Tropical Island Pictures

Archive for the ‘Bird Pictures’ Category

Wow…can’t believe how fast the time is going here in Turks and Caicos. It’s been two months since I’ve posted anything here…yikes!

November 1st marked the 1st year anniversary of me moving from Montreal to the Islands. Hard to believe it’s been that long. John’s been here two years already!

We moved downstairs into the boathouse in November and are taking our time decorating it to our liking…well, actually John is doing the decorating which is just as well as he’s so good at it.

Here’s a photo of the sunrise this morning. It had just stopped raining…so beautiful!

Every morning there's usually a spectacular sunrise in Turks and Caicos

Although the view above is not the ocean I’m used to, it ain’t too shabby! It kind of reminds me of some of the places up North we used to rent. There are tons of birds here that are a joy to watch…especially when they land close and the dogs and Miss Kitty try to catch them.

Both Oscar and Shaka went into hunting mode when they saw this bird land!

You can barely see this bird as it’s color blends in with the branches behind it.

A regular visitor to the boathouse.

I really should get a book or look up bird species because I have no idea what types of birds these are. All I know is that I like them!

The animals have settled in nicely at the boathouse. We tried leaving Shaka and Miss Kitty upstairs where they belong but they would have none of it. I guess they just got used to being together with Oscar during the six months we were at the mansion and couldn’t bear to be apart. So we’ve inherited them!

Oscar and Miss Kitty are still best friends and Shaka normally just shakes his head at both of them when they get into their nonsense, play mode. Both Shaka and Miss Kitty are my constant companions while Oscar has become the keeper of the castle. He roams and protects the place from all sorts of unknowns.

My constant companions

I’ve begun referring to Miss Kitty as Killer which is a more apropo name for her. She decapitates her victims, turns them inside out, nibbles on them a bit and then leaves the rest of the body for John or I. We don’t know where she’s hiding the heads anymore…under Shaka’s pillow used to be her favorite place to leave them. She chewed up a rat the other night and left it in John’s room for him…John stepped on it getting out of bed…he was not impressed!

Miss Kitty aka Killer

I’m heading into Montreal on the 12th of January until the 16th. My niece Jennifer is getting married! Although I’m looking forward to getting off Island for a bit and am excited about the wedding, I am not looking forward to the cold! It went down to 25 celsius here last night and I slept with a comforter! I do believe I’ve become an Island girl.

Since Hurricane Irene, we’ve had lots more fish on the shore of the beach…hence more pelicans. They look like a gang when they come flying in to eat in the morning.

Gang of Pelicans

I swear tonight’s sunset brought tears to my eyes. I feel so blessed to be able to experience this place and am still so in awe of its natural beauty.

Turks and Caicos Islands Sunset

Like Ron (my new BFF) said, “If you stop noticing the beauty of a place, it’s time to leave.” I don’t think I’ll ever stop appreciating the beauty that Turks and Caicos offers!

Here a bunch of random photos that I’ve taken at various times over the past week.

Candle in the Wind

Candles in the Wind

I love these two pictures…they really show the ambiance of our nights here in Turks and Caicos. It’s just brilliant being able to sit and gaze at the view and feel encased in the warm glow of the candles and the sunset.

Bird in Tree

I see this bird in the palm tree while I’m working quite often. This is one of the few times I got a half decent picture of it. Have no idea what kind it is but every time I pull out my camera to take a pic, it takes off…like it really doesn’t want to be photographed. Maybe it’s afraid the camera will steal its soul?

Random shot while playing around with the camera

We don’t watch TV here but every once in awhile I’ll throw a show on the computer to watch and then either read while I’m “watching” it or try to figure out how to work the camera better which is what I was doing here. I wasn’t meaning to take a picture but hit the wrong button…kinda cool pic though, like ghost tv.

Saddest Face

This is the saddest face I’ve ever seen. I was having a sandwich and Shaka was really bummed out that I wasn’t sharing it with him! You really have to watch your food around him though because he’ll inhale it. I swear he doesn’t chew anything, just swallows. I was once eating a grilled cheese sandwich and got called away by the gardener for about 30 seconds…got back, no sandwich to be seen…just Shaka looking real guilty but happy at the same time! I love this big guy.

Random Turks and Caicos Sunset

And of course, a sunset pic. I like this one because of the star like pattern the reflection of the sun is creating on the water.

So those are my random pictures for the week…hope ya like ‘em!

Here are just a few of my favorite things that I get to experience on a daily basis at the moment!

This is the view I experience everyday while working away on my computer…not too shabby, huh!

The View From My Workplace

Here’s a pretty bird that stops by almost everyday. It’s sometimes hard to concentrate on work when I just want to observe and take photos.

Daily Visitor

This is what goes on beside me while I’m working…Miss Kitty is a hoot and always entertaining!

Miss Kitty Keeps Me Laughing

My afternoon break at the beach below.

Me hanging out in the Gazebo by the beach

Oscar taking a break with me in the crystal clear water while I dig my toes in the sand.

Water was especially clear this day

Toes in sand…feels soooo good!

Toes smooshing in the sand...love it!

And to top it off…I get to see sunsets like these almost every night!

Sunset in July in Turks and Caicos

The water is becoming more and more still everyday. Apparently by August it is like glass. I woke up this morning and it was just after sunrise…the water had very few ripples in it, even less than the photo above…The sky was a light blue and there were fluffy clouds floating by slowly which were perfectly reflected in the water. I was so fascinated by the beauty of it that I forgot to take a picture!

I will remember the next time I see it though.

So these are just a few of my favorite things here in Turks and Caicos…the views, the animals, the sand, the water and sunsets. Feeling pretty blessed to be able to experience it all!

I’ve never seen a live pink flamingo before so it’s been pretty amazing watching these incredible birds as they begin to populate flamingo lake…I have a bird’s eye view, so to speak ;o)

Pink Flamingos on Flamingo Lake in Turks and Caicos

This is Simba’s first time seeing pink flamingos as well! He is having a grand old time stalking them. He is very patient and follows them slowly but they know he’s there and are ready to take off once he decides to bound through the water to reach them.

Simba and the Flamingos

Not the best of shots as I had to zoom in way too much…hoping to get me a good camera with a decent zoom lens as soon as I can!

These guys/gals are pink because that is the color of the shrimp they are ingesting. They might end up orange if the shrimp are orange…so maybe the next time I get a picture of them I’ll have to title the post Orange Flamingos!

I hear the lake fills up with tons of flamingos by August so I’ll have to come back to these parts to grab a picture of that!

Here are some great shots that Athanasia sent to me to share. The pelicans are so majestic but they still freak me out a little when they make their head dives.

The Perfect Pelican Shot

Here’s one of those pesky lizards. When I was there I had one dive bombing me to grab the mosquitoes that were eating my ankles alive. It ended up in my shorts at one point…yikes! I suppose I should be grateful to them otherwise the mosquito population would be out of control.

Turks and Caicos Mosquito Catcher

And here’s one of Athanasia enjoying some champagne at the beach. Umm…she must have been thirsty as I see she’s holding onto two glasses! Man, I miss those waters!

Stopping for some Refreshment

What a beautiful boat! I’m so jealous right now. Sitting here at my keyboard instead of in the water. I’d be wrestling her for at least one of those glasses. I’d tell you the name of the beach but neither John nor Athanasia remember what it is. Must have been all that champagne that caused the memory loss