Carribean conclusion!!

The worlds largest cruise liner,Allure Of The Seas.

The sunsets were staggering!!!!!!!!!

makes a change from the camo gear as I try to look posh!!!!

Giles and Harriet loved the beaches.

Very colurful!

Stunning views at St Kitts.

Lisa`s Diamond ring,what an escapade!!!

As we docked in St Maarten early morning ,the captain announced that the worlds biggest cruise liner was in berth,the Allure Of The Seas.She can carry 6000 passengers and has a crew of about 1500,she really was a delight to see and made our vessel look quite small in comparison.On this particular day there were 5 cruise liners that arrived simultaneously at St Maarten,no wonder the local shopkeepers and jewelers were rubbing their hands, as I guesstimated that would account to nearly 20,000 tourists visiting this tiny island.

Lisa was adament that she wanted a nice diamond ring to take home, and as this was the diamond capitol of the Carribean there was no better place to look.I was well prepared for this, so time was spent in a few jewelers looking for a bargain.The shopkeepers know every trick in the book, trying to ply you with free cocktails and spirits to loosen your wallet,of course I took full advantage,knowing that Lisa already knew the type and style of ring that she wanted!After a good couple of hours looking and bartering,a diamond ring was duly ordered and paid for,lisa was over the moon,I was broke!!Returning at 3.00pm to pick up the ring ,lisa noticed it had been set into the wrong mount..disaster....,the boat left promptly at 5.00pm, would they have it ready in time,they assured me it would be ready for 4.15.I sent the familly back to the boat and I stayed behind,3.45,4.00,4.30 and still no sign, panic set in, as it was a 15 min water taxi and 5 min walk to the ship,4.35 and it arrived,I didn`t even check it,grabbing the small box and making a mad dash for the quayside,now if youve ever tried running in a pair of flip flops after being plied with strong rum punch you can imagine the scene,I must have resembled some maniac tourist!!Anyway 4.55 and I`m back at the ship with lisa waiting at the bottom of the gangway,I was apparently the last one back but I made it.The ships don`t wait for anyone as a few unlucky passengers found to their cost,...phew what a day it had been ...get me a stiff drink please!!!!

We headed for St Kitts, were we took a ride on the local buses,they would only charge you a few dollars each and take you on a mini tour of the island, showing you some of the local landmarks and superb beaches!! The children wanted to take advantage of the local watersports on hand at the beaches, so they soon found a local centre and hired a jetski for half an hour.

Back on ship the facilities were second to none,it was like a floating 5 star hotel with live entertainment and numerous bars to choose from.There was so much to do,one could never get bored.Throughout the day, on seadays, there was talks on photography,cooking demos,dancing classes.painting classes,sports,quizz shows and a few celebrities were invited on board to give a couple of talks too, namelyFraser Hines (Joe Sugden)from Emmerdale and the retired chief detective from Scotland Yard who gave a talk about Jack the Ripper,and the worlds ten most evil serial killers,he`s uncovered new evidence to who Jack the Ripper actually was!!So to conclude, I`ve wandered off the subject of nature for once and spent a little time describing the places we visited and some of the sights of the Carribean Islands,all I can say is if ever you get the chance to go on a cruise, whether it be round the Med or up the River Nile, grab it with both hands, as its a fantastic experience and one you won`t forget!!Bye for now then,and I hope you enjoy my escapades!!!

More of the Windward and Leeward islands and its fauna!!

Troupial Oriole,the national bird of Venezuela!!

Another of the many Lizards we encountered on the islands,this being one of the largest.

These Grackles were continually on the lookout for food,they patrolled the bar areas looking for any titbits!!!

Whilst sunbathing, some Turnstone appeared on the beach.

Magnificent Frigate birds patrolled the skies above.

This bird is called a Bananaquit,he was nest building.

Bananaquit were common too.

So it was onto a few more of the islands, mainly Tortola/Grenada/St Maarten and Aruba.Each island differed in character.Tortola/Grenada were very rainforesty and green,whereas St Maarten was the Diamond centre of the Caribbean and Aruba was very commercialised and geared up for the Americans so to speak.With only having limited time on each, it was difficult to see everything, so we relaxed by the beaches and strolled around the many shops.Lisa my wife had set her heart on a nice diamond ring, so one afternoon was spent haggling the local jewelers for a good deal.

