Whale Shark Silhouette

This Whale Shark is sooooo out of season! August is just unheard of... until now!

Pea Shrimp in bubble coral

A very difficult little critter to photograph because he was tiny and kept running away and hiding.

More Red Crab Dance

Red Crab Dance

Mature Chick

I am cheering! This Red Tailed Tropicbird chick has managed to stay hidden from the local cats long enough to get all its black bars. This is just for camouflage and will be lost as it matures into adulthood.

Chicks stay on the nest for 12 - 13 weeks. They are left alone while both parents search for food. When the chick leaves the nest it can't fly because it is too heavy. It will float on the ocean for several days to lose weight first.

Coconut party

It takes 2 days for a Robber crab to open a coconut - so as you can imagine, they are happy to muscle in on someone elses coconut if there is an opportunity.

Sign

Life can be found everywhere on Christmas Island - even growing on a road sign!

Tristiropsis Acutangula

Vines

Skeleton leaf

Holy Rock

Mossy rocks

Lots of verdant moss growing in shady spots on the Circuit track.

Climina Crow Butterfly

Endemic to Christmas Island.

Heart

Simon and I explored some of the Circuit tracks. Had fun discovering lots of little side tracks that looped back to the main track - just like this little heart shaped vine.

Bonfire

Sending all the offerings to the underworld created quite a fierce fire.

lighting up

The coins were tossed to ask the spirits if they were satisfied with the offering. The answer came back yes, so the bonfire was lit.

filling the bonfire

Simon is holding up a full outfit - shirt, tie and pants. I guess the size can expand (like smoke) when it reaches the spirit world!

Money and peace

The lotus flowers have peace mantras written upon them. The money that is sent to the spirits must increase every year.

clothes offerings

Shoes and shirts are sent to the spirits.

drink offerings

The ghosts are thirsty as well! Alcohol and tea are placed out for them.

food offerings

The Hungry Ghost festival is a Chinese tradition. Spirits are released from the underworld for a short period of time each year so they can visit their descendants. The living show them respect by providing them with a feast. The offerings can only be received by the ghosts by sending the food into the spirit world with fire. The living eat their share, the rest is thrown into a bonfire for the ancestors.

During this month, it is considered unwise to wander alone at night because there are many ghosts on the loose.

silhouette

Originally, I took this photo on the chance that I would be able to see the fruit in the Aranga Palm better - but just fell in love with the composition despite not being able to see the fruit.

twiggy

Love the character of this tree. I think I will have to use it as a subject in a piece of artwork...

rocky cliffs

The ocean was fairly calm, but the waves were still booming against these cliffs.

lunch

The track we were following around North West point came out at this gorgeous little spot just when we were ready to stop for lunch. I've heard this section of ocean called the "washing machine".

Teepee tree

All I needed was some canvas and I would have had my own ready made Teepee :-)

view out

A second ravine drops sharply away from the ravine we were traversing - a beautiful little window onto the coast.

Ravine

I found out about this ravine (North West point) about a month ago. Simon and I finally had time to explore together yesterday. It's easy to find coming in from the South end, but not from the North, unless you've been there before and know it is there. We set up a cairn so that in the future, it will be easy to find from the southern end.

Followed

As Simon and I waded through weeds growing waist high along an old unused track, we scared up clouds of little butterflies and grasshoppers. This Goshawk was fascinated by it all and followed us for quite some way, alighting on branches overhead, waiting for us to move forward, then flying to catch up again. It eventually lost interest, so I assume we didn't scare up anything big enough for it to catch for lunch.