Tri-colored Heron Catching Fish

Underwater Scene

Flamingo Tongue Snail

Tracey Playing with Stingrays

Grand Turk 2011

Cayman Brac - Spiders

Spiders, Cayman Brac, March, 2010

Cayman Brac - Feather Duster Worms

Social Feather Duster Worms, Cayman Brac, March, 2010

Cayman Brac - Squirrel Fish

Cayman Brac - Squirrel Fish, February, 2010

Cayman Brac - Nurse Shark

Nurse shark with remora, Cayman Brac, March, 2010

Mick our boat captain/divemaster said to keep our eyes open for nurse sharks on this dive. Two sharks could be reliably be found at this site in the past, but they had not been seen for awhile. Tracey and I were first in the water and began our search, checking numerous overhangs and small caves. I stuck my head in one small opening and gulped as my eyes focused on the distinctive tail fin just in front of me. Backing out of the opening I signaled "shark" to Tracey and swam around to the other side of the coral head to see if I could get a better look. A larger opening to the cave revealed one tail, one head, another tail?!? THREE large nurse sharks were stacked in the hole like cord wood.

Cayman Brac - Jellyfish

Jellyfish

Cayman Brac, March, 2010

Had a very hard time getting a decent photo of this jellyfish swimming just under the surface. Waves bounced and rolled me around, the strobe kept popping in and out of the water and the camera couldn't focus on the nearly transparent creature. This is the best pic of the bunch. I think I'd like to go back and try again.

Iguana

Iguana

Cayman Brac, February, 2008

Coming up for air

Another turtle photo, Guanaja, Islas de la Bahía, Honduras, March 2009

Atlantic Spadefish

Atlantic Spadefish, Guanaja, Bay Islands, Honduras, Feb./March 2009

When we first spotted this Atlantic Spadefish it was acting strangely. Fluttering weakly on its side in a shallow depression in the sand not far from reef, it appeared injured. As we approached though it turned upright and swam away. Turns out we had interrupted the fish's session at a cleaning station.

A cleaning station is a location on or near coral reefs where small shrimp and fish such as tiny wrasses and gobies offer their services to remove parasites from larger fish. When the fish approaches a cleaning station they will pose in an 'unnatural' way to show the cleaner fish that they want to be cleaned and pose no threat, this can be pointing in a strange direction, flaring the gills and opening the mouth wide. The cleaner fish will then eat the parasites directly from the skin of the cleaned fish. It will even swim into the mouth and gills of the fish to be cleaned.

On another dive we interrupted a large barracuda at a cleaning station. When it swam away, two gray angelfish took its spot. By the time the barracuda returned it had to wait at the end of the line for another turn. Kinda made me feel a little bad.

Weee're Baaack - from Guanaja

Hawksbill Turtle, Guanaja, Islas de la Bahía, Honduras

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanaja

Tracey and I are back from our annual winter diving vacation. Thus the lack of posts lately. We went to Guanaja, Bay Islands, Honduras. Amazing, off the beaten track, kind of place. Only a 30 mile or so very wet/wavy boat ride from Oak Ridge, Roatan (another of the Honduran Bay Islands). Beautiful scenery, pristine diving and wonderful people. Enjoy the posts over the next several days.

More Wolves at Elsas, Ontario

Waiting for the train.

Elsas, Ontario, August 2006

Wolves at Elsas, Ontario

In August 2006, Tracey and I canoed the Chapleau River from Racine Lake near Chapleau to the remote, nearly deserted (population 2 plus a few transient railroad workers), town of Elsas in northern Ontario. Elsas is accessible only by canoe, float plane or railroad. Several wolves lurked around the railroad camp hoping to sneak odd scraps of food. Most of the time you would only catch fleeting glimpses of them, but this one was exceptionally bold. One of our most exciting wildlife encounters - kinda gave us goosebumps.

Elsas, Ontario, August, 2006

Moo

More "wildlife", Montserrat, March 2006

Ghost Crab

St. Eustatius, February, 2007

Phasmatodea - Walking Stick Insect

Gotta love the scientific name of this group of insects - Phasmatodea

Walking Stick, In Our Room, St. Eustatius, February 2007

Long-horned Beetle

Long-horned Beetle, St. Eustatius, February, 2007