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| Scott at Trunk Bay |
When we weren’t snorkeling (which wasn’t often), we were touring. Scott, Caty and I explored the rest of the island before Becca and Aaron arrived and then Caty and I drove the entire island again after everyone else left.
We visited some beaches just to have a look, including Cinnamon Bay, where we spent a little time observing a very cooperative American Kestrel. When I saw it, I was excited, thinking it was a new bird, some kind of Caribbean Kestrel.
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| American Kestrel |
But, it turned out to be the same kind of bird we have in Colorado. Perhaps I should have spent more time photographing the Scaly-Naped Pigeons in a nearby tree. That was a new bird.
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| Scaly-Naped Pigeons |
Almost everywhere we visited was within the boundaries of Virgin Islands National Park (but the Visitor Center is in Cruz Bay!). I already talked about many of the beaches.
Virgin Islands National Park has about 20 trails with a variety of environments: beach, mountain and historic ruins (often, all three combined).
I didn’t hike much, just a short hike to Waterlemon Cay which I talked about in my last post.
It was just too hot and sticky to spend much time not in the water and I was plagued with sand fleas that left me itching for a full week after I got home. Once I discovered I was being bitten, I used insect repellent, but by then, the damage was done.
I found out later that sand fleas are at the worse early in the morning (which is when parking is best!) and when it is overcast. The morning I got bitten was overcast. Who knew?
Becca and Aaron, being younger and in better shape (plus used to hot weather) hiked from the condo to the Lind Trail and then up over the Caneel Hill Trail to Honeymoon Beach and back! That's about seven miles in the high 80s with high humidity and full sun.
They said it was lovely (but hot). I feel bad that Becca and Aaron never got to see the rest of St. John, but I think they really enjoyed their hike.
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| Aaron and Becca at the top of the island; their photos |
Birds
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| The Bananaquit is the national bird of USVI |
I was hoping to see lots of birds and I did add a few lifers. There are not many sea birds in USVI in winter. I saw some Brown Boobies (I caught this juvenile off Maho Bay) ...
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| Juvenile Brown Booby |
... Magnificent Frigate Birds (never got a good shot, but I had sooooo many that I took in Dry Tortugas a few years ago), Brown Pelicans (which I just never photographed even though they were interesting to watch as they plunged into the water after fish) and Royal Terns (these were in Cruz Bay) ....
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| Royal Tern |
I was a bit surprised at how few seabirds there were, but I am used to the abundance in Florida. Plus, we didn’t go out in deep water where I assume there are some pelagic birds.
But, we had success with other birds. We brought two hummingbird feeders with us and set them up as soon as we arrived. Viola! Almost immediately, and pretty much constantly, we saw a Bananquit.
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| We expected hummingbirds, but the first feeder visitor was a Bananaquit |
This lovely yellow, black and white bird is the official bird of USVI and the ones that visited us were quite fun to watch.
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| Our most frequent visitor |
I saw them only near the condo, so the feeder paid off.
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| They like jelly, too |
We were also visited – most often in the early morning or just before sunset – by some gorgeous Green-throated Carib Hummingbirds (new).
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| Green-throated Carib |
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| Iridescent |
Since their tails were solid blue with no white tips, I believe we were seeing only males.
Generally we saw just one at a time, but on several occasions, there were two. We never saw them (except one out-of-focus-and-out-of-frame-shot) in full sun, but we could still see how brilliant their colors are – green, purple, turquoise and blue.
A large hummingbird, ranging from 4 to almost 5 inches long (compared to a Broad-tailed, which is about 3½ inches long), this was one bird that I really wanted to see.
They have a small range, just the Lesser Antilles Islands (the Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, and Grenada).
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| So glad we brought feeders; no one in town seemed to have one |
I never saw hummingbirds anywhere else. I also never saw the other hummingbird that lives in USVI – the Antillean Crested Hummingbird. Maybe some other time.
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| Green-throated Carib |
We left one feeder at the condo, maybe the next guest will use it and get as much enjoyment out of it as we did.
