This morning was another of those “i
just love St. Croix” days but so is every day, especially when the
air is clear, the lighting is magnificent, the wild life interact and
the woodlands just glow.
All of us have great stories about
interacting with nature and how it affected our mental states.
Swimming with dolphins definitely tops my list along with seeing big
turtles, finding Hope the Whimbrel, or just looking at that cool
dragon fly or cricket that landed close enough to really see it in all its
glory.
i get such a thrill watching a bird
nest through the entire process from building to fledging, i'm like a
kid easily entertained for weeks at a time. Maybe it's not St. Croix but just nature that really trips my trigger. A pair of Grey Kingbirds
are building a nest just off the deck again and i already feel like i
know them. The male is a bit of a slacker but that female just yells
and yells at him to get him moving and quit dropping the sticks.
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| Not a Kingbird or Thrasher nest |
The gang went out swimming this morning and when we
got to the Off the Wall Buoy there was this big old crusty male Green
turtle cruising slowly looking for a mate. He had had it rough and
was missing most of his tail. White meat was showing on his front two
flippers but at least he still had them. He looked at us, deleted us
from his curiosity bag and kept on moving towards the wall. We
weren't what he was looking for and he wasn't wasting time with us.
Just as we were going to take off
another large male, Hawksbill this time, appeared close to the
surface. His curiosity bag was overflowing and he hung out with us
even going so far as to let me touch him when he swam right next to
me. i wondered if he was the male from a few years ago that had come
in and bonked his beak against my mask because he got that close.
It's easy to hope that an old friend has reappeared but the likely
hood of that is pretty slim with nature. Just getting that close was
a treat in and of itself.
 |
| Hawksbill Turtle |
Anyway we left him alone and went on
our way only to have one of the gang stop to point out a shark
following a turtle very close. i missed that one but hope the turtle
got away unscathed. There were large schools of wrasse, dorgons, and
yellow tailed snapper along the edge. The sun beams were doing their
dance under water and even though it wasn't the clearest of days the
wild life was accommodating.
At home while eating breakfast on the
deck looking out over a glorious sea and a teeming woodland an adult
Red tailed Hawk out showing its juvenile the ropes hushed the
screaming Pearly-eyed-Thrasher chicks. We've got so many thrasher
nests around here that have been successful it just breaks my heart
when i see the Grey Kingbirds once again trying to build a nest in
their territory. i wouldn't cry if a hawk nailed a few of those darn
Thrashers.
The Kingbirds like to nest in the West
Indian Cedar's and its always a treat to see a flash of bright green
when an Antillean Crested Hummingbird decides to come get some nectar
from the same trees flowers. The Green Caribs seem to like the
hibiscus and papaya flowers better. Underneath the cedar the Zenaida
Doves peck away at the dirt looking for grubs. A lot is going on
around those native trees if you take the time to look.
One thing that has been puzzling me for
years is why do i see Magnificent Frigates predominantly flying east.
In the morning, mid-day and in the evening they are always heading
east unless we have a hurricane coming and then that is the only time i see them flying west. i must not ever see the same ones. i'm sure
now that i've put this in writing i will only see them flying west.
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| Squid above the fern |
Monday while out there swimming we had
16 Squid which are one of the coolest things you can watch in the
water. They change color, blink, try to hide, group up then split to
get you away from the group. When they do that its hard to know which
to follow but if you stick with one it will eventually lead you back
to the pack while giving you a light show you won't soon forget.
This island is so beautiful, so many cool things out there for anyone to observe. i wish
there was some way to always accentuate the positive. i guess what i
wish for everyone that lives here is to take a few minutes and really
connect with the life all around you. All it takes is five minutes of
really observing any where you are on the island. Even the dump and
the oil refinery have their own unusual beauty when the light is just
right.
See ya next week
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