Posted on 24 May 2023 | 3:28 pm
CORONATION ONE ROYAL TURN DESERVES… AN ABACO ROYAL TERN I wrote this post about Royal Terns Thalasseus maximus* quite some time ago, in the early days of Delphi (and indeed Rolling Harbour™ ® ). Bonefishing was a completely new experience and my skills were embryonic. As they continued to be for the duration. By then […]
Posted on 8 May 2023 | 6:58 am
PINE WARBLERS ON ABACO: ‘PINUS ENVY’ The Pine Warbler Setophaga pinus is one of 5 year-round resident warblers (endemics) on Abaco. All are to be admired, of course. The others are Bahama yellowthroat; Bahama warbler; olive-capped warbler; and yellow warbler. The pine warbler is also to be envied for several reasons: Like most Setophagae, […]
Posted on 20 April 2023 | 11:42 am
ROCK BEAUTY . Holacanthus tricolor . BAHAMAS REEF FISH These creatures are a small species of angelfish. Seen swimming around the reefs they are unmistakeable, not least because of their bright yellow hi-viz jackets, remarkable blue eyeliner and blue-black lipstick. Rock Beauties look like prime candidates for anyone’s aquarium, but they have picky dietary […]
Posted on 7 April 2023 | 1:44 pm
GREAT EGRETS: NOBLE (YET MISNAMED) HERONS The Great Egret is actually a heron rather than an egret. It’s a Great Heron. All egrets are members of the heron family Ardeidae, but the converse is not true. As long ago as 1758, Linnaeus awarded the bird the binomial name Ardea alba i.e. ‘Heron white‘. Why it should have been so hard to […]
Posted on 28 March 2023 | 12:59 pm
WTF? (WHAT’S THAT FISH): ‘GUITARFISH ROCK’ A spectacular entry in my WTF? series came courtesy of Adam Rees and a night dive in Florida waters: the guitarfish, (Gr: rhinos – nose; batis – ray) . Until I saw Adam’s photos, this creature was unknown to me. It sounded so improbable, and conjured up some nightmare […]
Posted on 14 March 2023 | 3:49 pm
‘PRESENTING… A LARGE BILL’ The Smooth-billed Ani (Crotophaga ani) is one of three members of the cuckoo family found on Abaco, the others being the MANGROVE CUCKOO and the YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. Anis range from Florida and the Bahamas in the north down through the Caribbean to South America, where they are widespread. Unlike their shy and […]
Posted on 26 February 2023 | 1:37 pm
OSPREYS: ID GUIDE TO THE BAHAMAS SUBSPECIES I have featured bird comparatives from time to time, not least because scope for confusion meant that I needed to investigate for my own peace of mind. These included the tyrant flycatchers; a number of superficially similar warbler species (mostly with yellow bits); varied vireos; all those heron-y […]
Posted on 6 February 2023 | 12:01 pm
BLUEHEAD WRASSE: PRIVATE LIFE LAID BARE The bluehead wrasse (or blue-headed wrasse) Thalassoma bifasciatum is a denizen of the coral reefs in the tropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean. This bright little 4-inch fish is… a wrasse with a blue head. No more and no less. Unless it’s a juvenile. Then it is mainly […]
Posted on 23 January 2023 | 11:21 am
FLAMINGO TONGUE SNAILS: DECORATIVE CORAL-DWELLERS FLAMINGO TONGUE SNAILS Cyphoma gibbous are small marine gastropod molluscs related to cowries. The living animal is brightly coloured and strikingly patterned, but that colour only exists in the ‘live’ parts – the so-called ‘mantle’. The shell itself is usually pale, and characterised by a thick ridge round the middle. Whether […]
Posted on 9 January 2023 | 9:44 am
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