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| Zenaida Dove |
And, we saw one Northern Parula (repeat), which made a very brief and secretive stop in the bushes outside the condo ...
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| Northern Parula |
Caty and I took a little walk down the hill from our condo to a conveniently located salt pond where we saw some new and repeat birds, including a Gray Kingbird (new) …
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| The Gray Kingbird resembles an Eastern Kingbird |
Some Common Gallinules (repeat), adult …
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| Adult Common Gallinule |
… and juvenile …
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| Juvenile Common Gallinule |
Those Feet!
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| Gallinules (like Coots) have impressive feet |
A Spotted Sandpiper (repeat) …
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| Spotted Sandpiper |
And, some really pretty White-cheeked Pintails (new) …
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| White-cheeked Pintail |
With their beautiful red patches on their bills, I wonder why the namer went with “white-cheeked” instead of "red-billed," but some birds have weird names. My pictures all captured the pretty bills; only one caught the green band on their wings. I never saw any of them fly, so that was a lucky shot.
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| The green band usually isn't seen unless they are flying |
And, then, there was the Pearly-eyed Thrasher (also new). I saw quite a few, almost always when I didn’t have my long lens with me. That’s because they tended to hang out at the beach, where I usually had only my underwater cameras. I did manage to nab this shot, however.
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| Pearly-eyed Thrasher |
All in all, I saw nine new birds.
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| My new birds |
Not a big count and definitely not every bird on the island, but a nice little group. I believe a lot of good birding is on the opposite side of the island at a large Salt Pond, but it was a long drive that required a hike.
The island has its fair share of domestic Indian Peafowl. We saw a few males just sauntering around and Becca says someone even offered to give her one (the owner said he had only males). I guess they are not so fun to own.
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| Peacocks roam the neighborhood |
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| "Hoppy" |
I did see, on a distant hill, an entire flock of Peacocks. If there are only males, it means someone got that many on purpose. If you let them run wild, I guess upkeep is minimal. And, they are pretty.
Even though we didn't see many birds on the beaches, Maho Bay had a one-legged chicken, which we saw on multiple visits. This is actually a Red Junglefowl hen. Like in Hawai'i, Red Junglefowl can be found running all over the place on St. John.
I guess I just wasn't into taking pictures of wild chickens, because this is the only one I snapped. But, this one-legged one was pretty impressive in her ability to get around. And, chickens on the beach is a pretty weird concept.
Iguanas and Lizards
Let's not forget the reptiles. It's basically a jungle, so one would expect to see reptiles. I never encountered any snakes, but I did see plenty of lizards and Iguanas. These were Green Iguanas, a different variety than the Black Spiny-Tailed ones I saw in Mexico in November.
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| Two adult male Green Iguanas |
Green Iguanas were everywhere – especially after a rainstorm. These massive reptiles can usually be found in the trees ...
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| A young Green Iguana |
... lounging ...
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| Taking a rest |
... climbing up ...
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| They creep along the branches |
... munching on leaves ...
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| Yum! |
... and (loudly) tumbling down ...
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| When you hear crashing and thrashing, it's an Iguana making a less-than-graceful descent |
They are bright green as juveniles ...
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| This is how they got their name |
... aging into a mixed palette of gray, black, green, pink and turquoise ...
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| The greens fade as they age |
All have striking, almost human-looking, green eyes ...
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| Look at that expression! |
Pretty cool.
And, you can't throw a stick without hitting a lizard. Well, you probably couldn't actually hit a lizard, because they a quick, but they are everywhere. Most, I believe, a Brown Anoles ...
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| A tiny one and a big one |
In a variety of sizes, colors and patterns ...
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| Most had a prominent white stripe down the back |
But, we also saw some Puerto Rican Crested Anoles (see the crest?) ...
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| Puerto Rican Crested Anole |
Plants and Bees
The pretty plants outside the condo also hosted some Honeybees, although I am not sure what kind (possible Africanized) ...
