A GHOST CRAB’S DAY AT THE SEASIDE AT DELPHI, ABACO

December 19, 2013 by Rolling Harbour

A GHOST CRAB’S DAY AT THE SEASIDE AT DELPHI, ABACO

Crabby the Crab lived amongst the greenery at the very back of the Delphi Club Beach

It was a very beautiful beach indeed. Lucky Crabby! Delphi Beach + Shell

One day Crabby decided to go down to the sea for a swim

He scuttled across the sand towards the sound of the waves

He passed the burrow of his friend Sandy. Sandy was very busy tidying his house.

“Would you like to come for a paddle?” asked Crabby. “No thanks”, said Sandy, “I’m busy today”

So Crabby carried on towards the water’s edge. He got closer, to where the sand was wet…

…and closer, to where the water tickled his toes…

…and closer, to where the tide ripples reached. Crabby waved his claws with excitement

Finally, he was paddling in the warm water. It was just perfect. Whoops! Don’t fall in, Crabby!

Very soon Crabby was in the water, right up to his eyes. What a beautiful day for a swim!

See ‘Crab Run: The Movie’, starring Crabby the Crab

CREDITS: header & beach, RH; last image, Tom Sheley; the rest, Charlie Skinner. DEBITS: pre-Christmas nauseatingly anthropomorphic tomfoolery and video – blame me. No crabs were harmed or even mildly embarrassed during this photoshoot.

BUTTERFLIES ON ABACO (3): COMMON BUCKEYE

December 12, 2013 by Rolling Harbour

BUTTERFLIES ON ABACO (3): COMMON BUCKEYE

At first glance the Common Buckeye Butterfly Junonia coenia looks unpromisingly drab. However, like many butterfly species, the outside appearance is only one side of the story, a facade to enable it to blend in with the scenery. As the header image suggests, this creature has a more more flamboyant and colourful side to it – a feature not confined to butterflies, and extending even to humans…

As it feeds, or as the sun warms its wings, the buckeye will start to reveal itself

The bright eye-spots of the buckeye, for which it is named, are designed to deter predators, as much as for decorative purposes. Birds, in particular, are thought to be put off by a creature apparently possessing 3 pairs of eyes.

The caterpillars and chrysalis of this species look like this

This rather charming illustration of the buckeye species is by Jacob Hübner from his Sammlung exotischer Schmetterlinge Vol. 2 ([1819] – [1827] (Plate32)

Also in this series: ZEBRA HELICONIANS and GULF FRITILLARIES

Photo Credits: Butterflies by Charlie Skinner (except header, Wiki); Caterpillars & Chrysalis by Megan McCarty via Common Licence

LAND CRABS: THE ILLUSTRATED ‘WHAT, WHERE, HOW, & WHY’

November 26, 2013 by Rolling Harbour

LAND CRABS: THE ILLUSTRATED ‘WHAT, WHERE, HOW, & WHY’

The Loxahatchee River District organisation produces excellent informative posters on wildlife and environmental themes. With their approval, I have a dedicated page for these: CLICK LOXAHATCHEE. You will find posters about Bonefish, Tarpon, Lionfish, Nassau Grouper, Spiny Lobster, Coral Reefs, Elkhorn Coral, and Seagrasses. I’d be surprised if each one didn’t contain at least one interesting factual nugget that you didn’t know before. The range of subjects is gradually being expanded and one of the latest concerns the Land Crab. Click the poster twice to enlarge it and make it legible.

My factoid nugget from this poster is that juvenile bonefish predate on larval crabs. I suppose it’s obvious, but I hadn’t thought about it. From the fisherman’s angle a very good reason to protect, and ensure the proliferation of, adult land crabs!

For photos of these crabs and a short video demo of how they use their claws, here are links to two previous posts about them

LAND CRABS ON ABACO HOW TO STALK AND WRESTLE THEM

ABACO LAND CRAB vs RICKY JOHNSON ROUND 2 (VIDEO)

BUTTERFLIES ON ABACO, BAHAMAS (1) ZEBRA HELICONIANS

November 25, 2013 by Rolling Harbour

BUTTERFLIES ON ABACO, BAHAMAS (1) ZEBRA HELICONIANS

The Zebra Heliconian butterfly Heliconius charithonia is also know as the Zebra Longwing. These striking butterflies roost nightly in large colonies, a species behaviour that is believed to be a protective measure against predation, providing safety in numbers (or at least reducing the probabilities that you will be the one to be eaten). In 1996 the Zebra Longwing was appointed the State Butterfly of Florida.

