North West Point Walk Part 2

Here's the pelican gobbling up a fish while the seagull hovers waiting to snatch a tasty morsel.

Here's the pelican gobbling up a fish while the seagull hovers waiting to snatch a tasty morsel.

We stopped to sit for a while and take in the view of the waves breaking on the shore. You can just make out the Amanyara resort way down at the end of the coastline.

Pat takes a break and just above her head you can make out the Amanyara Resort

Pat takes a break and way past her at the other end, you can make out the Amanyara Resort

As we walked along the beach towards Malcolm Roads and the Amanyara, I came across something just lying there in the sand. It was an egg and the best I could come up with on the internet was that it looks like a sandpiper egg. This would make sense and most of the birds we saw were Ruddy Turnstones, a common visitor here to the Turks and Caicos Islands.

This egg was just laying there in the sand. It had black, brown and greyish markings.

This egg was just laying there in the sand. It had black, brown and greyish markings.

Here's a Ruddy Turnstone. It's fun to watch them scurrying about along the sand and rocks

Here's a Ruddy Turnstone. It's fun to watch them scurrying about along the sand and rocks

Once we got onto Malcolm Roads beach we were ready to hit the water. We had such fun riding the waves and playing in the surf.

Yogi disappears in the surf and all that can be seen are his legs and feet.

Yogi disappears in the surf and all that can be seen are his legs and feet.

Pat enjoying the breaking waves

Pat enjoying the breaking waves

 

What a great way to end the day………….playing in the waves as they came crashing into the beach at Malcolm Roads.

 

Marta

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

North West Point Walk

The road was washed out in two spots...............quite deep too but we pushed on through to explore and find this new beach.

The road was washed out in two spots……………quite deep too but we pushed on through to explore and find this new beach.

Yesterday we set off to explore a beach along the North West Point coast line that we’ve never been to but had heard about from some of our recent Harbour Club Villas guests. We had turned around the day before as it was getting dark and we didn’t know how deep the washed out part of the road was.

Wow! A spectacular rocky shoreline with powdery sand beaches

Wow! A spectacular rocky shoreline with powdery sand beaches

This stretch of beach is between the North West Point and Malcolm Roads beach and we basically walked the beach in both directions. There are some great dive sites off this beach and two of them are named Shark Hotel and Black Coral Forest.

Typical vegetation of the area including this beautiful Cactus Tree just starting to bloom.

Typical vegetation of the area including this beautiful Cactus Tree, Consolea nashii, ( locally called horse pear) just starting to bloom.

We watched a pelican being harrassed by sea gulls as it skimmed and dove into the water catching fish. The gulls would literally sit on top of the pelican in hopes of stealing a tasty morsel of fish.

I'm not sure how well you can make this out but the seagull was dancing on the pelicans head

I’m not sure how well you can make this out but the seagull was dancing on the pelicans head

I’ll post more tomorrow as we had such a great time seeing this part of Provo. It was our first trip out here and I’m sure we’ll return many more times.

Marta

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Osprey

An osprey on our walk out along the beach to the North West Point

An osprey on our walk out along the beach to the North West Point

We went for a long walk along the beach towards the North West Point where we spotted a magnificent osprey. He had just caught a fish which is what they feed on exclusively.

Ospreys will soar along the coast line as they search for ripples made by fish

Ospreys will soar along the coast line as they search for ripples made by fish

The osprey is found throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands where it is a year round resident. Every time we head out to the North West Point, we always see them. This time, I managed to get up fairly close and was happy at how well the photos turned out.

A great beach for beachcombing and an added bonus was to see this osprey.

A great beach for beachcombing and an added bonus was to see this osprey.

The osprey was a little agitated as I got closer and he didn't want to stop feeding on the fish

The osprey was a little agitated as I got closer and he didn't want to stop feeding on the fish

The osprey that breed in the Turks and Caicos Islands are a distinct sub-species that have a faint stripe behind the eye. Ospreys that are not from the region have a pronounced black stripe. If you enjoy bird watching you’ll definitely see ospreys as you wander some of the beaches.

