Rainforest Fruit Bats

Posted on May 15, 2013 by winderjssc

Images 1-3 show Fruit Bats (Flying Foxes, Pteropus spp.) right in the town centre at Cairns, Queensland, Australia, roosting in trees with traffic and people all around. Images 3-6 show Spectacled Flying Foxes (Pteropus conspicillatus) in the actual rainforest, the Daintree, at Cape Tribulation in Far North Queensland. Both colonies might be conspicillatus but shadows obscure the features of the Cairns bats so it is not possible to say with certainty they are Spectacled.

The short videos below show the colonies of bats. The first clip shows bats in Cairns making a hullabaloo as they squabble and jostle for space with the sound of traffic all around. The movie was taken around the middle of the day. I was not only very surprised to find a colony above the busy streets but amazed at the noise they made.

The second and third clips show bats roosting in the Daintree at Cape Tribulation. They are waking up, preening, yawning, and stretching, getting ready for flying out en masse at dusk. Here the setting was more peaceful. However, both colonies of bats made a spectacular cacophonous show as they flew out to forage for food when the sun set. A fantastic show for diners sitting out every evening. [Apologies for the wrong orientation of the clips but you can see the action regardless].

High Tide at Mewslade Fault Gully 1

Posted on April 6, 2013 by winderjssc

Video clip showing high tide waves surging into the fault gully at Mewslade Bay, Gower, South Wales – showing the regular High Tor Limestone strata of Thurba Head in the background, with the fault breccia below it on the water’s edge and to the bottom left of the picture.

Mangroves at Port Douglas

Posted on February 27, 2013 by winderjssc

These brightly coloured leaves have fallen from mangrove trees growing on the edge of the sandy beach at Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia. The trees shed their leaves steadily throughout the year and sometimes the leathery leaves are trapped for a while on the beach – amongst the tangled above-ground root systems, or snagged by algae-covered emergent aerial roots, and clumped behind boulders. Leaves that are washed into the sea can accumulate in large numbers and return with subsequent tides, forming heaps along the strand-line. I loved the contrasting colours of the fallen mangrove leaves on the sand; and the way that they made a thick bright soup in the sea that rhymically moved with the waves (as in the video clip shown below).

Soldier Crabs at Cape Tribulation

Posted on January 28, 2013 by winderjssc

Soldier Crabs are a phenomenon. They are not very big or very special to look at but the behaviour that they exhibit is spectacular. For some reason that scientists do not fully understand, these tiny crabs (about 1 centimetre across the carapace) will suddenly emerge from the wet sand of the lower shore in specific tidal conditions, gather in vast numbers, and march across the beach. Millions of them. Armies of them. Not scuttling randomly sideways like normal crabs but walking forwards. Then they disappear again just as quickly by cork-screwing themselves down into the wet muddy sand. If you stop and stare at the surface sediments, you can see the sand grains heaving as the little creatures excavate burrows below, presumably extracting microscopic food particles from sand they eat, and bringing new deposits or casts to the top.

While I was walking along Myall Beach near Cape Tribulation in Queensland, I was thinking that the vast sandy shore was a bit disappointing from the marine invertebrate point of view. Then I suddenly became aware of extensive dark shadows moving across the surface – looking rather like wind-blown sand. As my eyes focused on these erratically-moving darker patches, I realised that they were battalions of moving crabs. If I stood still long enough, more small crabs would emerge from the wet sediments at my feet, as if on some unknown cue, congregate together and march away, joining the horde and gathering new recruits on the way.

The crabs probably belong to the Family Myctyridae but I don’t think they are Myctyris longicarpus on the basis that the carapace colouring and markings are different in the specimens I photographed. The Soldier Crabs are abundant in this location because the tidal flats are enriched with nutrients brought down from the mountains by a river that flows through the tropical rain forest – reaching the beach as Myall Creek (complete with crocodiles).

The short video clips attached to this post – best viewed without sound because the wind blowing over the microphone is a bit intrusive – demonstrate some of these Soldier Crab habits.

Oiled Guillemot

Posted on December 19, 2012 by winderjssc

This poor bird was stranded flightless on Spaniard Rocks at Rhossili Bay one very cold and windy day last week. It was unable to fly because of oil on its feathers – which it was frantically trying to preen off. It is a Guillemot showing the characteristic winter head plumage pattern with a dark line running back from the outer corner of the eye.

