A Visit to The Bahamas - Part 4

 16 February, 2026

     As usual our day began with a visit to the mangroves right outside our door.

     Willets (Tringa semipalmata) occupied their familiar position and we were always happy to see them.

     

     Will knew of a remote beach where we would almost certainly have the place to ourselves, and soon was driving us there.

     It was a long way down to the spot where we would park; in fact, the rocky road looked iffy and we walked part of the way to take some of the weight off the van.

     I continued to be puzzled by the lack of birds. One might expect that an area of coastal scrub would be alive with them and the ocean seemed perfect for frigatebirds, gulls, cormorants etc but we saw none. We passed breakwaters, jetties and bridges where one might expect seabirds to be present in great numbers, but they were empty.

     Just before leaving on this vacation I had finished reading Douglas Brinkley's magnum opus, Silent Spring Revolution. In it, he details the huge success of the Lyndon B. Johnson presidency in the field of conservation and protection of the environment, often overshadowed by the environmental holocaust inflicted on Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia - to say nothing of the other atrocities committed there. In his To Renew a Nation speech Johnson said, "The debris of civilization litters the landscape and spoils the beaches."

     This is not an indictment of The Bahamas, for the fouling of nature exists around the world, and much of the debris on beaches everywhere is washed in on the tide.

    But trash is generated and discarded locally, too.

     One cannot imagine that the situation is going to improve and there is trouble in paradise.

     Miriam and Caroline stood at the ocean's edge.

     Fanflowers (genus Scaevola) are exquisite.

     Sea Grape (Coccoloba uvifera) was ubiquitous.

     Don't you think that Sea Rocket (genus Cakile) is a beautiful plant?

     This is a very striking insect, a species of Bee Fly found in the  tribe Exoprosopini.

     Soldierbushes (genus Tournefortia) are very attractive.

     It's hard to really see, but the image below is of a Caribbean Reef Shark (Carcharhinus perezi) swimming almost alongside Will, Caroline and Andrew.

     It rarely bites humans, but has done so on occasion, so it's perhaps better to err on the side of caution and maintain one's distance from it.

     Sea Oats (Uniola paniculata) are known not to bite and may be handled with impunity!

     At first blush one would be forgiven for thinking that this tree is a species of pine, but it is a Beach Sheoak (Casuarina equisetifolia).

     It is native to SE Asia but has been widely introduced in tropical regions around the world.

     Coastal Ragweed (Ambrosia hispida) is a perennial hairy-stemmed herb found on sandy shores throughout the Caribbean.

     Galaxaura is a genus of Thalloid Red Algae; this stranded segment has no doubt been bleached by the sun.

     Stone Plants in the family Aizoaceae -

     The entire chain of islands in The Bahamas is basically made up of limestone, with constant erosion taking place.

     Here is an interesting plant that I have been unable to identify.

     Is anything more emblematic of the tropics than a coconut (Cocos nucifera) washed up on the beach?

     It brings to mind Treasure Island or Robinson Crusoe.

     When we left the beach it was lunch time and we stopped at Esther's Sub Stop for a sandwich.

     If ever you find yourself in Rock Sound, this is the place to go.

     The food is absolutely delicious and is only prepared after you place your order.

     Esther is charming and makes the whole experience very special.

     I doubt that we would ever have found this gem if Will had not become familiar with the area, but we are very glad we did.

     I hope that Esther's business grows and prospers and that one day a whole fleet of pink sub stops are scattered throughout Eleuthera.

     While we were waiting for our food to be prepared we spotted an American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) high in a tree across the road.

     A combination of Esther, good food and a great little falcon seems like as perfect a combination as one might get!

     Today was Will's 26th birthday and we went to a fine restaurant in the Cape Eleuthera Resort and Marina.

     The sun went down on another happy day in The Bahamas.

     And we'll do it all again tomorrow!

Visit to The Bahamas - Part 3

 15 February, 2026

     Today was a lazy day, to hang around at home and do little of anything. Our morning was spent probing through the mangroves and walking up and down the local road.

     Will and Holly came over to watch the Canada/France hockey game from the Winter Olympics in Italy.

     Egg was content to take a nap on one of the lawn chairs and get away from the incessant pestering of her pups.

     Miriam and I often saw a Clapper Rail (Rallus crepitans) which proved extremely difficult to photograph. In the manner of rails everywhere it could disappear in an instant.

     We had salami and cheese sandwiches for lunch - very tasty.

     The tide was out.....

     ..... and Miriam, Caroline and Holly decided to take a walk.

     You do not see Miriam, of course, since she was taking the picture.

     Egg insisted on tagging along.

     This interesting insect is a member of the Canadensis/exclamans group of Paper Wasps, genus Polistes.

     If you are wondering how it comes by the name Canadensis, meaning "from Canada," you are not alone. It was not uncommon for 18th Century biologists to mislabel shipments, and the legacy of their error remains.

     Holly and Will took us to a nearby beach, one of their favourites, a shell collector's paradise.

     This is a Checkered Nerite (Nerita tessellata), a species of tropical sea snail.

     And here is a subset of Homo sapiens, often referred to as happy snorkelers.

     I have mentioned before that I am very much enamoured of hermit crabs and their lifestyle. Here is Caribbean Land Hermit Crab (Coenobita clypeatus) - on my hand.....

     ..... and on the beach.

     These single-celled algae that live on substrates in shallow, warm water are located in the order Dasycladales.

     Sargassum (genus Sargassum) has washed up on the shore.

     Fanflowers (genus Scaevola) were pretty much everywhere.

     You will note vehicle tracks in the following picture.

     We observed people collecting sand for obvious commercial purposes. Perhaps they were landscapers or some such business.

     We returned from the beach and relaxed for a while before dinner. Caroline cooked pasta with hot Italian sausages and it was very tasty. A smooth South African wine helped it along in the most pleasing way.

     Just another happy day in The Bahamas.