Species List: http://livingoncaicos.blogspot.com/p/species-list_17.html
Brett's Dive Log: http://livingoncaicos.blogspot.com/p/dive-blog.html
Brett's Dive Log: http://livingoncaicos.blogspot.com/p/dive-blog.html
Showing posts with label species list. Show all posts
Showing posts with label species list. Show all posts
19 February 2010
Species List & Dive Log
You might have noticed already, but I added a feature to a couple of gadgets on the blog's sidebar. Click on the "view all" links in the "Species List" and "Dive (B)log" gadgets to view their entire contents on one page. Or use the shortcuts below:
08 October 2009
Birds and Flowers
In addition to our own species list, which you can view anytime from this site (see below), Brett has also been regularly contributing to a South Caicos Master Species List that was started by one of the SFS faculty members. It catalogs all of the species that have been seen and definitively documented by students, staff, significant others, and anyone else here on the island who is so inclined. Brett must be credited with more additions than anyone else is though! (I don't know that for a fact, but it seems like every other day or so he's found another species that wasn't already on the list.) It's one of those hobbies that he has the time to pursue these days, and that he also seems to get a lot of pleasure out of. I have to admit that even if I had more free time, I'm not sure I'd be motivated enough to be constantly checking the list and tracking down all the required documentation for each new species, including a clearly identifying photo, its Kingdom through species classification, etc. That said, I have submitted a few entries of my own, the majority of which have been birds.
Bananaquit
Mourning Dove
Most recently, I identified a Mourning Dove that was singing just outside the staff porch and a Bananaquit that managed to get itself trapped under the roof of our common area. (We helped the Bananaquit find its way out after I took the above photo.) We've also seen an immature Little Blue Heron walking around outside the staff porch a few times over the past few days, but I haven't been able to get my camera out in time to capture it yet. (Plus, that one was already on the species list from when Brett and I added it back in August!)
Now I'm on a mission to identify some of the flowers and other plants around here. So much of our research for SFS-CMRS takes place underwater and focuses on marine wildlife, that nobody here (including the tropical ecologists) seems to know much about the terrestrial species. We don't have a very good plants/trees/shrubs field guide for the TCI region either, but I may look for one while I'm back in the States over the holidays. I'm already starting to collect photos to help with identification though, as it's likely that many of these flowers will no longer be in bloom come January. Here are a few shots I took yesterday:
Bananaquit
Mourning DoveMost recently, I identified a Mourning Dove that was singing just outside the staff porch and a Bananaquit that managed to get itself trapped under the roof of our common area. (We helped the Bananaquit find its way out after I took the above photo.) We've also seen an immature Little Blue Heron walking around outside the staff porch a few times over the past few days, but I haven't been able to get my camera out in time to capture it yet. (Plus, that one was already on the species list from when Brett and I added it back in August!)
Now I'm on a mission to identify some of the flowers and other plants around here. So much of our research for SFS-CMRS takes place underwater and focuses on marine wildlife, that nobody here (including the tropical ecologists) seems to know much about the terrestrial species. We don't have a very good plants/trees/shrubs field guide for the TCI region either, but I may look for one while I'm back in the States over the holidays. I'm already starting to collect photos to help with identification though, as it's likely that many of these flowers will no longer be in bloom come January. Here are a few shots I took yesterday:
26 July 2009
Rays and Turtles and Lionfish, Oh My!
I've just returned from an amazing dive! I'm starting to get spoiled with all the things I've seen out here. For example, Jessee and I went for a snorkel earlier today and when people asked how it was, I responded: "ah, okay. We only saw a couple Nurse Sharks and a Sting Ray." Only a couple Nurse Sharks and a Sting Ray?! Well, when you have a dive like I just had, it's easier to understand why that's just mediocre around here.
First thing, as we were mooring up at the buoy, an Eagle Ray jumped out of the water at least 2 meters in the air. And I missed it! All I saw was the splash and heard the others ooooh and aaaah. (I did, however, see a different one jump earlier today from a long distance). That was the only thing I missed though. The first half of the dive was relatively uneventful. But then we came to the ledge of the wall, a sort of underwater cliff where it drops off to thousands of feet deep. It's totally blue over the edge, and you can see nothing past a couple hundred feet or so (the water is really clear here). As we were following the edge of the wall an Eagle Ray started coming out of the deep. It was coming straight at us. They're not dangerous, but it was a little unnerving how directly it was heading towards us. When it was about ten feet away it veered to the right and started heading away again. I'm not sure if it was the same one that jumped, but it's possible.
Just a few minutes later we came around a corner in an area with a sandy bottom and saw a small Nurse Shark sitting under an overhanging rock. Nurse Sharks spend most of their time motionless on the sea floor. One of the people I was diving with went up to it and touched its fin a couple times. I was tempted to try it myself because Nurse Sharks are pretty timid and definitely not aggressive. But I'm glad I didn't after hearing horror stories about their vice-like jaws. Apparently they have a very strong grip, and they won't let you go.
