f): PICTURE PERFECT ON ABACO (3)

March 23, 2020 by Rolling Harbour

CUBAN EMERALD (f): PICTURE PERFECT ON ABACO (3)

I spent a wonderful 15 minutes with this little Cuban Emerald hummingbird (Chlorostilbon ricordii), which I found perched on a stick in a small clearing in the coppice at Delphi. I was several feet away when I first noticed it, so I spent some time inching forward towards it. Even from a distance, the metallic sheen of the feathers glinted in the bright sunlight. The bird watched me, tame and unruffled, as I approached. I took photos as I moved closer so that if it flew off at least I’d have something to remember it by. In the end it let me get so close that I could almost have touched it. When I’d taken some close-ups, I backed very slowly away. The little beady black eyes followed my retreat with interest. The bird was still happily perched on the stick when I lost eye-contact with it. In the end I was more moved (in one sense) than it was (in another).

Credit: Keith Salvesen / Rolling Harbour

KILLDEER: PICTURE PERFECT ON ABACO (2)

March 19, 2020 by Rolling Harbour

KILLDEER: PICTURE PERFECT ON ABACO (2)

For the time being, while things are a bit crazy, I’ll be posting single / pairs of images that in my view are so excellent that they stand alone without needing any comment from me, annoying wordplay, or musical digressions. All have been taken on Abaco Bahamas. Only some will be my own – the bar is set at a DSLR height that exceeds my camera skills.

Credit: Bruce Hallett