Mike in the Wild

Nassau, the capital and largest city of The Bahamas, doesn't come to mind as the first destination for nature-lovers in the 700-island nation.  The municipality lies on the small island of New Providence, which is home to 70% of the entire country's population.  And on the day I visited off of the Caribbean Princess cruise  ship, three other mega-liners were berthed.  Meanwhile construction is underway to expand the port to eventually accommodate  up to twelve ships at any give time.  Just to the north of the bustling town lies even more development on Paradise Island, home to luxury resorts and vacation homes for superstars like Oprah Winfrey and Tom Cruise.  However the crowded barrier island is only the first in a string of sandy cays and reefs that extend to the next populated island, Eleuthera, fifty miles away.  One of the first of these islets, Athol Island, was my destination for a morning snorkeling tour to two coral reefs. A small boat from Stuart Cove's picked up

Normally I'm quite far away from the birds I attempt to photograph: either the creatures perch high in a tree or lie many yards away across a field.  But at Tempe Town Lake I was able to spy my subjects while uniquely situated above them, from my vantage points along McClintock Drive's bridge.  The structure crosses the lake right where water often released on the Salt River begins to fill the man-made lake.   I set out for the lake partially because I was longing to see some of the regular winter migrants that usually frequent the waterways throughout my Phoenix neighborhood.   While plenty of American wigeons and ring-necked ducks are flocking at Granada Park's ponds, I've only see a few other seasonal water bird species so far this year.  I did encounter a pair of female goldeneyes flying in tight formation over the Arizona Canal and I identified a lone ruddy duck on a pond near the Adobe golf course.  However I had yet to see any shovelers, teals, canvasbacks, or pi