December 1, 2007
Return to Surprise Island
Well, lightning ended up striking twice, and I had the opportunity to get back out to Surprise Island (a tiny seabird-filled island a day's boat ride north of New Caledonia) for an intensive week of birding - oops - fieldwork. The biggest change this year was that we stayed on the boat rather than camping - hot showers, cold beers, delicious food and most importantly, a respite from the ever-present seabird ticks was a much welcome improvement! A feast of bird photos coming soon; in the mean-time, here are a few scenery photos to whet your appetite.
Arrival in cloudy weather
The beach - tempting...
The lagoon at low tide - sharks, turtles, moray eels and the like were easily observed from shore.
Booby tracks
Not all the turtles that come ashore to lay make it back out to sea...
Trouble in paradise - the day of the storm, when it dropped to a chilly 20C. Brrrr!
Sunrise and sunset were always worth a look...
... often giving the white-sand beach a pink glow.