Marta

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Barry’s Birthday

We spent a great afternoon on and in the water to celebrate Barry's birthday today along with visiting friends from Banff.

We spent a great afternoon on and in the water to celebrate Barry's birthday today along with visiting friends from Banff.

The water today was like a bathtub and we spent hours out at Osprey Rock and stopped at Taylor Bay on the way back.

Pelicans kept dive bombing right infront of us at Osprey Rock. What a show they put on!

Pelicans kept dive bombing right infront of us at Osprey Rock. What a show they put on!

A beautiful sunset at the entrance to Discovery Bay canals and Harbour Club's Marina

A beautiful sunset at the entrance to Discovery Bay canals and Harbour Club's Marina

Another beautiful day on the water spent with good friends……….you just can’t beat it!

 

Marta

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Night Heron

Night Heron on Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands

Last night we had a late night visitor at Harbour Club Villas.......this Yellow-crowned Night Heron surprised our guests.

This heron is frequently seen in the Turks and Caicos Islands and its main food is land crabs. I think the one at the villas roosts in one of our neem trees as he has surprised us several times. On one of my trips out to Blue Hills it was low tide and I spotted a Yellow-crowned Night Heron. Apparently they will go into the sea at low tide in search of marine crabs.
Low tide at Blue Hills shows a night heron searching for something to eat.

Low tide at Blue Hills shows a night heron searching for something to eat.

The Yellow-crowned Night Heron is usually grey with prominent black and white head. It is primarily nocturnal but as you can see from the photo, they will come out during the day and stalk their prey. 
Close up of a night heron.............the tide was out and he was probably looking for crabs.

Close up of a night heron.............the tide was out and he was probably looking for crabs.

On your next visit to Provo, keep your eyes open as you are sure to see a variety of birds.  Birdwatching is great in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Marta

Flamingo sunset

A solitary flamingo at sunset with the reflexion of the clouds in the waters of Flamingo Lake

A solitary flamingo at sunset with the reflection of the clouds in the waters of Flamingo Lake

What a sight………the sun setting behind a new house being built on the lake and a lone flamingo. A glittering pathway of  shimmering gold appeared on the surface of Flamingo Lake while the reflexion of the clouds made for a truly spectacular moment. I had seen the flamingos close to the water’s edge and grabbed one of our Brazilian guests who is a photo journalist and off we went to capture these shots. As soon as we arrived, the two flamingos headed further out on the lake.

Flamingo silhouette with the warm colours of another spectacular Provo sunset

Flamingo silhouette with the warm colours of another spectacular Provo sunset

Hope you get to see flamingos on your next visit to our beautiful islands.

 

Marta

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Caicos Classic 2009

We went down to Turtle Cove Marina today and watched the Caicos Cup Tournament boats pull in after a day's fishing.

We went down to Turtle Cove Marina today and watched the Caicos Cup Tournament boats pull in after a day's fishing.

The fish are still biting and this year’s Caicos Classic Tournament has eight boats entered and five of them are local boats. I’m not sure how many Marlin were caught and released but will add this information once the tournament is over. Art Pickering, tournament director was out and about as the boats returned to the dock.

Ossie and Scooter check the weight on a dorado caught by Chucke 11.

Ossie and Scooter check the weight on a dorado caught by Chucke 11.

Release points are scored as follows: Blue Marlin 300 points; White Marlin 200 points; Sailfish 100 points. The scoreboard at Scooter Bob’s showed quite a few fish caught and released over the three days of the tournament. Tomorrow, the final day, will be a day of fierce competition. 

Caicos Classic Scoreboard showin the fishing boats and numbers of billfish caught and released so far.

Caicos Classic Scoreboard showin the fishing boats and numbers of billfish caught and released so far.

The boats fish from 8 am to 4:30 pm daily and each boat has an IGFA certified observer on board. For a release to qualify for points, the observer and a witness must identify the species of fish, the leader has to be brought within grasp of the mate and wind on leaders must have an identifying mark in place of a swivel.  

Chad carves up a Dorado...........a great fish fry tonight for some lucky people.

