Marty’s photo of the day #4517: I’m getting close to moving on to wildlife photos I’ve taken elsewhere in the world, but I still have a few more from Deb’s and my trip last month to Bonaire. These are foureye butterflyfish.
Foureye Butterflyfish
Blauw-blauws
Marty’s photo of the day #4516: On the island of Bonaire, blauw-blauws basically filled the niche of pigeons. Whenever Deb and I had a picnic, the blauw-blauws would be there, waiting for scraps. I found them more amusing to watch than pigeons, however, as they were fast, and skirmishes over scraps weren’t always won by […]
Falling in Love with Snorkeling
Marty’s photo of the day #4515: Anyone who has read my first book, published in 2007, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents, knows that I didn’t get along well with water. That changed in 2016, when Deb and I snorkeled with sea lions and octopuses in the Sea of Cortez. Better equipment combined […]
And up pops Steve . . .
Marty’s photo of the day #4514: So last month, Deb and I were snorkeling through the mangroves along the coast of Bonaire, and up pops Steve Irwin to remind us about not getting too close to the stingrays.
Seru Grandi
Marty’s photo of the day #4513: This is Seru Grandi in Bonaire’s Washington-Slagbaai National Park. When I first came across this geological formation, I was confident that I’d seen it before in some epic movie. I’m not sure which movie, however. The lower layer of this formation is 210,000 years-old, and the top layer is […]
Bonaire Slave Huts
Marty’s photo of the day #4512: Bonaire is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and in 1850 the Dutch West Indies Company built slave huts for slaves working in its four salt pans. My wife, Deb, is standing next to some of the slave huts that have been preserved. The slaves would use these […]
Finding Flounder
Marty’s photo of the day #4511: Whether in the forest surrounding Deb’s and my house or in the ocean surrounding Bonaire, I enjoy spotting creatures that are great at camouflage. Can you spot the flounder in this photo from Bonaire? (Hint #1: Flounders lie on their side.) (Hint #2: Look near the center of the […]
Sand Diver
Marty’s photo of the day #4510: With all the colorful fish on the reef surrounding Bonaire, it’s easy to overlook the fish that would rather not be seen. I spotted one such fish—a sand diver—just a short distance out from shore. How tough are sand divers to spot? Below the main photo I’ve added a […]
Whitespotted Filefish
Marty’s photo of the day #4508: I think this is a really cool image, but if you’re viewing it on a small screen, you’ll likely miss the details. It’s a whitespotted filefish, seemingly coming out of the coral. And in the background is a parrotfish. (Photographed in Bonaire)
Yellow Warbler #2
Marty’s photo of the day #4507: I rarely repeat images of the same species within 30 days of each other, but I like this yellow warbler photo better than the one I posted 10 days ago. And I had to be so patient to get this shot! (Photographed in Bonaire)
Royal Tern vs Crab
Color-Changing Flamingos
Marty’s photo of the day #4505: Most people incorrectly assume that flamingos are born pink. What actually happens is that they start out white and turn pink from the beta-carotene in the algae, brine fly larvae, and brine shrimp they eat. (Photographed in Bonaire)
Fish Relationships
Marty’s photo of the day #4504: The fish on top is a Bermuda chub, and the one below it is most likely an immature bar jack. During the many times Deb and I snorkeled this part of the reef, I saw this pair often. If I didn’t have a camera, I would have assumed I […]
Brown-Throated Parakeet vs Yellow-Shouldered Amazon Parrot, Pt 2
Marty’s photo of the day #4503: Bonaire has both brown-throated parakeets and yellow-shouldered Amazon parrots. The two species look alike, but there are subtle differences between them. The most noticeable difference is that the parakeet is slimmer than the parrot. Last month, I was lucky enough to photograph both of them. Yesterday I featured the […]
Brown-Throated Parakeet vs Yellow-Shouldered Amazon Parrot, Pt 1
Marty’s photo of the day #4502: Bonaire has both brown-throated parakeets and yellow-shouldered Amazon parrots. The two species look alike, but there are subtle differences between them. The most noticeable difference is that the parakeet is slimmer than the parrot. Last month, I was lucky enough to photograph both of them. Today, I’m featuring the […]
Eared Dove
Marty’s photo of the day #4501: This is an eared dove, photographed at a spring on the island of Bonaire.
Green Iguana
Marty’s photo of the day #4500: This is a green iguana, photographed on the island of Bonaire. It’s not the same iguana that tried to climb up my wife’s leg for a bite of her sandwich.
Trumpetfish
Marty’s photo of the day #4499: I photographed this trumpetfish last month while visiting Bonaire. For me, these fish were more interesting to watch with the naked eye than in photographs. I was pleased, however, when I looked in the Caribbean fish guide Deb picked up on the island, and my trumpetfish photo is arguably […]
Creative Donkey Photography
Marty’s photo of the day #4498: As far as I know, my father was devoid of creativity. When I was six years old, I got a Diana camera and promptly filled the first roll of film with nothing but photos of feet. My father scolded me and threatened to take the camera away. Perhaps that’s […]
Yellow Warbler
Marty’s photo of the day #4497: There are only two tiny freshwater springs in Washington-Slagbaai National Park on the island of Bonaire. This yellow warbler was the most challenging bird to photograph at the first spring. It would come in, grab a sip of water, and take off—seemingly all in one continuous motion.