Total Lunar Eclipse

The morning of June 15 I rose just after 4:15am. As I walked out the front door of the place I was staying in Townsville, two possums were screaming at each other from opposite sides of the roof. They sound like two orcs fighting up there! Upon noticing me step out the front door, one possum scuttled to the corner of the garage where he sat perched, silhouetted against the moonlight. He looked like a little gargoyle!

Possum on the roof in the upper left of the frame

The shadow of the Earth passing in front of the Sun had just begun to draw a dark tangent across the face of the full moon when I set up my tripod. I used a telephoto lens (75-300mm) for these photos. I experimented with using high f-stops (~f29) and slower shutter speeds with lower f-stops (~f9) and faster shutter speeds until I was happy with the result.

This lunar eclipse was only visible in the southern hemisphere, so it was a treat that those at home did not get to experience. This particular eclipse was not only a full eclipse, but it was also very long.

By 6:30am my eyelids were drooping. The shadow of the Earth had completely covered the moon by this time, leaving a glowing red orb in the sky. Wish some satisfactory pictures I headed back to bed. I don't know if I'll get to see such a phenomenon ever again in my life, and I'm glad I experienced this one.

Field trips fit for Ms. Frizzle

One of the things I love most about being a marine biology student is the field trips we get to go on. Over the past month I have stayed on a private research island learning about corals for three days, participated in an active reptile search in a nature preserve comprised of saltwater marshes and bushland, and have helped drag nets through the water at the beach to see what interesting critters live there. As my uncle John always says, if you can get paid to do something for a living that you would already be doing for fun, you're on the right track. At this point it's still me paying them but hopefully it will switch from the latter to the former at some point soon!

Our first adventure landed us on Orpheus Island in the wee hours of the morning, the first weekend of lecture recess (our spring break equivalent). Orpheus Island is a 12km-long island that is home to a coral research station, and it was named after the HMS Orpheus. After settling in we took a walk along the beach to discover, to our great delight, that baby black tip reef sharks (Carcharhinus melanopterus) and stingrays cruise in the shallow waters offshore. As I stood still in the shallows, it was a fun game to see how close a little shark would get to me before his Ampullae of Lorenzini detected my presence.

A fishing boat we could see from our ferry on the way to Orpheus Island

Landing on the beach very early in the morning, unloading gear

Taking a peak at one of the coral experiment tanks

More coral experiments...

The mangroves around the shore provided a unique habitat for many critters

Shark fin!

One of the many baby black tip reef sharks that could be seen milling about in the shallows

Stingrays came quite close to us as well

Enjoying some ice cream topped with Milo while sorting through our corals data

We spent our weekend snorkeling on the shallow fringing reef in Pioneer Bay. We learned how do distinguish different coral species before heading out to search for our assigned one. Normally a task like this comes fairly easily to me, but as we moved off the labeled trail of corals I began to second-guess myself; "Was the honeycomb-shaped one a porites or a favid?"

We continued to lay out transects and observe the coral interactions within them. Although corals may look rather inactive, they can be feisty little buggers! If a neighbor gets too close, some corals will extend their mesenterial filaments or sweeper tentacles to damage the tissue of their neighbors to regain their territory.

As we neared shore at the end of our last snorkel something caught my eye as it flitted under the shelter of a rock. I dove down to see what it was and I was met by a small lionfish with his poisonous fins spread wide. It was definitely best to admire him from afar!

My lab partner Lydia and me had been in the water snorkeling for so long that our lips felt like rubber!

The beaches on Orpheus are comprised of deal coral at various stages of wear

More mangroves

The sunset on Orpheus was breathtaking!

A green tree frog with a tasty meal sitting right on top of his head!

The morning we left we hauled our butts out of bed at around 5am. It was well worth it though; as the boat departed from the shore we were greeted by the rising sun peeking over Orpheus Island.

Our second field trip that week took place at the Townsville Town Common. This trip was for Australian Vertebrate Fauna. It was another early morning for us as we strolled through the bush, birdwatching just after dawn. We were under the care of some very knowledgable and experienced field guides, which was fantastic. Later that morning we learned how to bait, set, and check both Elliot and Funnel traps. The traps set previously had caught a few skinks and a big ol' cane toad!

Greg Calvert, one of our very knowledgable guides

Magpie Goose (Anseranas semipalmata)

Later that morning we learned how to bait, set, and check both Elliot and Funnel traps. The traps set previously had caught a few skinks and a big ol' cane toad!

Emptying a funnel trap, trying not to anger a very, very large centipede

In the late morning we took a break for tea and biscuits (or cookies to us yanks). The Anglophile in me took quiet joy in this :) Our next task brought us to the border of the salt marshes and bushland. Here we did an active reptile search, overturning logs and rocks, keeping a close lookout for the rare rusty monitor. The specimens we found we kept moist in plastic bags to keep for later identification. I was surprised to find that most specimens had to be fully keyed out do determine the species. At home, I could see a snake flash for a moment in the grass before disappearing and know it was a garter snake. Here, even the most seasoned naturalists rely upon keys-- the difference between species can be so small!

Skink!

Me enjoying the wide open spaces

My friends Robbie and Katie

A very large python, caught the day before

A large monitor we caught in the afternoon

In the afternoon we spent some time sitting in the grass learning about the history of the Town Common from a gentleman from Coastal Dry Tropics Landcare Inc.. He explained to us the problems they have with invasive plant and animal species among other things, and the ways in which volunteers help to combat those problems.

It was a dawn to dusk day at the Town Common, but well worth the effort. Now writing the survey report for this field trip on the other hand… oi.

Our most recent field trip was a short drive to Pallarenda Beach, just adjacent to the Town Common. On the sandy stretch of beach we donned our wetsuits and trudged into the water, long nets in hand. Two teams made a large circle to enclose any sizable critters swimming the the shallow waters. As we neared the shore we closed the gap between the two nets and scuffled faster and faster to avoid losing any specimens. I felt that I was in my element! Each net brought something new; some were empty to our disappointment while others had captured wriggling fish and flailing crustaceans of all shapes and colors.

Being briefed on sampling procedures by our lecturer, Orpha Bellwood

Perhaps two of the coolest things we caught in our nets were shovelnose rays and a huge crab whose carapace was easily the size of a dinner plate! (unfortunately my camera decided to misbehave that day so some of these pictures were taken by friends of mine)

photo: Cortni McGregor

A shovelnose ray (photo: Cortni McGregor)

All I can say is, field trips here sure do beat our most exciting field trip this past fall at UMD-- touring the Duluth waste treatment facility for my environmental chemistry class, where the most exciting things we saw were a bunch of condoms stuck in a filter grate!