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 […]
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Year: 2024
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.
The Critically Endangered Hawksbill Sea Turtle
Marty’s photo of the day #4496: When Deb and I visited the island of Bonaire earlier this month, we enjoyed 26 hour-long snorkels. I fell in love with above-water wildlife photography many years ago, but all those snorkels made me passionate about underwater wildlife photography, too. It’s incredibly challenging, as underwater creatures never stop moving. […]
Troupials on Bonaire
Marty’s photo of the day #4495: Troupials (a type of oriole) were among the most colorful birds Deb and I saw on the island of Bonaire. They were introduced from the nearby island of Curaçao in 1973, so they aren’t a native species. Though, being that the islands are only 50 miles apart, I’m surprised […]
Honeycomb Cowfish
Marty’s photo of the day #4494: Honeycomb cowfish were among the most unusual, “should be in a science-fiction movie,” fish occupying the reef around Bonaire. If you look closely, they even have horns. They were also shy, making them difficult to photograph. Behind the honeycomb cowfish is a spotlight parrotfish (immature phase).
Among the Fire Coral
Marty’s photo of the day #4493: Deb and I have returned from 13 wonderful days on the island of Bonaire, surrounded by 2 travel days getting there and 2 travel days getting home. All of them bookended by a hurricane hitting Texas, just a day after we had a connecting flight in Dallas, and a […]
Reddish Egret
Ruddy Turnstone
Marty’s photo of the day #4491: Goodbye from Bonaire. Deb and I return to the United States today, but because we have a connecting flight through Miami, just ahead of Hurricane Helene, I suspect some delays. In fact, our flight out of Bonaire has already been delayed by 20 minutes, and it doesn’t even leave […]
Long-Spine Porcupinefish
Marty’s photo of the day #4490: This long-spine porcupinefish is about 20 inches long. If frightened, it could swallow a large amount of water to inflate a pouch near its stomach, thereby doubling in size and raising spines all over its body. Deb and I didn’t see any of these fish during our first week […]