Credits: all images by Charles Skinner, taken in the vicinity of the Delphi Club, Abaco

ART FOR THE [NATIONAL] PARKS: 3 DAY EVENT IN AID OF ABACO’S WILDLIFE

January 3, 2013 by Rolling Harbour

SUPPORT ABACO WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AND THE WORK OF THE BNT

LOCAL ARTISTS & ARTISANS; LECTURES; ENVIRONMENTAL GAMES; FRESH MARKET

(Help to make sure that the creatures pictured below stay off the IUCN ‘threatened species’ list)

Art for the Parks: Abaco National Parks

“SO THIS IS CHRISTMAS…” ABACO WILDLIFE APPEALS TO EVERYONE!

December 13, 2012 by Rolling Harbour

“SO THIS IS CHRISTMAS…” Abaco (Cuban) Parrot Image: ©RH

Christmas time. Holidays. Festive season. Yuletide. ġéohol*. Noel. Winterval. However you describe it, there’s a reassuring ritual each year. To many, the familiar religious carols and rites. To all, the cheerful sound of jingling tills. The exchange of presents happily bought and excitedly received. The groaning table weighted with victuals. Light and laughter. Glasses generously filled and refilled. Sudden growing dizziness and a strange lack of coordination. Wondering what others are saying. Wondering what you are saying. Drowsiness. Overwhelming sleepiness. The passage of time. The groaning hangover as seven West Indian woodpeckers attack your skull with hammer-drills… Time for a soothing image.

BMMRO Dolphin Image copy Image ©BMMRO

Where was I? Oh yes. This is a very good time to draw attention to the various wildlife organisations based on Abaco and in the wider Bahamas. During the year they look after the birds, the marine mammals and so forth that help make Abaco such a very special place to be. I am simply going take the opportunity to post the link to my updated page for ABACO WILDLIFE CHARITIES. Oh. I just have. Well, is there one that appeals to you, I wonder? Just asking… Meanwhile, here’s the music of the heading to get you in the mood

Delphi Xmas + lights * Old English / Anglo-Saxon origin of “Yule”

HAIRY WOODPECKERS IN THE ABACO COPPICE

October 18, 2012 by Rolling Harbour

HAIRY WOODPECKERS IN THE ABACO COPPICE

The hairy woodpecker (Picoides villosus) inhabits forest, woodland or coppice over a wide area of the North American continent and the islands to the east, including the Bahamas. They are mostly permanent residents, though there is a degree of migration within their territorial area.

They are a very familiar sight on Abaco, along with their larger cousins the West Indian Woodpecker. These birds forage on trees for insects, turning over bark or excavating deeper. They also feed on fruits, berries and nuts. It’s not unusual for them to attack the woodwork on houses in a search for bugs…

This male hairy woodpecker is prospecting a promising hole near the Delphi Club guest drive The marks at the bottom of the hole suggest this may be a nesting hole – past, present or futureIt’s certainly deemed worth further investigation… if only he had someone to share it with

He may be in luck! This female hairy woodpecker was in the coppice not far away… A female HW is smaller than the male and lacks the male’s distinctive red head marking. They nest in a tree hole like the one above, where the female usually produces four white eggs.

ABACO LAND CRAB vs RICKY JOHNSON: ROUND 2 (VIDEO)

August 15, 2012 by Rolling Harbour

A few weeks back, I wrote a post called ‘LAND CRABS: HOW TO STALK & WRESTLE THEM‘. It features stills of famed Abaco nature guide Ricky Johnson in a face-off with a land crab at Bahama Palm Shores. I noted that the large, heavy claw of these crabs is in fact the less worrying one, being used to intimidate and to grip. It’s the small claw that you need to watch out for…

I have now sorted out an annoying camera card v Mac format incompatibility problem (well, $30 of software has dealt with it. Dear Apple, please make friends with the Panasonic Lumix asap) and to my great surprise I find that I took a video of Ricky and a land crab that perfectly demonstrates the claw point. He did mess with the large claw, but he wisely left the small one well alone…

The footage starts with Ricky’s trademark laugh to get you into the right spirit (it’s impossible to go on one of his Eco-Tours and not have fun while learning). The volume of the commentary drops off a bit halfway through. I haven’t found the gizmo for changing the audio during the video: it’s all or nothing, I’m afraid

[vimeo https://vimeo.com/47535538]

If you want to find out more about Land Crabs on Abaco – including Hermit Crabs – you won’t do much better than to check out the comprehensive account by ‘Bob H’ on Yahoo! Answers ABACO LAND CRAB FACTS

Ricky the guide? Here he is in full-on enthusiastic guide mode, ‘pishing’ for male Bahama Woodstar hummingbirds in low open coppice near Crossing Rocks. He has just had a responding call and is keeping us quiet while he locates the bird

ADDENDUM Tragically in the second half of 2012 Ricky developed a horrible disease that spread rapidly and unstoppably. Within 6 months he was dead, not yet 50. His sad passing, and the cruel manner of it, made me wonder if I should take down some of the many posts in which he features. But he would not have wanted that, so I have left them unaltered.

