Next
stop on the Tahanea tour was 3 Boobie Bird Motus. There are several
small islands (motus) where boobie birds hang out and have their
babies. Actually they do that on most of these motus, but this one
supposedly has no human activity evidence (like copra coconut
harvesting). Once palms have been planted for this purpose, much of
the undergrowth that protects these ground nesters, is removed or
dies from lack of enough sun.
When
we woke there was a large cumulus cloud that looked like half of it
had become water and fell from the sky.
The
morning sun turned the rain in to a wide horizontal rainbow. So
pretty!
It
has been 10 days since we left Tahiti and we have run out of french
baguettes. So I decide to make my first attempt at making bread.
The first one did not come out well. I had not intended to make flat
bread! Mike ate it anyway, but I did not think it was very good. So
second attempt with the help of some other yeast from Birgit on
Pitufa and vola' actual bread. I had just bought those yeast packets
in Tahiti, so I was surprised to find out it was bad.
The
next few days we had Virginia made Apple butter and Mexican Apricot
jelly on home baked bread!
Mike
and I walked around the largest of the 3 motus, but the third one
looked the most inviting. I still think sometimes that I need to
pinch myself, knowing I am really here after all these years!
We
saw several trees and bushes flowering. There were orange flowers:
As
well as these long lovely purple flowers.
Pitufa
was very saddened to see that someone had made a copra camp on this
motu, which had not been here the year before.
The
very inquisitive Sandpiper was watching us closely.
Then
he seemed to even follow us. These little guys are on the brink of
extinction though, sadly.
Miguel
is hanging loose on the motu in Tahanea!
Bird
prints in the sand! Someone has been here recently.
Then
just ahead of us we spot them, Curlews! These guys fly back and
forth from here to Alaska! They come here also to have their babies.
As
we rounded the back side of the motu, this fairy tern flew right over
Mike's head.
A
very inviting sand bar between motus.
The
fairy terns were now everywhere.
They
kept flying closer and closer, until he was right over me.
Of
course the Boobie bird did the same. They are like dive bombers,
soaring over the water until they spot a fish and then strait into
the water after him.
Got
this amazing shot of both a Blue faced Boobie and a Fairy tern with
my little Fuji XP waterproof camera.
The
Frigate birds are notorious robbers. They will steal a fish from
another bird or torment it until it drops the fish.
Masked
Boobies have mostly white feathers, black on their wings, with a
yellow beak and small back feathers right around their face, which
looks like a mask.
This
is both a Masked Boobie and a Brown Boobie, watching us closely from
their nests as we walk by. (not too close tho!)
This
Masked Boobie flew past to make sure we were not getting too close.
So
beautiful in flight!
Here
you can see the undergrowth is quite thick with not too many palms.
Perfect for building and hiding a nest!
The
sun was getting low and the shadow of this palm quite long.
Yes
I really am under a palm tree in the South Pacific!!
We
see many things along the shoreline. First this crab tries to
disappear in the rubble.
This
is a spyder conch, live in the water.
And
there was some gnarly driftwood with washed up blue plastic. We pick
up trash when ever we can, especially plastic!!
There
are three small reefs along these motus, so of course we had to
snorkel down and see who was living there! Mike found a big school
of fish circling in this sandy area surrounded by coral.
Here
you can see the striped Redfin Bream in the sub adult phase, as well
as Humpback Snappers.
This
coral mound shows a Yellow tail Emperor swimming by and what I
believe to be a baby Anemone fish.
He
is so cute, but did not find one like him in the book.
Several
Bluefin Trevally, which is a type of Jack, watched us with curiosity.
You
can really see their blue fins and spots in this shot.
A
coral bloom.
Looks
like a giant group of small crystals how it grows.
A
first for me, an orange sponge.
The
blue and purple lipped clams glow with iridescence in the sunlight.
One
of my favorites, the Morish Idol with a few Damisel fish swimming
about.
A
good sized Parrotfish, who munch on coral with those beak like
mouths.
The
Saddled Butterflyfish has cute markings.
The
Chevroned Butterflyfish has a black circle around his face when
looking at him head on.
But
from the side you can see his Chevron markings.
The
Five Striped Wrasse is quite colorful with his purple body and green
stripes.
These
Solanders Toby fish are colored with iridescent blue spots and have
an orange tail. Not seen any if any of these guys before either!
And
the Coup-de-grace of our snorkel was this Leopard Wrasse with his black
and white spots and yellow fins and belly.
