Here are a few photos of clouds, sunsets and whatnot. As always, the photos never come close to looking as wonderful as the real thing.

I recently went out to check for turtle tracks on a day with good waves and snapped a few shots of Yann, Marie, Etienne and the other Yann as they were surfing in Wilderness.

Last week Hurricane Earl passed quite close to Saint Martin. It was quite a big storm, but luckily there was not too much damage for the most part. Lots of trees and branches went down, along with a few signs and some unlucky structures. Below are some photos before, during and after the hurricane, although they aren’t too dramatic because there wasn’t a ton of damage and I stayed inside during the worst parts of the storm.

Before Earl, it was a beautiful day, but a bit eerie because things were so quiet and all the boats had been taken out of the bay.

After the worst winds and rain had passed, I peeked out a little to get some photos of the hurricane, including the big waves. Because the waves were so close together, they usually canceled themselves out before hitting the shore, but there were a few big ones that splashed over the sea wall (which is about 12 feet high).

After the storm we spent a couple days helping Chris and Sally clear the fallen trees out of their backyard. There were three big ones that went down. Another very noticeable effect of the hurricane was the salt and wind damage to many of the trees, which either lost their leaves or turned brown as their leaves died. Also, the storm really did a number on the water, which is still milky with sand and other debris.

After having some difficulty locating some of the local frogs to include in my guide, I hit upon a different strategy: raise tadpoles. Unfortunately, after putting my plan into action, I found out that one of the species I want to photograph does not have tadpoles, but the eggs hatch directly into tiny froglets. It’s still fun to have the tadpoles, though, and they’re growing quite quickly.

While I was out acquiring tadpoles, I figured I might as well get a few of the freshwater fish that live in the roadside ditches here. I believe they are guppies. I also ended up getting a couple species of freshwater snail and an aquatic beetle.

Below are a few photos of our little friends. Next I will try to come up with some better ways to photograph them.

In the sequel to a previous post about house guests, we have a variety of arthropods. Most had wandered into our living room or veranda. The hermit crab was an inadvertent capture in a shell I had found while snorkeling. Luckily, Madam J noticed him and I was able to repatriate him quickly.

Since we arrived in November, the bridge in Grand Case has spanned a stretch of sand rather than a canal to the salt pond that surrounds the airport. As we prepare for the coming hurricane season, however, that is changing. A couple days ago a digger began excavating the sand to create a canal leading out to the bay in preparation for potential rains that may fill the salt pond and require an outlet.

Although it is probably necessary, it is also disturbing because it will inevitably release the very dirty pond water into the bay, polluting the water and the beach. Without knowing for sure, I would guess that the pond is not only a dumping ground for visible trash, but also contains sewage from nearby homes and businesses. Although there are mangroves surrounding the pond and plants and animals absorbing and filtering some of the pollution, it’s clearly not nearly enough to handle the amount of waste that accumulates there. It will be interesting to see the impact on the bay and the pond when the canal is fully open.

Tuesday was the final Harmony Night of the season. Below are a few pictures including Aure at Sky’s the Limit and the parade. No more Harmony Nights until next February!

A few signs I saw on my last trip to Marigot.

We have had a few interesting house guests over the past couple days. First, I woke up to find a pair of zenaida doves (Zenaida macroura) in the living room. Apparently they came in from the window in the kitchen, where Madam J had seen doves on a previous occasion. It took quite a bit of encouragement to get them to leave, even after opening the balcony door. They simply don’t seem to understand the concept of a window.

Next, Madam J found a very small juvenile house gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia) in the guest bedroom. I captured it under a scuba mask case and brought it into the living room, where I transferred it into a large plastic container for photography. Upon release, it took a gigantic leap of the table and ran away.