Caribbean conclusion!!!!!

 So to capture the flavour of the islands,I`ve shown some shots that convey what the Caribbean entails.As you disembarque the ship,you`re usually greeted by the sounds of steel drums and dreadlocked rasta musicians.It is the culture of the locals to play these instruments and some of the tunes they portray are a delight to the ears.We always left a few dollars tip, as in 80 degree heat they fully deserved it.

 The photo above was a small secluded beach I came across whilst on my wanderings.There was hardly anybody about. The sand was like talcon powder and the water was crystal clear down to about 5 metres.Walking along in my bare feet Robinson Crusoe sprung to mind!There wasn`t a sunbed to be seen anywhere so I unwrapped my towel and savoured the occasion.It was too far away for most people to venture, but as I say `no pain,no gain`.

 Here are a few images of some colourful charachters that were in attendance.The old Rastafarian above was chillin out at a local beach bar.The guy below was earning a few dollars at the quayside doing a spot of painting,he was only to happy to be photographed and enjoyed the moment!

 Being in the Carribbean lends itself to some stunning sights.Non moreso than its vast array of tropical flowers which thrive on the moist trade winds from the East,perfect growing conditions for all of the  species. To walk through these botanical gardens and to admire and smell the various plants and shrubs was mind blowing.I`m not to clued up with the names of all these flowers but the experience of just being there was more than enough to compensate!

                                       A type of bell flower.
                                      Red Hibiscus.

                                         This one`s an Anthurium or Flamingo Flower.

                                  This I think is `Bird Of Paradise`

 So finally I`ll close with a few more avian shots.This Osprey took me by surprise.I could hear it calling in the distance but couldn`t locate it,search as I might nothing.Just as I was about to give up I turned a corner and there on the top of a 40ft telegraph pole was this man made platform.I certainly wouldn`t call it a nest but the Osprey seemed to like it!

This was flying in and out of the scrub, a Yellow Rumped Warbler.Thousands of these migrate south from America through October onwards.I believe they are common to the islands but it was the only one I saw.
So thats it finally on my adventure through the Caribbean islands,although primarily a familly holiday, I feel as if I didn`t do to bad on the nature side of things with the lens.Oh yes having a teenage daughter and wife, I did my fair share of trolling through the markets and boutiques and plenty of shopping thrown in to boot.It makes me wonder how I fit everything in but it was more than worth the effort.Roll on next year!!!!!

At Sea

Whenever we had a day at sea,photo opportunities were somewhat limited.A few seabirds would accompany the ship on its journey through the Carribean mainly a  bird called a Brown Booby.Very similar to our European Gannet, but smaller and lacking the yellow appearance around the neck.I spent hours in close proximeter to these birds, watching them on the lookout for flying fish and then diving from considerable heights to try and catch them.Sometimes the birds would take the fish whilst airborne, other times they would dive down into the water to take them.It wasn`t till I was at a local fish market in Barbados that I could get a good look at their actual food source.The seas were full of these fish and they would cover quite a distance  with their broad pectoral fins enabling them to glide effortlessly a few feet above the water.They are Barbados` national fish and appear on flags,coins and are the official logo of the Barbados tourism industry.They are part of Barbados`main national dish known as cou cou and are a vital part of the culture there.In ancient Greek times they were believed to leave the water and fly onto the shore and rest!I hope you have enjoyed reading my accounts of the Carribean and will finish off with one more, before I move closer to home with more tales from `A Walk On The Wildside`.

St Lucia species!

                                             Green Carib feeding...

                             Green Carib at rest...

                                       Gorgeous little birds.

                                                   Crested Carib.

                                        Diminuitive little birds..

       The most common of the birds I encountered on my travels were the Bananaquit, pictured above,they appeared frequently amongst the foilage, always feeding on any flowers that were about.You could hear them constantly calling to one another as they fed.

I was fascinated by some really small hummingbird species that were also evident amongst the trees.They were so quick and dainty, flicking here there and everywhere.They posed a real challenge with the camera as they were never still.Occasionally one would pause to rest on a branch and I would be given a chance to capture an image or two before it was off again.Of course the climate and abundant flowers were suited for these birds and again they were pretty common throughout.I enjoyed watching and studying their behaviour and marvelled at their agility to remain motionless,wings beating twenty times a second and in a blink of an eye they were gone from view.I hope you enjoy the set above and hope to bring you more from the Carribean Islands later...thankyou for looking..............                       

Butterfly Bonanza (Grand Turk& Caicos islands).

                                                  A Gulf Fritillary!

                                                A Cloudless Sulphur!
                                    This species is a Queen..

                                        The beautiful Monarch butterfly.

                                       A Long distance migrant..

                                  Monarchs are resident here...

                                            Monarch feeding.

