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Sand Diver

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

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

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)

Fish Relationships

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 1

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 […]

Trumpetfish

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 […]

Yellow Warbler

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.

Troupials on Bonaire

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

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

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 […]

Ruddy Turnstone

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

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 […]