We made our first trip to survey for turtle tracks a few days ago at the beaches of Grandes Cayes and Petites Cayes. There were no turtle tracks, but it was still a lovely morning. It was strange to see many tents on the beach at Grandes Cayes, but later we learned that although camping is not permitted, it is such a tradition on the island to do so over Easter weekend that it is not necessarily stopped over the holiday.

Here are a few critters I found at Hope Estate while Jenn was doing some shopping. In addition to the insects and spider photographed below, I also saw what I think were some house sparrows, which would be the first time I’ve noticed them anywhere but the Airport on the Dutch side. Also, note the crab spider in the photo of the cassius blue, which I didn’t notice until I was reviewing my photos after the fact.

After investigating the burned hillside around Cul-de-Sac, I spent a little time on the forested boulder field that is at top of Red Rock. To be more specific, I believe it was the peak just a few hundred meters south of Red Rock. The view was lovely, and it was quite convenient to investigate the insects in the tree tops because many of the boulders were tall enough to reach the canopy.

Last month I posted about a large fire that burned much of the hillside in Cul-de-Sac near the dump. Other obligations kept me from visiting the area as much as I would have liked after the fire, but I have been able to make a few visits to take photos of how the area has progressed after the fire.

The first set of photos is from late March, nineteen days after the fire. Very little regrowth had happened so far, although a few grasses had begun to sprout, probably from roots that survived the fire.

Forty-three days after the fire, in the lower areas of the hills, grasses were growing more and some of the shrubs that were not killed by the fire, like the apple of Sodom in the photos below, were growing new leaves and flowers.

The next day, I took a little more time to explore, taking advantage of the burned area to head towards the top of the peak just to the south of Red Rock. Higher on the slope, there was knee-high grass in abundance, although the walk was still much easier than it will be in a month when the grass is much higher. Most of the grasses were clearly growing from roots that survived the fire, with burned stalks amidst the new growth. Forested pockets remained in some ravine areas, particularly where boulders formed a barrier to the fire. Presumably these pockets make it much easier for animals to recolonize the burned areas. At the very top of the hill, the burned area ends, presumably stopped again by the large boulders.

Here are a few stray critters from March, including some flies mating, a rather interesting moth, my favorite colorful jumping spider and the Lesser Antillean bullfinch.

On our way off the island for a wedding, I had a little spare time at the airport, so I snapped a few photos of some insects in the little garden areas just past the main exit. Mostly I saw some true bug that I didn’t recognize, but there were also some caterpillars and insect eggs.

I’ve missed the last three hikes with the St. Martin Trails Hiking Association, but I’m looking forward to getting back to it soon. Anyhow, below are a few photos from the Walk-a-Ton we did with Maternite Active at the end of March, taking us from Le Galion to Oyster Pond via French Quarter. Of particular note was the amount of trash on the dirt road between Le Galion and Quartier d’Orleans, a real shame.

The latest SXM Trails hike started at Defiance and looped around the coast past Gibbs Bay and Dawn Beach before returning to the starting point. It was fun, and it was nice to have a relatively easy hike so people who might not be able to scale the taller hills or navigate difficult terrain could still participate. It was however, a little bit sad to see the amount of new and existing development in the area.

Although it is heavily polluted, filled with algae and getting smaller every day as it is filled in, the Great Salt Pond is still a haven for many species of bird. Although I didn’t have the proper lens, I took a bunch of photos of birds there recently, including some great egrets and white-cheeked pintail ducks. I also had a chance to watch a snowy egret hunting at the edge of nearby Fresh Pond. The most interesting sighting was a huge gull, which I think may have been a first-year great back-blacked gull, which seemed to have a damaged wing. This species is apparently only a vagrant in this area.

Two Sundays ago the SXM Trails hiking club did a wonderful hike through the central mountains. Starting in Colombier we ascended the (as far as I can tell) unnamed peak just to the south of Pic Paradis before crossing over to Pic Paradis and descending through Loterie Farm by the old sugar mill. The western slope of the central mountains is the lushest forest on the island, presumably because it is shielded from the prevailing easterly winds that dry out the other side.

Near the top, before we crossed to Pic Paradis there is a farm, which was interesting, with banana trees and cacao, but also disturbing because it made a huge opening in otherwise contiguous forest. On our way down Pic Paradis we passed the ruins of the Loterie sugar mill, and near the bottom some hikers rested their tired feet in a pool of water and had them cleaned by guppies. I was also lucky enough to spot one of my favorite local insects, a large katydid that tends to hide in holes in trees.