Just seconds after that we came across a Lionfish. I would have been content just watching it for a while, but Tim (another one of the Lionfish hunters) had brought along a sharpened rod specifically for that purpose. He jabbed at it a couple times, and it backed into a reef. He was able to stir it out and get several more jabs at it when Anke tapped on her tank to get our attention. All of us had our attention focused so intently on the Lionfish we hadn't even noticed a Hawksbill Turtle had taken an interest in us! When I turned around it was about 5 feet from me!!! What an experience! It was just gliding along and checking us out. When it realized that we had noticed it, it started to head away from us. It wasn't watching where it was going though because it collided with a buoy line and got it's fin hooked on it. It took several strokes and made no progress. It didn't look as though it was distressed, and I think it would have eventually freed itself, but Anke swam over and helped it get loose. I understand, now, how easily turtles can get tangled in nets and discarded fishing line.
I didn't find out until we got to the surface, but it turns out that the buoy line was covered in some species of Hydroid - the family of organisms including fire coral that have stinging cells. Anke got a bad sting on her arm. But she was happy to have freed the turtle.
Pederson Cleaner Shrimp
There was so much going on in those few minutes it was hard to take it all in. In fact, by the time we had turned our attention back from the turtle the Lionfish had made its escape. I'm not sure how badly it was injured (if at all). We were starting to get low on air so we located the boat and got ready to ascend. On the way, however, I saw another new species, and was able to identify it when I got back to the room: a Pederson Cleaner Shrimp. It's a little blue-ish/purple-ish shrimp, about 1 inch long. This is the sort of thing you'd never see snorkeling, they're just too small. The ID book says that they're unafraid and will climb onto an extended hand and attempt to clean it. Too bad I didn't know at the time, I would have tried it.
First thing, as we were mooring up at the buoy, an Eagle Ray jumped out of the water at least 2 meters in the air. And I missed it! All I saw was the splash and heard the others ooooh and aaaah. (I did, however, see a different one jump earlier today from a long distance). That was the only thing I missed though. The first half of the dive was relatively uneventful. But then we came to the ledge of the wall, a sort of underwater cliff where it drops off to thousands of feet deep. It's totally blue over the edge, and you can see nothing past a couple hundred feet or so (the water is really clear here). As we were following the edge of the wall an Eagle Ray started coming out of the deep. It was coming straight at us. They're not dangerous, but it was a little unnerving how directly it was heading towards us. When it was about ten feet away it veered to the right and started heading away again. I'm not sure if it was the same one that jumped, but it's possible.
Just a few minutes later we came around a corner in an area with a sandy bottom and saw a small Nurse Shark sitting under an overhanging rock. Nurse Sharks spend most of their time motionless on the sea floor. One of the people I was diving with went up to it and touched its fin a couple times. I was tempted to try it myself because Nurse Sharks are pretty timid and definitely not aggressive. But I'm glad I didn't after hearing horror stories about their vice-like jaws. Apparently they have a very strong grip, and they won't let you go.
Just seconds after that we came across a Lionfish. I would have been content just watching it for a while, but Tim (another one of the Lionfish hunters) had brought along a sharpened rod specifically for that purpose. He jabbed at it a couple times, and it backed into a reef. He was able to stir it out and get several more jabs at it when Anke tapped on her tank to get our attention. All of us had our attention focused so intently on the Lionfish we hadn't even noticed a Hawksbill Turtle had taken an interest in us! When I turned around it was about 5 feet from me!!! What an experience! It was just gliding along and checking us out. When it realized that we had noticed it, it started to head away from us. It wasn't watching where it was going though because it collided with a buoy line and got it's fin hooked on it. It took several strokes and made no progress. It didn't look as though it was distressed, and I think it would have eventually freed itself, but Anke swam over and helped it get loose. I understand, now, how easily turtles can get tangled in nets and discarded fishing line.
The Lionfish Hunter
(http://current.com/items/90029540_lionfish-public-serice-announcement-for-the-turks-and-caicos-islands.htm)
(http://current.com/items/90029540_lionfish-public-serice-announcement-for-the-turks-and-caicos-islands.htm)
I didn't find out until we got to the surface, but it turns out that the buoy line was covered in some species of Hydroid - the family of organisms including fire coral that have stinging cells. Anke got a bad sting on her arm. But she was happy to have freed the turtle.
Pederson Cleaner ShrimpThere was so much going on in those few minutes it was hard to take it all in. In fact, by the time we had turned our attention back from the turtle the Lionfish had made its escape. I'm not sure how badly it was injured (if at all). We were starting to get low on air so we located the boat and got ready to ascend. On the way, however, I saw another new species, and was able to identify it when I got back to the room: a Pederson Cleaner Shrimp. It's a little blue-ish/purple-ish shrimp, about 1 inch long. This is the sort of thing you'd never see snorkeling, they're just too small. The ID book says that they're unafraid and will climb onto an extended hand and attempt to clean it. Too bad I didn't know at the time, I would have tried it.
15 July 2009
Species List
I've added another "gadget" to the sidebar of the blog: our Caicos Species List. This is, by no means, an exhaustive list of the species we've seen. Nor is it even an exhaustive list of the species we can currently identify. It is just a listing of particularly impressive species that we've seen, identified, and learned some interesting facts about. So far there are only three species on it: the Caribbean Reef Shark, the Flamingo Tongue, and the Eagle Ray. We will periodically add to the list, so be sure to check it from time to time.
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