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  4. SAIPAN

JUNE 6, 2011: ABOVE HIDDEN BEACH (CROCODILE): Noddies, Waves, and the Approach of Evening

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brownnoddy

  • I have never seen the "parking area" (actually just a slightly enlarged place at the end of the road) with this many vehicles. I think ALL these are Monteros (except for my vehicle, which is the one barely visible to your extreme left). I count 12 vehicles in this photo, and I think there are at least 2 which are hidden from view by nearer vehicles. ALL of these tourists were heading down to the beach. I was heading to some higher flats overlooking the beach.
  • Nice, constant wave action.
  • The videos on this album are not as important as they are on some. You pretty much see the important stuff in the stills. However, if you enjoy waves, enjoy the videos! There is quite a bit of wind noise on these, so you may want to turn your sound down a bit.<br /> <br /> Music on this one is from Kevin Macleod at incompetech.com
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  • Slightly north of where the last 2 photos were taken. For those of you familiar with Hidden Beach (Hidden Cove; Crocodile), the "snout" rock is just on the other side of the rock you see here.
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  • Slightly further north yet. We are looking down on the "Wedding Cake" rock, upon which the Japanese and Korean tourists like to stand as they get their photos taken about to be engulfed by wave splashes. By the time I got into position all the tourists (from all the Monteros in the first photo) were gone.<br /> <br /> The "snout" of the "Crocodile" is visible here on the far side of the rock against the right margin of the photo.
  • The "Crocodile" rock is separated from the mainland by a cut (you can see in the next video). This makes it an ideal place for brown noddies (Anous stolidus) to nest undisturbed.
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  • Hidden cove is on the east shore of Saipan. The valley extends to the west from the shoreline, allowing low sun rays to illuminate the birds and make this a photographer's dream.
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  • Collared Kingfisher (Halcyon chloris).
  • I have heard that King Kamehameha had feathers from Saipan's collared kingfishers sent to him in Hawaii because of their beautiful sheen. Considering what he would have had to choose from in those days on Hawaii, however, I have some doubts about this local myth. But who knows?
  • The meaning of the scientific name for brown noddies is as follows: Anous = "unmindful;" stolidus + "impassive." (From Greek).
  • Apparently sailors of previous ages found them to be indifferent to hunters or predators. These that I was photographing, however, seemed keenly aware that something unusual (me) was watching them.
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  • BeverLi

    on June 12, 2011

    NicE

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