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| Honeybee on Yellow Cedar |
The flowers, which turned out to be the national flower of USVI, were Yellow Cedar, also called Ginger Thomas. They also attracted the Green-throated Carib, but I was never able to catch one feeding on flowers.
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| We saw a lot growing on the East End |
At Trunk Bay, I photographed an interesting plant called the Noni (also called Starvation Fruit or Painkiller Plant). "Palatable to animals and birds only" (I think that is code for "it tastes bad"), Noni is high in antioxidants and is used in modern alternative medicine for improving skin elasticity, improving digestion and treating nausea and intestinal worms. It is also believed to improve the immune system by stimulating white blood cells and cell regeneration.
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| Noni plants grow right by the beach |
We also saw some warning signs on the East End for the Manchineel tree, which is highly toxic. In fact, its fruit, leaves, sap and bark can all kill you and it is believed explorer Ponce de León died as a result of exposure to Manchineel while exploring Florida (well, the "exposure" was an arrow tipped with Manchineel sap delivered to his thigh by indigenous Calusa peoples defending themselves from colonization, so ...). Anyway, we didn't seek out the tree and we were very careful when we took a short walk through the jungle to Haulover Bay.
Donkeys
On several occasions, we encountered some of the islands famous Wild Donkeys, most frequently near Cinnamon Bay. One time, during a downpour, we encountered a bedraggled herd that really looked like the inspiration for Eeyore …
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| Wild Donkeys |
These critters started out as labor to operate the sugar mills. But, when they weren't working, they roamed free. And, after the mills shut down, they just wandered off. Of course, introducing a hoofed animal where there previously were none hasn't been great for the environment.
Places: Annaberg Plantation
Although most of our focus was on scenery and critters, we did visit one of the island's historical sites. The Annaberg Plantation is a partially restored sugar factory located just east of Mary's Point.
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| Annaberg Plantation |
As you will recall, sugar was big business in USVI until slavery was outlawed (what does that tell you?). The Annaberg Plantation is one of several St. John's plantations owned in the 1720s and 1730s by Frederick Moth, the first Danish Governor of St.Croix and, later, the Governor General of the Danish West Indies.
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| Ruined stone walls |
By the early 19th century, Annaberg, one of St. John's biggest sugar producers, also produced molasses and rum for export. The historic district's extensive ruins include a windmill tower, factory, slave quarters and other structures associated with sugar production.
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| Annaberg Plantation windmill |
It’s a pretty site with great views of nearby Leinster Bay and Waterlemon Cay and slightly farther off Tortola, which is part of the British Virgin Islands.
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| British Virgin Islands across Leinster Bay |
Had we had one more day, we might have taken a trip over to BVI. While at Annaberg, we had a treat, a Small Indian Mongoose! I had seen one earlier at Trunk Bay, but only got one dark photo. The one at Annaberg was more cooperative.
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| Being sized up by a Mongoose |
Like in Hawai’i, the Mongoose has not been good for USVI. Introduced to control rats on plantations, Mongooses didn’t actually achieve that goal because they are active in daylight and rats at nocturnal (they made the exact same error in Hawai'i). Instead, Mongooses have killed off indigenous snakes and other small ground-living fauna in the Virgin Islands. The Small Indian Mongoose is listed as one of the top 100 of the world's worst invaders. In the West Indies, the Mongoose is responsible for at least seven extinctions.
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| Small Indian Mongoose |
Places: East Side
The east side features Coral Bay, which is truly postcard pretty from afar, but shows a lot of hurricane damage up close.
On both of our two auto tours, we had brief views of the lovely area and we could see numerous houses and condos climbing up the steep hills, many of which are available for vacation rental. The view from those rentals is undoubtedly gorgeous, but the town seems far less convenient for vacationing than Cruz Bay unless your goal is to just sit on a balcony and admire the scenery. I am glad we didn’t stay there because most of our activity was on the other side of the island.
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| Coral Bay |
The East End (just past Coral Bay) is hilly and has one very narrow point that is not much wider than the road. Caty and I hiked a short path through the jungle plants there to take a look at Haulover Bay. We had considered a kayak/snorkeling trip (“chill” according to the proprietor) there, but the timing didn’t work out.
