“TUVU” (TURKEY VULTURE) ON LUBBERS QUARTERS, ABACO


Turkey Vulture, Lubbers Quarter, Abaco (Larry Towning)

“TUVU” (TURKEY VULTURE) ON LUBBERS QUARTERS, ABACO

Lubbers Quarters is a Cay off the southern tip of Elbow Cay, and home to the excellent Cracker P’s restaurant. Also, home to Larry Towning, who takes terrific sunrise and sunset photos, among other subjects that include birds. He recently happened upon a Turkey Vulture sitting on a POISONWOOD stump (do not rush to try that – you may not sit down again for weeks). I like the immediacy of these. Most TUVU shots – by me, anyway – are (a) flying – usually coming out as silhouettes; or (b) atop a utility post with wires in the way, or (c) on the ground scavenging something revolting in the way of carrion. This bird is only dreaming about doing that.

“WARTS AND ALL…”Turkey Vulture, Lubbers Quarter, Abaco (Larry Towning)

The nostrils are not divided by a septum, but are perforated; from the side one can right see through (and as I have previously noted, some humans also suffer from MSS  – missing septum syndrome. They tend to sniff a lot)Turkey Vulture, Lubbers Quarter, Abaco (Larry Towning)

LUBBERS QUARTER CAY        Lubbers Quarters Map

NOT SAD… JUST THINKING ABOUT DEAD DECAYING THINGS TO EATTurkey Vulture, Lubbers Quarter, Abaco (Larry Towning)

To read much more about Turkey Vultures, find a bundle of interesting facts and learn about their sex lives and frankly disgusting habits with urine and vomit, check out ‘CARRION SCAVENGING‘.

Photo credit: Larry Towning; Tropicat (Poisonwood link)

TILLOO CAY ABACO: UPDATE & IMAGES POST HURRICANE IRENE


                                                           Click me!                                                                                                          ©Brigitte Bower Carey

I have been in touch with Brigitte Bower Carey from Tilloo Cay, whose cheerful painting of a Sergeant Major graces the usual rh Logo space above. She has kindly sent an update on the post-Irene situation on Tilloo, and a couple of images showing the effects of the storm on foliage. Luckily, it sounds as though the birdlife is ok in the aftermath. But no phone, a month after…

“Everything is good here – the house and we weathered the storm just fine. The dock is a mess, but is repairable. Nothing at all like most of the south facing docks on our island and our neighbouring island, Lubber’s Quarters – only the poles survived there. So we are grateful. Still cleaning up, the yard was in bad shape, but it is coming along… Communications are a weak point here after the storms – we still don’t have our phone back.

Abaco is starting to look like in spring time now, because a lot of the foliage got burned in the 140 mph gusts of Irene. So now all of the surviving trees are pushing out new leaves, plus all the rain has helped revive things. But nothing at all like after Floyd – when we came home in November ’99 there was not a leaf on any tree, and no birds at all. So we are considering ourselves very lucky now”. 

BAHAMIAN MAHOGANY REGENERATING AFTER IRENE

A WIND-BURNED SEA GRAPE PLANT PRODUCING NEW LEAVES

Both images © Brigitte Bower Carey
www.islandwatercolors.com
www.abacoislandartists.blogspot.com

ISLAND-HOPPING WITH ABACO ABOVE & BELOW


Time for the Island-hopping part of our day with Abaco Above and Below. There’ll be some links to other aspects of the day as we go along. Apologies for the gloomy photos – the weather was distinctly adverse for much of the day, as this photo taken from Kay’s catamaran shows.

Straight boat, squint horizon

SCOTLAND CAY  We saw this cay in passing but didn’t land here. We wouldn’t have been welcome on this rather stern-sounding island. It’s private. And exclusive. In case are you are making plans to drop by, this is how private and exclusive according to the island’s website: “Only property owners and their guests are allowed on the island.  This exclusively private island is accessible by private aircraft, private vessel, or ferry service from nearby Marsh Harbour, Abaco. Please be advised that there are no commercial services on the island.  No restaurants, bars, stores, public marinas, etc.  Do not travel to the island unless you are a guest of a current property owner. You will be asked to leave immediately.”  (S C website)  To which one can only  say “Fair Play”, and pass on by. But you are allowed to take photos from afar. Even gloomy ones. And non-exclusively.


LUBBERS CAY Our first stop was at Lubbers Cay and lunch for 14 at Cracker P’s after our snorkelling excitements at FOWL CAY

The landing-stage looked promisingly welcoming…

…as did Cracker P’s itself

Lunch for 14 passengers and crew: excellent local food, cheerfully provided

Cuban Emeralds feeding on sugar water by our table

RH waits anxiously as his dollar bills are scrutinised for authenticity

HOPE TOWN: After lunch our next stop was Hope Town. Here are a couple of direct links to other Hope Town posts / pages from this and previous trips:  HOPE TOWN ART; THE LIGHTHOUSE The plan is  to add some more Hope Town photos in due course of an earlier trip when it was sunny…

MAN-O-WAR: We had quite a brief stop here, a quick wander round and a look at the boat yards. There was a Bahama Woodstar feeding on flowers near the jetty. The weather was still pretty vile, not conducive to photography. A place to return to on a sunny day…

AND FINALLY to some dolphins, the cetacean finale to the day, which appeared as we approached  Marsh Harbour and made a very good day excellent: DOLPHINS