FEMALE LEATHERBACK TURTLE BUILDING NEST & LAYING EGGS, MATURA SEA TURTLE NESTING SITE, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

   In the first two photos you can see the Leatherback Turtle digging it's nest with its rear flippers.  The next two photos show the turtle laying it eggs. She will lay from 90 to 120 eggs per clutch.  The last two photos show front views of the turtle while it is still laying eggs.

   This turtle was tagged 10 days before it built this nest, when it built another nest and layed eggs on Matura Beach.   The juvenile turtles will return in 25 - 30 years.   The Leatherback Turtles spend the winter in Canada where they like the cold water.

BABY LEATHERBACK TURTLE, MATURA SEA TURTLE NESTING SITE, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

   Our local turtle guide found this baby Leatherback Turtle on Matura Beach.  He brought it to us to see and then let it go.  Since we could not use flash, the photos were taken by flashlight.

SUNSET AT MATURA SEA TURTLE NESTING SITE, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

THE MOON OVER MATURA SEA TURTLE NESTING SITE, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD IN FLIGHT, MATURA SEA NESTING TURTLE SITE, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

MALE WHITE-BEARDED MANAKIN, ASA WRIGHT NATURE CENTRE, ARIMA, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

   Even though these photos aren't great, we can still ID this bird as a male White-bearded Manakin by its small size (about 4 1/2"), black crown, white underparts and neck, black wings and orange legs.

   The White-Bearded Manakin is a new species to our Photographic Life List, which now stands at 541.

FERRUGINOUS PYGMY-OWL, ASA WRIGHT NATURE CENTRE, ARIMA, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

   We can ID this owl as a Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl by it's very small size (about 6"), absence of ear tufts, brown head with white streaks, prominent white superciliary streaks and underparts white with brown streaks.

   The Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl is a new species to our Photographic Life List, which now stands at 540.