Bermuda: Fledglings

On Wednesday (October 15), our day began with a boat trip to the south side of the island to an area offshore of the Natural Arches. The Arches were a beautiful rock structure on a spectacular Bermuda-pink beach. However, the Arches were removed by Hurricane Fabian, yet the name persists. Our students are astute observers; the trip back on Tuesday from Nonsuch Island was a little wet and the students quickly realized that the driest spot on the boat was the one normally occupied by Todd. In this picture, you can see a clear example of competitive exclusion, where rapidly colonization of the seats under the canopy by opportunistic students resulted in the displacement (or exclusion) of one tall faculty member who was forced into the less favorable deck habitat.






The trip out to the Arches was not necessarily much drier for some students than the day before. The winds were coming from the North, which resulted in a little rock-n-roll on the way out to the site.







Once on site, we found clear, warm water, with just a bit of current, but the sun quickly hid behind some clouds. Although the rim is much smaller on the south side of the island, I believe this area is considered a rim reef. These reefs are dominated by Brain Corals (Diploria species) but Great Star Corals (Montastrea cavernosa) and Mustard Coral (Porites asterodes) are also present. One of the things that struck me, was the vast amount of diseased Brain Coral. The black line seen in the picture is indicative of a cyanobacterial infection that kills coral tissues. Sea fans and rods were also abundant. There was a nice diversity of fish, but my favorite finds of the day were a Trumpet fish and a Smooth Trunk Fish (shown below).












In the afternoon, the students started their research projects. And yes, while we continue to amaze (or shock) the residents of the Bio Station with this feat, we dispatched our 20 students on mopeds to far reaches of the island. Luckily, a number of the projects are taking place up the road the station and at a beach in the nearby city of St. George’s. Tobacco Bay (the site in St. George’s) is quite popular with the students; some might argue it is the diversity of fishes or the presence of small crabs in the tufa-like rock structures, but truth be told there is a Cantina there that pumps out some pretty good island music when the cruise ships are in. I am pleased to report that all students were accounted for at dinner even though there was rumor of one moped incident. Apparently the rider “stuck the landing”, impressing the native islanders that must witness this event daily as their house abuts a very tight turn out of the Tobacco Bay parking lot.





The evening found us hanging off (okay, lying on) a rickety bridge at the end of Ferry Reach in search of the elusive Bermuda Fire Worms. These are bioluminescent polychaete worms that rise to the surface sometime after sunset (approximately 50 minutes), two to three days after a full moon. The female surfaces first and the bioluminescent male is attracted to her and swims circles around her until gametes are released. Yes, I know, a number of you are reading this saying “SNIPE HUNT.” And yes, there was a time when everyone was on the bridge was thinking (if not saying) the same thing. But then the show began and we saw about 20 individuals. Not a great abundance, but we now all have bragging rights having seen this exploding sexual encounter (no pictures are available of the X-rated event).








The concluding event of the evening was the Debate (no, not a required activity of the course). Many of the students watched it in the local on-site watering hole, which is quite an international gathering place. I watched in the main lobby area with students, an Elderhostel participant, several international researchers, and guests. Not surprisingly, the talk on the streets this morning was that Obama had won. The students are very engaged with the election this year; let’s hope for a good turn out in November.














This morning we headed out to North Rock, an area just inside the edge of the lagoon. It is considered the premier coral reef site in Bermuda. While somewhat wavy, the water was warm and extremely clear. The corals appeared much healthier than at Arches and there was quite a bit of fish activity. We saw a parrotfish being cleaned of parasites by small wrasses as soon as we got off the boat –unfortunately, I missed that picture. We swam out towards the lighthouse and then back to the boat (note to self: next time look for the swim through just aft of the mooring as there is a grouper in residence there). The reef is deeper than some of the other areas that we visited and we were out there at high tide. Nonetheless, the sun was out and it was a pretty snorkel. I’m not sure if you can tell by my typing but I’m still feeling the rolling of the boat (post-ship motion activity).


One of the highlights of this trip was an encounter with a Spanish Hogfish who seems determined to earn a spot in Hollywood (or at least the next Pixar film). In one video, you can hear him burp.




Oh, did I mention that I inadvertently learned that the camera had a microphone. I had seen something on line but there was no mention of a microphone in the instruction manual. It wasn’t until I shared a video file with my colleague Todd and he played it on his laptop, that I realized I had my sound muted.



Once again students worked on their independent projects – the second of four moped flotilla attacks on Bermuda. This is the first year that we have spent an entire week in Bermuda and I must admit, I like this pace much better. Especially, since I have been hanging back at the station having gotten the students situated with their projects. It has given me some time to relax and to get some of my own work done. I think tomorrow and Saturday, I’ll do some site visits to see how the projects are coming along and then Sunday, it is back to Worcester.