MUSICAL DIGRESSION

Those who braved the video may have wondered about the guitar chord at the beginning and end. A few – of a certain age – may have thought it familiar. One or two may have recognised it as the opening chord of A Hard Day’s Night (Beatles 1964). It is one of the most controversial and interesting chords in modern music, with more theories about its exact construction than you can shake a Rickenbacker 12-string at (as played by George Harrison). There have been more than a dozen claimed ‘correct’ chord identities. According to Harrison, it is in fact simply an ‘F add 9’ chord augmented by Macca’s crucial 5th fret, A string ‘D’ on his Hofner bass. Trouble is, there are half a dozen ways to play ‘F add 9’ at various points on the neck, and most of them don’t sound quite right… But that’s enough about that. Anyone who wants to follow this musical meander further – much further – should click HERE===>>> THAT CHORD

AN ABACO INSECT IS BUGGING ME – WHAT IS THIS CREATURE?

July 19, 2012 by Rolling Harbour

AN ABACO INSECT IS BUGGING ME – WHAT IS THIS CREATURE?

There I was, walking slowly along the Delphi drive trying to locate some small chirruping bird in the coppice – close at hand, chatty, but invisible among the leaves. Then I saw this creature. It’s not an insect I have ever seen before, and I haven’t been able to find out what it is. It’s probably something elementary – an ‘Abaco Black Orange-Feeler Beetle’ – that is familiar to everyone. Except me. I’d just like to know. Any help out there? A response via the Comment box below would be appreciated!

This insect has some interesting features. The feelers are segmented, with 9 joints, so that in close-up the apparent smooth curve is not a perfect one but an articulated series of ‘straights’. It has 4 toes for gripping, and leg spines. It appears to be a voracious leaf-eater. And it can scratch its head. Overall, it looks aggressive and somewhat alien. Imagine if these things were the size of a potcake. Coming at you…

ANNA HUMMINGBIRDS ON A HANDHELD FEEDER – VIDEO

March 21, 2012 by Rolling Harbour

ANNA HUMMINGBIRDS ON A HANDHELD FEEDER

A brilliant hi-def video by the excellent ornitho-artist blogger BIRDSPOT. A very effective combination of the visual, amazing sound, and keeping very still. I realise you are highly unlikely to encounter one of these hummers on Abaco. But you might. Although they are normally found on the west coast of North America and inland from there, they have been regularly seen well outside their usual range, for example in Alaska, New York, Newfoundland and… Florida. So it’s only a matter of time before one slips across for a quick vacation in the northern Bahamas. Best not a pair, though. They are apparently very territorial, and the poor endemic Bahama Woodstar has enough trouble fighting its corner with the migrant Cuban Emerald… (credit: BIRDSPOT with thanks for use permission)

THE INTRIGUING PARROTS OF GREAT ABACO ISLAND – PODCAST

January 6, 2012 by Rolling Harbour

A 5 minute PODCAST from ABC Radio’s ‘The Science Show’ featuring Caroline Stahala, research scientist and Abaco Parrot expert, and David Knowles of the Bahamas National Trust, Chief Park Warden for Abaco

The online report is headed by this: “Holiday homes and resorts are replacing the forests in which the Bahamian parrot of Great Abaco Island breeds. When Christopher Columbus discovered the beautiful Bahamian islands in 1492, he wrote in his journal ‘the flocks of parrots obscure the sun’. Now the Bahamian parrot is confined to just two islands and they’re a protected species. On Great Abaco Island Bahamian parrots breed in the pine forests of the south and, as Pauline Newman discovered, their nesting behaviour is quite extraordinary”

CLICK HERE==>> ABACO PARROTS PODCAST – THE ABC SCIENCE SHOW

For the relevant web page and a transcript of the talk CLICK LOGO===>>>

Thanks to the ABC Science Show for use approval – click name for more Podcasts

: Abaco Parrot

FAREWELL 2011, WELCOME 2012 & A NEW YEAR FOR ABACO WILDLIFE

January 1, 2012 by Rolling Harbour

Out with the Old, in with the New with the fine collection of logos craftily adapted by Mrs rh during the year from the official Delphi Club bonefish logo. By a strange coincidence the 5 logos almost make up an Olympic rings design, especially fitting for 2012… The rh household failed to get a single ticket for any of the events we applied for in the so-called ballot. But as long as all the mid-ranking management from struggling midlands football clubs, and all subordinate temporary assistant under-secretaries in obscure non-participant consulates got their quotas, that’s the main thing. I am not a bitter person. That left a very generous 783 tickets for the entire Great British Public to share. And there’s even one left still for the men’s freestyle subaquatic triathlon (javelin, 100 metre hurdles and graeco-roman wrestling).

A very Happy New Year to all you kind followers since the first tentative blog-steps last April – and equally to those who got here through a Google input error… Here’s where you all came from (with a special mention of the surprising number from Tunisia, Japan and Fiji)