There were a few opportunities to see some of the local wildlife,so the camera was never too far away.I`d managed to pack my 400 mm lens in the hand luggage so a few half decent images were obtained.It`s just a pity I couldn`t spend more time there, but after all it was a one off familly holiday,and I certainly wasn`t complaining to say the least.I do hope you enjoy looking at a few of my shots I obtained from the Carribean, as I certainly enjoyed the challenge of trying to capture the flavour of the islands.See you in my next blog..........

Carribean Isles. St Kitts

Zenaida dove

Grey Kingbird

Green Vervette Monkey

The ship docked at St Kitts for the day,giving us ample time to stroll around the shopping area and take a taxi to one of the local beaches.There is a small colony of monkeys by this particular beach which had been introduced to keep the rodents down.They had been accustomed to being fed nuts by the local residents and bar owners and so would come right up to you looking for food.It seemed strange being there surrounded by these Green Vervette Monkeys!

A few pigeon type birds were foraging on the floor,these were in fact Zenaida Doves known locally as Turtle Doves, they seemed to be common on most of the islands we visited.I managed a quick shot of a Lizard scurrying across the footpath,not to sure on the correct name but it paused briefly in the warm sunshine before dis appearing into the undergrowth.You just didn`t know what was going to turn up next.Whilst sunbathing, I noticed a large raptor type bird directly in front of me,it started to hover over the water looking for fish, this turned out to be an Osprey, but I didn`t have my camera to hand as it drifted lazily overhead!!

One of the last interesting birds I spotted was a Grey Kingbird perched on some low bushes behind the beach.It resembled a large Shrike in appearance and let me get within distance to photograph it.I was to see more of these birds later on some of the other islands we visited as they are quite numerous throughout the Carribean Islands.

Caribbean cruise.

Brown Boobie.

Common througout the trip.

Homing in on the flying fish!

Masked Booby

Less than 60 mtrs away before she disappeared.

Striking birds to watch!
I thought it about time I posted a few images from my recent trip to the Caribbean.We were fortunate to take a two week break on board one of the many cruise ships that sail around the islands there.Again it was a familly holiday with my wife,son,and daughter in attendance.I couldn`t help but throw in a few lenses and trusty Canon 5D just in case anything of interest was about.

I`ll add to this blog as I go along but first I`ll start with a few seabirds that followed the ship on her journey across the seas.Gannets and Brown Boobies were the main species but also Frigate birds and Pelicans were regularly seen.I think Boobies and Gannets are from the same familly as they look and act very similar.Being aboard the ship afforded fantastic views of the birds and I spent many an hour observing their actions from above and also below.The large wake created by the bow of the ship would displace small shoals of flying fish which in turn would attract the attention of the birds.These fish would literally fly up to 40 metres just above the surface giving the birds time to pick one or two of them off.A one in six catch rate was usually the norm, with the lucky bird being mobbed by the others trying to steal its catch.

Whilst sunbathing one morning the tannoy anounced whale to the starboard side, on which everybody rushed over to gain a view, I was unlucky and never saw it, as it only showed for 10 seconds or so before diving down into the depths.Later that week whilst watching the Gannets performing, I purposely kept a vigil looking out to sea with camera at the ready.Many times I was asked what I was looking for by the numerous sunbathers,Whale I constantly replied.They looked at me daft and eyed me with suspicion.After a good hour routed to the spot, I thought I saw a huge jet of water spurt up from afar,couldn`t have been could it?My mind playing tricks on me I thought.Two minutes later a guy jumped up off his seat shouting `whats that` and pointed to my right.Coming straight towards the ship less than 70 metres away a huge shape cut through the surface, it only showed for a few seconds, but gave me enough time to keep the shutter button pressed. Everybody rushed over but it had gone down deep.Did you get it, one guy asked,certainly did and I had to show the gathering throng the image on my camera.Suddenly everybody wanted to talk to me now,but it was just pure luck, as no other Whales were spotted throughout the whole trip.I was well chuffed with myself as I`d never seen one before and to photograph one was a real bonus!Further blogs to follow.

Turnstone, one of a number by the carpark!

Lying flat on my belly allowed me this shot!!

Feeding amongst the seaweed.

Busy Sanderling.

Ringed Plover

I decided to return to Fleetwood last week on the strength of there being some high tides forecast.It was a lovely bright morning as I arrived and I pleasantly strolled along the shoreline looking out for the Sanderling that feed there.They were easily located feeding amongst the seaweed, a small flock of about 25 birds were present and they allowed me to approach to within 15 metres undisturbed!They really do scurry along the waters edge, dodging the waves and spray.Amongst them I noticed another small wader with the busy Sanderling,it was a Ringed Plover,it too dashed about looking for food.You never know whats going to be there when you arrive, so its well worth the effort scanning the birds with the binoculars.There had been reports of a few Purple Sandpiper present, but I couldn`t locate these .I think they had moved further along the shoreline towards Rossall Point.It was an enjoyable experience with the waders and I must thank my good friend Bryan Rafferty for putting me on to them and hope you again enjoy a few of my images!

