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CHRISTMAS ISLAND

Christmas Island - 2020
The red crabs of the region are an iconic species that migrate across the island in the millions every year. They pass through homes, businesses, schools and cover the roads but the locals are well adapted to the event. 

The beaches became seas of pale red while we were there visitng as the new generation of red crabs began their journey onto land.

Besides the diverse range or flora and fauna, the coastline provided unique scenes and provided a fantastic subject for long exposures. 

The natural populations of the Christmas Island blue-tailed skink have unfortunately been decimated by the introduction of invasive snakes, rodents, centipedes and more. The rangers on the island have been working tirelessly for years to rebuild a population in captivity in hopes one day a native population can be re-established. 

Besides an endless wave of red crabs, the island held no shortage of macro possibilities with a huge range of insects and arachnids. Praying Mantis as large as my hand were a common sight. 

Caring for the endangered blue-tailed skink involved monitoring of breeding habits, daily enclosure management and gathering termites from the bush for their food. 

Another mesmorising section of coastline...

Sunrise over a beach swarming with baby red crabs. If you stood still longer than a few seconds, you would find at least a dozen skittering on your shoes and pants. 

A final exploration towards the end of our trip into a cave, finding some unique macro sujects above our heads. 

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