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| Haulover Bay |
It appears that the east side of the island is more for boaters. There is even a boat-up bar.
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| Looks like a fun day (but, dangerous???) |
And, I guess, you could fly-in, too. It appears that’s what this Red-Tailed Hawk was doing.
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| East End Red-Tailed Hawk |
Hermit Crabs
We saw Hermit Crabs (Caribbean Hermit Crabs to be specific) all over the island. We encountered a few small ones at the Salt Pond.
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| Caribbean Hermit Crabs |
Then, on the East End, as we were walking along the path, we encountered a very big one on one side and a whole pile of them on the opposite side.
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| Caribbean Hermit Crabs |
If crabs frighten you, I suggest watching where you walk!.
The variety was startling. It is amazing how they can range from the size of a pinky nail to the size of a baseball!
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| A tiny Hermit Crab (but not the smallest we saw) pinching my finger; Photo: Caty Stevens |
Christmas
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| Doesn't feel like Christmas; Photo: Scott Stevens |
This was a Christmas trip, but we did a poor job of being Christmassy. I had tried to find a concert, ballet or some type of cultural event to attend, but failed. When there, we didn't see much evidence of the holiday. Some decorations here and there and a string of lights in our condo, but nothing big. And, I never saw any events advertised.
On Christmas Day, we mainly saw tourists walking around and people going to church.
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| In Greengos Cantina, I thought this was Christmas decor, but it was regular decor |
Since Becca and Aaron arrived in the late afternoon on Christmas, we delayed Christmas dinner to December 26 (which, as Boxing Day, is actually a holiday in USVI).
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| We did eventually open our stockings |
We shopped at the local grocery store (pretty pricey) and then made a ham dinner.
We also made the traditional pineapple upside-down cake for the morning, but didn’t manage eggs Benedict (well, actually Caty and I made egg-less Benedict the last morning we were there).
We also made a very yummy Key Lime pie!
Although we planned to open Christmas stockings on Christmas, it took us a few days to get around to it. It seemed like we always had somewhere to be!
And, even though we were traveling, I decorated my entire house back in Colorado. Somehow, I just couldn't NOT do it!
I am not sure we are cut out for holiday travel.
Although we didn't do a great job with Christmas traditions, we did have a good time getting together as a family.
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| Motley-looking crew: Aaron, me, Becca and Caty (actually, I think I'm the only motley one !) |
Football!
The University of Oklahoma Sooners were playing the Peach Bowl. Becca and Aaron both attended OU and are rabid football fans. So, of course we had to watch the game.
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| Becca: Boomer Sooner! |
We couldn’t watch the game at the house because the cable didn’t work. So, we went to Greengos Caribbean Cantina, a restaurant/sports bar where Scott, Caty and I had eaten on our first day in USVI, to watch the game. We went early to beat the bowl game crowd, but it never really got crowded.
It did have some OU and LSU fans there, however.
Scott, Caty and I watched half the game and then went home. Becca and Aaron watched the whole debacle.
OU was playing LSU, which went on to win the national championship and was led by this year's Heisman Trophy winner. It wasn't pretty.
After the game, Becca and Aaron even went to another bar to watch the Ohio State/Clemson game and then they walked home. It's a good thing we had a house within walking distance of town because, in the Atlantic Time Zone, that game went late!
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| Watching the game; Photo: Scott Stevens |
Food!
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| Most of the dining is casual (and alcohol-infused) |
We had some fairly good casual grub (in addition to the food we cooked at the condo). In addition to Greengos, we also ate at Woody’s Seafood Saloon (very yummy seafood at a sun-baked outdoor table), The Tap and Still (great burgers) and Cruz Bay Landing (tasty food despite being in the middle of an island-wide power outage – common after the hurricanes). Caty and I had a great Italian meal at Café Roma (we split one meal between the two of us and still had leftovers!).