More Winter Visitors!!!

Immature Great Northern Diver !!

It really struggled to consume this small flounder.Wrong shape I suppose..

Male Red Breasted Merganser....

Drake Goldeneye,a few pair breed in northern Scotland!

Amazing bottle green head and white cheek patch!!

Makes a change when you have some nice light to work with!!

The small marine lakes at Fleetwood were recently on the birding grapevine due to the appearance of an immature Gt Northern Diver.Many bird enthusiasts and photographers took the opportunity to visit and admire this winter visitor at really close quarters.The Diver sometimes came to within a few metres of the side of the lake and didn`t seem at all bothered by the possee of people gathered around.It was a dream to photograph and I even managed one shot of it trying to swallow a small flounder it had caught.It seemed to struggle with its meal, but eventually it managed it .Other birds of note were some Red Breasted Mergansers which continually dived looking for food.They all seemed to hunt together as a team.The males looked nice in their winter plummage and again gave good views.On another visit there, after the Diver had departed, a few Goldeneye took up residence.With the lake almost frozen, they were coralled into a small section of open water.You usually can`t get anywhere near these to photograph, so again I made the most of the opportunitywith the lens and in very good light too.They really are a gorgeous looking bird,dont you think!Just over the ridge was the beach and on a high tide, it pushes small groups of Sanderling close in.I took some lovely images of these arctic waders of which I`ll post about in my next blog...

They came from the East

Plenty of berries were to be found by the birds.

Hungry birds, red berries and blue skies...fantastic!!

Oops I`ve dropped one!!

During the last month or so, we have had the good fortune to experience a massive influx of Waxwings into the country. Initially they were reported in North East Scotland around Aberdeen, but slowly they started to drift down the country to the Borders, then further into Northern England.I had awaited their arrival with great anticipation, knowing full well they would offer fantastic photographic opportunities,when they descend on to the berry laden trees to feed!

About 150 birds had been reported locally nr Clitheroe, and a twenty minute drive found me amongst the throngs who had come to observe and photo the Waxwings.The morning light couldn`t have been better with brilliant blue skies and trees laden with bright red berries,a perfect combination and a pleasent few hours were enjoyed in the company of some good friends.More people were coming by the minute,cars were stopping to ask what the fuss was about and locals all played their part,asking questions about the birds.It was as if a film star had been spotted with all the tripods and cameras about and the camaraderie was excellent.As I type this now some 3 weeks later, the birds are spread from North to South giving pleasure to many people across the country.I indeed never tire of these birds and some absolutely fantastic images have been posted by all and sundry.I hope you enjoy some of my attempts at capturing these great birds!!!!

Algarve continued

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker searching for insects.

This ones a female noticable by its lack of red on its nape.

Juvenile Little Stint!

Arctic visitor stopping off en route to Africa!

Constantly probing the soft mud.

As we are gripped in the throes of Siberian tempretures,I thought I`d conclude my time spent in the Algarve earlier on in the year.How distant this now seems, with roads frozen all around, public transport in disarray and no sign in the let up of these freezing conditions! Anyway back to warmer climes and the first few images are of a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker I stumbled upon literally 50 yds up the track from our apartment.I could not believe my ears when I heard it calling from a small dead tree.I was quickly into position with the camera and managed quite a few images before it took flight and disappeared towards a large clump of trees in the distance.Even in the Algarve they are not common and I felt very priveleged to have seen this one feeding close by.

The next set of photos are appropiately of a juvenile Little Stint! I say appropiately, as it is a visitor from the Arctic tundra,this one no doubt on its way to Africa for the winter,only wish I could do the same as I write!!!It was feeding at the side of a lagoon I was walking round.At first I didn`t know what type of wader it was, but a quick check in the fieldguide and its small size gave it to me instantly.They really are small and diminuitive,quickly running to and fro, constantly probing the soft mud for invertebrates.It was oblivious to my presence and at one stage came within a yard of me.It had definately never come into contact with humans before and carried on its feeding as if I wasn`t there.The sun was low in the sky, so I made the most of the opportunity to photograph this Starling sized bird!I am already planning another trip to the Algarve in Spring next year when I`ll be able to spend a full week there.I`ll let you know how it goes on my return!!!!