 |
|
the marvelous Red-tailed tropic birds and their chicks
|
date: 26/9/2009
Author:Nick Brennan
|
Weather: Sunny
Wind: Westerly 10/15 knots
Water Temp: 23°C
Water Visibility: 20m
Sea State: Chop
The divers had an interesting morning in the water seeing half a dozen reef sharks. The sharks are perfectly harmless however they still get the adrenalin rushing when they come close! If you have never been in the water with a shark before make sure you come out here to Lady Elliot and give it a go it is an experience you will never forget.
Also on the dive guests saw the green turtles looking as cute as ever, spinning around in circles to watch the group. These turtles looked as if they were looking for a nice crevice to have a sleep. Although turtles come to the surface regularly to breathe they are actually capable of withholding their breath for 4 hours! One of the divers made some stunning photos of an octopus that was changing its colours to match the surrounding reef. It’s a fantastic little trick and it offers the octopus incredible camouflage from its predators. Unfortunately it means they are often invisible to us until we are right next to them and they give away their location by flashing colours or moving.
On the island discovery tour guests enjoyed learning about the amazing birds they had been seeing. The realised there was a great diversity at Lady Elliot, but not that it was actually the second greatest diversity on the Great Barrier Reef. Guest thought the frigate bird was sensational soaring closely above the casuarina trees. These birds are the pirates of the air; they harass the smaller birds for their food, a strategy known as clepto-parasitism. Guests saw the marvelous Red-tailed tropic birds and their chicks nesting at the southern end of the airstrip. One of the guests had seen the tropic bird in flight at Lord Howe Island however never so close before. It is a rare treat to be able to see them at ground level. They are large birds that are currently nesting and their chicks when first hatched look like a puff of cotton wool with a little black beak poking out the end. Guests also saw the sooty oyster catchers on the high tide mark. These birds display a decoy behaviour when they are nesting, they pretend that they have broken wings or injuries to lure predators away from their chicks. Guests said they had seen this happening earlier close to the refuse centre where two pied oyster catchers are currently nesting! We will keep you posted as to their progress.
In the night it was time to party! Everyone loved playing the games and went to great efforts to create head dresses and sarongs out of palm leaves for the Aloha theme. By the end of the night everyone was tired out and wearily headed off to bed to rest up for another fun filled day.
|
|
blacktip - Al Jones
|
click to download flash player