It wasn’t possible to rescue it. The tide was rising fast and the location was very far from any source of help. Trying to capture and carry it would have been too hazardous – its beak was like a dagger. Only recently someone tried to rescue a bird here in similar circumstances. They had the bird wrapped up safely and got as far as the car when the bird panicked, the guy lost his grip, and then lost his eye as the bird attacked him. Warning enough.

Strangely enough, there was no sign of any oil on the beach. I had been walking up and down it for a total of eighteen hours over three consecutive days and saw not the slightest trace. So it is a mystery as to where the bird had become contaminated. Some small illegal discharge from shipping far out at sea, perhaps, that later became rapidly dispersed or sank in the rough water.

Sea, Surf & Spray at Rhossili Bay

Posted on December 19, 2012 by winderjssc

Wild waves with plenty of surf, sea-foam, and sea-spray, photographed from the beach at Rhossili Bay on the Gower Peninsula, with the Worms Head on the horizon. 13th December 2012. The shrouded late afternoon sun casts a pale yellow light on the water and wet sand.

Oarweed in shallow water – video clip

Posted on November 26, 2012 by winderjssc

Oar Weed kelp (Laminaria digitata) undulating gently in the shallow water of an ebbing tide at Lyme Regis, Dorset, UK, March 2012 – with the sound of water lapping on rocks and seagulls calling overhead.

Oarweed at Lyme Regis

Posted on November 25, 2012 by winderjssc

On a visit to Lyme Regis in March 2012, I was delighted to witness acre upon acre of glistening kelp beds as they were gradually uncovered by the receding tide. It was a particularly low tide that day. The seaweed beds that are usually under water were gradually revealed. The algae are attached to wide rock platforms that extend seawards from the base of the cliffs.

The most visible and easily recognisable kelp was Oar weed (Laminaria digitata). When submerged, the Oar Weed stem is erect with the large flat frond wafting to and fro with the waves. As the tide recedes and water levels drop, the stem is no longer able to bear the weight of the leathery blade with its strap-like divisions, and the stem bends over so that the frond lies on the ground. This habit distinguishes Oar Weed from the similar species Cuvie (Laminaria hyperborea). Cuvie stems have a rounded cross-section and are capable of remaining vertical when out of water.

At first the day was dull and overcast – but after a while the sun came out and its oblique rays shone through the fronds of the Oar Weed creating natural fields of glowing gold. It was a magnificent sight. The normal olive brown of the seaweed was transformed by the light.

It was also interesting to observe the wonderful colour and texture combinations of the different types of seaweed. Although the large Oar Weed predominated, there were many other smaller species of brown and red algae. Branched filamentous kinds of red seaweed formed vast low-lying carpets that complemented the olives and golds of the Oar Weed or Tangle. One particular type of branching, flat-bladed red algae – Dulse (Palmaria palmata also known as Rhodymenia palmata) commonly grows attached to the stem of Oar Weed.

Click the post titles below for more information about Oar Weed in Jessica’s Nature Blog:

Satin-textured seaweeds at Ringstead

Kelp textures at Ringstead

Live Common Whelks stranded at Rhossili

Posted on November 17, 2012 by winderjssc

The sandy shore at Rhossili on the Gower Peninsula was strewn with living Common Whelks (Buccinum undatum Linnaeus) on 24th October 2012. These are one of the commonest British marine molluscs. Their shells are frequently found on beaches all around our British coastline. However, the ones with meat in them are more likely to be seen on the fishmonger’s slab. Living whelks prefer to keep out of sight of the average beachcomber – usually living sublittorally (underwater) down to depths of 1200 metres.

Click here for more information about Common Whelks in Jessica’s Nature Blog – and click on the picture right at the end of this article for a short video clip of one of the live whelks.

Green Leaf Worm – video clips

Posted on October 21, 2012 by winderjssc

These short movie clips relate to an earlier post called Green Leaf Worms at Spaniard Rocks.

The Green Leaf Worm is a marine polychaete worm – Eulalia viridis (Linnaeus) – that can be found moving around looking for food among the barnacles, mussels, and other encrusting organisms that cover the rocks exposed as the tide goes out.

The earlier post only had a still shot of this type of worm so I thought I’d post some mini movies to show them in the action of foraging or hunting for food.

Jessica's Nature Blog

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