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| Chillin' at The Tap & Still |
A Fun Trip with a Few Challenges
As I mentioned, Scott hated the heat. So much so that he decided to leave on the 30th instead of staying through to the 1st.
The original plan had had Scott, Caty and me arriving Dec. 24 and Departing Dec. 31 with Becca and Aaron arriving on Christmas and then departing on the 30th. Then, American Airlines notified me that my flight had changed and that, if I left on the 31st, I would have to spend the night at DFW. The ONLY reason I hadn't booked to stay New Year's Eve in USVI was that returning on Jan. 1 was way more expensive. The house owner had already offered us one more night, so I changed Scott's and my flight to return on the 1st. There was no extra charge because the change was precipitated by the airline schedule change. I thought NYE in another place might be interesting. That also meant a two-day extension on the rental car because the agency was closed on New Year's Day. But, whatever!
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| Another day in paradise? Yes, please! |
But, it became evident that Scott was just not enjoying himself, so we juggled everything. AA allowed him to change to the 30th at no additional cost because of the airline change (I didn't expect this because we had already taken advantage of that loophole once, but hey ...). Then Caty was able to extend one day. So now, we had three leaving on the 30th and two on the 1st.
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| I had something like this in mind for NYE (Grand Cayman, 2001) |
It worked out great because Caty and I spent that extra day at Waterlemon Cay for some great snorkeling (and an Octopus!) and then we toured the north side of the island (and experienced a big rainstorm).
On New Year's Eve, we ended up staying in and going to bed early, so I didn't get to experience the celebration on the island. But, from the looks of Cruz Bay the next morning, I think it was mainly drinking and a small concert, not the Carnivale that I thought might happen.
An interesting note about departure from USVI on American airlines. We had been warned several times – by the house owner, by the airline and by notes in the house – that AA requires you to arrive at the airport THREE hours before departure and that the ticket counter closes 90 minutes before departure. Apparently, if you are late, you are off the plane. And, getting to the airport requires a ferry trip and a cab ride, both subject to delays. So, basically, you have to leave super early.
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| Ferry dock |
Scott had an early afternoon flight and Becca and Aaron had a late afternoon flight, so we had two runs to drop them off at the ferry dock.
Scott was going to take a different ferry that goes to Charlotte Amalie. The ferry trip is longer, but the dock is closer to the airport. We thought it might be scenic.
We asked both to let us know how long it took to get to the airport and if there were any problems. Becca and Aaron reported a smooth trip that took about two hours.
Scott's trip turned out fine, but he had to switch back to the Red Hook ferry because the water was too rough for the Charlotte Amalie boat. The ferry owner drove him to the airport, so he got to skip the cab.
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| And, off we go! |
So, we needed to leave about five hours before departure.
Because I would have to plan a little extra time to return the rental car (basically just parking it and dropping off a key because the agency was closed), we left even earlier.
What no one bothered to tell us was that, even with all those early requirements, the AA gate doesn't OPEN early! Caty and I had to stand (there are no chairs) in line at AA for 45 minutes to check in!
Oh, well, we didn't miss our flights (which, by the way were both delayed, so we were at the airport a long time). It was worse for Caty because her flight was originally scheduled about two hours after mine (my delay was longer, so that interval closed up). But, then she had a direct flight from Miami to Denver and I had a stop at DFW on the way to Colorado Springs, so she got home earlier.
I truly enjoyed the trip, but regret not seeing much of St. Thomas. I had thought about driving Becca and Aaron to the airport and spending that day on St. Thomas, but there were two problems: #1 our rental car agency prohibited taking their cars off St. John (I missed that in the fine print in advance) and #2 the car ferry is far more complicated than what I have experienced elsewhere. So, we saw St. Thomas only from the water, the air and two crowded van rides across the island.
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| St. Thomas in the distance |
Over all, it was a nice trip. Too hot for Scott and not conducive to holiday magic. But, the snorkeling!!!
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| Hawksnest snorkeling |
Magical!
And, nice sunsets, too!
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| Sunset on Frank Bay |
Trip date: December 23, 2019-January 1, 2020
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