Chad carves up a Dorado...........a great fish fry tonight for some lucky people.

Make sure you make a note of next year’s competition………… June 19 to 24, 2010. Hope that you’ll join us for our annual Caicos Classic Release Tournament.

Tight Lines!

 

Marta

 

http://www.bonefishing.tc

Chitons

Chitons are unusual creatures that cling to the rocks

Chitons are unusual creatures that cling to the rocks

Have you ever wandered through the water at low tide and checked out the rocks? For sure you’ll see these interesting looking things attached to the rocks. They are called Chitons, Coat of Mail shells or more locally by the colourful name of “suck rock”. Chitons are armoured, oval shaped creatures that live on the rocks around the tide line and basically are almost impossible to pry off the rocks.
A common resident of the Turks and Caicos Islands is the Fuzzy Chiton and this one had star barnacles living on its' plates

A common resident of the Turks and Caicos Islands is the Fuzzy Chiton and this one had star barnacles living on its' plates

  These animals or mollusks are characterised by eight armoured plates. The West Indian Fuzzy Chiton is medium sized and you don’t often notice them because their colour and texture is similar to the rocks on which they live and therefore they blend in. I thought the above photo was unusual because of the tiny star barnacles (also a mollusk) living on it’s back.

 

Here's a closeup of the West Indian Fuzzy Chiton showing the barnacles.

Here's a closeup of the West Indian Fuzzy Chiton showing the barnacles.

 Apparently the Lucayan Tainos used to harvest the chitons by using tools made from conch shells. They were somehow able to get the meat inside without smashing the plates. The small strip of chiton meat is salty, rubbery and a little slimy.

 

This chiton shell was found by a guest of Harbour Club Villas and it has the most beautiful markings.

This chiton shell was found by a guest of Harbour Club Villas and it has the most beautiful markings.

If you are out exploring any of Providenciales’ rocky shoreline, stop to take a look and see if you can find these interesting mollusks.

See you on the rocks!!

 

Marta

 

http://www.diving.tc

 

Rocky Shoreline

A close look at shells attached to the rocks along the rocky shoreline

A close look at shells attached to the rocks along the rocky shoreline

Yesterday’s boat trip to South West Harbour Bluff at low tide gave me an opportunity to explore the rocky shore line close to the pirates cave and Osprey Rock. I took photos of these tiny shells clinging onto the rocks but it was difficult with the water flowing over.

Beautiful shells on the rocks revealed interesting critters that I discovered once I had put them up on my computer

Beautiful shells on the rocks revealed interesting critters (check out the blue colour) that I discovered once I had put them up on my computer.

Can you pick out the small three coloured hermit crabs peeking out from the shells?  These tiny crabs called Clibanarius Tricolor are found in tidal pools and on intertidal and subtidal rocks. They have blue legs with red stripes and I didn’t even notice this when I was taking the photos. These shells were very pretty and in the close up you can see the blue striped legs coming out of two of the shells.

Tidal rocks had clusters of shells and to my surprise, small tricoloured blue hermit crabs in them.

Tidal rocks had clusters of shells and to my surprise, small tricoloured blue hermit crabs in them.

Blue legs with red stripes of the very small TriColoured Hermit Crab

Blue legs with red stripes of the very small TriColoured Hermit Crab

More neat and interesting things that I found along the undercut shore line at low tide will be posted in days to come. There are so many wonderful things to see here in the Turks and Caicos Islands…..every time you turn around there’s something new to photograph.

Marta

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Land Crab at the Villas

Barry was the bravest of us all as he picked up this Blue Crab by our villas.

Barry was the bravest of us all as he picked up this large land crab by our villas.

Guests at Harbour Club Villas were surprised by this rather large land crab they found by their villa. Barry picked it up as it was not moving very fast and was not at all aggressive. We think it might have been injured or sick because it couldn’t even lift up its major claw in order to defend itself.
It sure had a lethal looking claw

It sure had a lethal looking claw

It was raining most of today but during one of the breaks between rains, our guests came across the land crab in one of our planters. We don’t think it’s going to make it. It was a great opportunity to take a real close look at a land crab.
Marta