                                                   Common Buckeye

The next port of call we visited on our cruise,I`ve renamed `Butterfly Island`.I have never seen as many butterflies together in one place as here,it was amazing!Within the space of 400yds from the port I counted 12 different species.Some were on the wing, whilst others were feeding on the assortment of flowers that carpeted the area.One species in particular stood out from the rest,it was larger and more numerous than the others and seemed to be flitting about everywhere I walked.This was the Monarch,a species that occasionally is found on the British Isles.These long distance migrants are native to North America but are known to winter in their tens of thousands to South America.These on the islands here were probably native and stay all year round.It was annoying not knowing the names of these beautiful fritillaries but I kept the camera busy for future reference.It was strange that birds were conspicuous by their absence,but it was nice to use a small macro lens and get up close with the butterflies and marvel at their beauty.I hope my photos do them justice, because it was a fantastic experience to be surrounded by these wonderful creatures......

Onto St Kitts

                                      Common Ground Dove

                                               Gray Kingbird

                                            Greater Yellowlegs

                                 Blue Winged Teal were numerous on the saltpans.

                          Black Winged Stilt and a few White Cheeked Pintail.

                                   A solitary Greater Yellowlegs

St Kitts was another of the islands where we docked.A  short walk around the town of Basseterre was taken, before the girls decided it was time to head for one of the local beaches.A local taxi driver quoted 27 dollar return to Cockleshell beach and we were duly on our way.A journey of about 25 mins was endured passing numerous saltpans en route.I could only hope that one was within walking distance from the beach, as this would give me some opportunities to view and of course photograph some of the local inhabitants.It didn`t take long to settle in, as 3 sunbeds an umberalla and 5 bottles of the local Carib beer in an ice filled bucket were purchased,cost a princely 25 american dollars.Ah,this is the life, as I took the top off another bottle of Carib.With thirst quenched and the girls sizzling nicely,I was off to explore the hinterlands.I could hear various whistles and noises in the distance, which could mean only one thing,,,,birds.A small brackish lagoon was spied through the bushes.Numerous duck and Black winged Stilt were feeding in the margins.The duck I couldn`t ID immediately but the Stilt were unmistakable.A few long legged waders were probing the soft mud and a small Sandpiper type scurried along.Grabbing what images I could,I would be able to identify these when I got home.I discovered later that the majority of the birds were North American en route to their wintering grounds,I couldn`t understand why they had to leave the islands, as although it was winter here, the temps were 26 degree celcius and  plenty of food about what more could they want!!!I`ll again leave you with a few of the images I obtained whilst out and about with the camera.Pity that time was very limited and having worked up a thirst I headed back to the sunbeds and another bucket of iced beer!!!!

Caribbean adventure (Tortola)

                                            
                      

                                               Royal Tern

                                            Successful catch.

                                             Magnificent Frigate bird.

                                   Pirates of the skies.

                                     Brown Pelican surrounded by the shoals.

                                      Trying for lunch.

With the winter weather heavily upon us, we decided to head for some guaranteed sunshine to the West Indies.Again, like this time last year, we embarked on a 2 week cruise of the Caribbeaan Isles.Cruising lets you see so much in a short space of time.First port of call was Tortola,which means Turtle Dove, not really much to do there only to head for the beach for the day.A real bonus for me was the amount of birds on show,although not a lot of different species there,  it was a mecca for Brown Pelican,Frigate bird and a few Royal Terns.These birds were here for one reason only and that was to feed.The shallow warm waters were alive with huge shoals of fish.The downside was I had left my 400mm lens on board ship and had only a 70-300mm zoom lens with me.Luckily the birds came quite close for me to catch some of the action.Whilst my wife and daughter lazed on the sunbeds,I was busy following the birds.The Pelicans were usually successful on their forays and would plunge from the sky head first into the mass of fish,coming to the surface with the bill pouch full to the rim,the water would sieve out of their bill, leaving them to swallow their catch.The Terns on the other hand were more subtle on their approach and would skim the surface picking off the odd individual fish.The frigate birds tactic was to wait while a tern had caught fish then ambush it and relieve it of its catch.It was an enjoyable afternoon in the sun and I`ve posted a few shots of the action.

Black Terns @ Brockholle NR.

On returning from a 3 hr walk over my local moors this fine morning,I learnt of 2 juv black terns down by the River Ribble adjacent to Brockholes NR near Preston.With it being such a fine day, I couldn`t help but put my walking boots on again in the hope of gaining some images of these wonderful birds.I thought most of them would be well on their way South by now but obviously these birds had lingered on a bit.I was soon onto them, thanks to one of the local birders and made the most of the occasion with my camera.Hope you enjoy the images as much as I enjoyed taking them!!!!!

Hebridean conclusion

 She landed on a fence post in the distance.

 Stunning female Merlin

 Eyeing me with caution.

 Stunning light!!

 Absolutely awesome sunset!

To finish off my Hebridean adventure,I`ve posted a few shots of a bird that I really wanted to see on these western isles and thats the Merlin.I was fortunate to come across this female having caught what seemed like a Skylark,she flew away into the distance initially but I relocated her sat on a fencepost some 500 yds along the road.She stayed long enough for me to obtain a good few shots.

The Short Eared Owls were pretty regular throughout the trip but on the last evening there I had near perfect light to enable me to get some excellent shots.The conclusion to my weeks stay was the most amazing sunset looking out over the sea a truly fantastic end to my holiday!!!!