Natalie's Visit

Natalie came to visit me over break! It was like a dream having her here, we ran around and did a ton of stuff, but of course also hung out on the beach. Below are some pics.

Sugar cane!

View of the peninsula. Nevis can be seen in the distance

The beach on campus

Brimstone Hill war monument

Olivia's waterfall

 So i'm sure you all have heard me talk about Olivia, the sea turtle missing her two right flippers that i feed every Saturday. She has air trapped under her shell from previous trauma, and so is unable to fully submerge herself under water. Well, while Stefan was here in May, he helped me design a waterfall for her, so that she can get her back wet and cool off from the sun. It was a huge success!! It took her a bit to figure out what it was, but once she felt that water on her back, she spent the rest of the afternoon under it, spinning around in circles and staring at me thankfully.

 Please enjoy this video of Olivia's first moments under the waterfall...

Baby sea turtles

momma nesting

Mid-term development. This turtle died before it emerged from the shell. Turtles develop "holding" their egg sac. Just before emerging from the shell they absorb the yolk sac. This provides the energy they need to emerge from the nest, scramble to the water, and swim thousands of miles into the middle of the ocean to the nursery.

These little guys were found in the morning, lost on the beach. We put them into a cooler with a bit of sand and then released them again at night, when their chances of surviving predators is much higher.

More Monkey Pictures!

Baby monkey!

Adult male

Snapper Fish Farm

Snapper is a salt-water talapia farm on St Kitts that has allowed us to house our rehabilitating sea turtles in their ponds.

 

The farm is completely made out of recycled materials. It is located next to the island garbage dump, and the owner of the farm is often seen heading down to 'the hardware store' to get his needed supplies. 

Dr. Brown, as i've come to call him, came here from Jamaica planning to raise the talapia in converted salt-to-fresh water, an idea originally designed by the Israelis.

Talapia on the right, turtles on the left (can just see the top of Olivia's shell)

 

Olivia is an older juvenile that washed up on shore last year with her two right flippers missing. We suspect that she must have gotten them wrapped in a fishing line in the sea. Her shell took on a lot of air during her ordeal, and she is no longer able to dive for food. When we get ponds build on campus we will begin weighting her shell in an attempt to teach her how to dive again. In the meantime she has to be hand fed live fish every day. In this picture you can see her right front flipper is completely gone. Unfortunately it will not grow back, so she will never be able to be re-released into the wild. The Sea Turtle Monitoring Network uses her as a tool to educate the community about the importance of sea turtle conservation.

Brimmie. He's about 2 years old. He's currently being treated for some eye issues

Once feeding all the fishes and cleaning the pumps for the day, Dr Brown likes to spend his afternoons sitting on the beach looking out on the ocean.

Talapia swarming in for breakfast!

car pictures

 I know, I know, you've all been anxiously anticipating the posting of my car pictures. Well the patience has paid off!

The pedals (and clutch) are still on the normal sides

Anyone have any name suggestions?