March 12th, 2010 by Marc AuMarc

After dozens of visits to Pinel, I was quite surprised to find a small house hidden amongst the trees on the far side. The trees were full of bananaquit and the ground was covered in thousands of hermit crabs. There were pots and pans, a fireplace, a sailboat sail and various chairs and tables. There was even a ping pong table. Later we learned that the house belonged to a woman who built it before the island was a nature preserve and still lives there part-time.



March 10th, 2010 by Marc AuMarc

Since it was unusually rainy on Sunday, we went with Jenn’s cousin Jim and his aunt Suzie on a tour of closed island attractions. First up was the Plantation, which has apparently been closed since hurricane Omar. Next, we visited The Old House and Rum Museum, which is apparently closed on Mondays and every other day as well. It did have a nice, rusty, wasp-filled boiler. Finally we went to the movies, checking out the game room (Flamin’ Finger, anyone?), the Party Room and the under-construction room. Whatever you do, don’t go to see The Wolfman. Finally, we drove up to Pic Paradis to enjoy the view of the island, as well as St. Barths off in the distance. Good times!



March 9th, 2010 by Marc AuMarc

Here are a few Grand Case-related photos. First, a spider that had captured a fly. These spiders are very common on our balcony. I believe they are jumping spiders, which doesn’t narrow it down that much as there are over 5,000 known species of jumping spider. Next is a view of Grand Case from Goat Mountain. In the distance you can see the Terres Basses area of St. Martin and part of the lagoon. Our apartment is in the white building with the light green roof directly below the swimming pool, behind the larger white building which is the Les Alizés motel. Last is a photo of some ships sailing in the Heineken Regatta sailing competition. Plans are currently underway for the first annual Presidente Dinghatta dinghy race.



March 8th, 2010 by Marc AuMarc

A few days ago I returned to Goat Mountain (a.k.a. First Stick Hill) and found it considerably drier than previous visits. Many trees were losing their leaves, which some species do to preserve moisture during dry periods. Of course, since then we have had some substantial rain so it remains to be seen how permanent the change will be. On my visit I saw a few interesting things, including a green caterpillar that was shaped like a fuzzy oval. The head and all the legs were hidden under the large abdomen, making it relatively featureless on the dorsal side, which was a very good, green, fuzzy match for the sage-like leaves of the shrub it was eating.



March 7th, 2010 by Marc AuMarc

Here are a few photos of some creatures and plants I encountered at the summit of Pic Paradis, the tallest point on the island of Saint Martin. The most interesting was probably the large slug I found crawling across a tree trunk. Compared to slugs I have seen in North America, this had a peculiarly flattened shape and seemed less moist, no doubt an adaptation to the drier climate here. I was also able to spot several dwarf geckos in the leaf litter of the forest, including this Sphaerodactylus macrolepis. There were a number of butterflies as well, including several skippers and a very pale, small sulfur that I did not capture on film (or memory card as the case may be).

Also, I almost forgot to mention that I saw an indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) running across the road. It looked a bit like a reddish-brown squirrel with a scraggly tail. Apparently the mongoose was introduced to the island in 1888, and since then it has been implicated in the demise of various local species of animal.



March 6th, 2010 by Marc AuMarc

I happened to look into a hole in a tree near the road at the top of Pic Paradis and found a pair of blue eyes looking back at me. A gentle prodding with a small stick prompted this grasshopper to partially emerge from his hiding place to pose for photos.



March 5th, 2010 by Marc AuMarc

While Anolis pogus are typically seen on the ground or in the lower areas of bushes and trees, these two males began fighting on an elevated perch in some trees near the roadside. After facing off while displaying threatening coloration, they locked mouths and began to fight in earnest. Over the course of more than ten minutes with their jaws continually locked around each others’ head, they pushed and clawed at each other. Several times they fell to a lower branch whilst remaining joined in battle. During the fight, their coloration changed considerably as you can see from the photos and video below. The battle ended when they fell to the ground and the loser scampered off into the forest.



March 5th, 2010 by Marc AuMarc

Yesterday Kevin came by for lunch and gave me this short bio that he had written for me. Later we went out to find frangipani leaves for my caterpillar and we found a monarch chrysalis that Kevin is keeping until it hatches. Click to view full-size.



March 5th, 2010 by Marc AuMarc

The first birds have been added to our Saint Martin Wildlife Guide. Keep an eye out, as many more species will be added soon!



March 4th, 2010 by Marc AuMarc

On a rock wall near the southern lookout point on the top of Pic Paradis I spotted first one, then another Anolis gingivinus that displayed striking coloration and a pronounced dorsal ridge. A few moments later, the two anoles were engaged in battle, presumably over choice territory on the rock fence. (I did not notice any nearby females.) The photos below show: the combatants facing off, the distinctive coloration of each lizard, the battle and the victor enjoying his successfully defended perch.