I got out nice and early this morning and had the hotel grounds and its critters mostly to myself for a while, and my first sighting was a pair of common mynas, which I only saw for the first time just yesterday. This one let me get a nice detailed look at it, and then I turned to continue my search, but I soon heard the two excitedly discussion something.
When I turned back to see what they might be all excited about, I could not believe my eyes as this stunning creature emerged from a hole in the ground. I’ve never seen such a thing before, so I looked it up to find that it is a small Indian mongoose (Urva auropunctata). Will wonders ever cease?
Later, I even spotted two of them scurrying over the rocks by the water. What an absolute treat!
After breakfast, Anne and I went on a little tour along the southern edge of the island, and an early stop was at a mangrove swamp where we all saw a couple of great egrets, which are always beautiful, but my favorite sight was this young-looking striated heron (Butorides striata) creeping through the canopy. Some of you might be thinking, “doesn’t that look awfully similar to the green herons we see in Estabrook Park, and you are correct because I read that “this bird was long considered to be conspecific with the closely related North American species, the green heron, which is now usually separated as Butorides virescens.”
We eventually made it down to the southern tip of the island where we could see the island of Mohéli about 40 km away, and where Anne found this stunning sight for me, a common leopard or spotted rustic butterfly (Phalanta phalantha).
Tomorrow is our last full day here, and then we begin the long journey home.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 