Monthly Archives: December 2005

Click on the photos to see a larger version. This was the first sunset I saw from the veranda of the main building at Springfield Plantation, where I stayed. How about this guy? A male Blue-headed Hummingbird, taken in macro … Continue reading →

One last entry before I board the bus for the airport. Dominica, it’s been a wild time. There was sorrell rum punch, a fatally-injured boa constrictor, a non-fatal crash, a grueling hike through sulfurous vents, rain, sun, and sunburn. And … Continue reading →

So, this driving on the left thing isn’t as easy as I thought. I pulled out of a roadside stop to swing around the opposite direction but ended up on the wrong side of the road–and despite the mantra “you’re … Continue reading →

Today started out with a whale and dolphin watching trip that basically became a dolphin and cuttlefish-watching trip, as the whales were spending Christmas further out to sea. The cuttlefish, of which previously I’ve only known from feeding bones to … Continue reading →

So I celebrated Christmas Eve by kicking my own ass on a 10 mile hike with 1400 feet of elevation change, but with three or four ascents and descents. I am so frigging tired now, but in order to go … Continue reading →

So the Sisserou/Jako expedition was successful, and I managed to be the only one to get a good look at a Sisserou through binoculars–too far for a picture, though I have three specs that were probably Sisserous. I have a … Continue reading →

So, it turns out that driving on the left is not that hard, at least on an island without a ton of traffic (the narrow roads are a challenge). Hiking up and down ravines for several hours to get to … Continue reading →

Yesterday saw the younger crowd of us experiment with left-hand driving and visit the capital of Dominica, Rouseau. I got a taste for Sorrell juice, a hybiscus-like flower that produces a red drink (and, later, a less successful rum punch). … Continue reading →

I’m in Dominica, one of the more unspoiled islands in the Caribbean. It’s less white sandy beaches and more mountainous volcanic rainforest. I’ve already seen several birds I’ve never seen before, like the Bananaquit, the Gray Tremblor, the Antillean Crested … Continue reading →