I have too many cool pictures to be contained in only one post!  To keep from blowing your mind, I've split them up into two separate posts!  This is the continuation from the previous post.




Before I left Guam, I got an amazing opportunity.  The beach site, referenced in the previous post, plays host to 4 captive Fruit Bats/Flying Foxes.  2 females and 2 males are either rehabilitating or were saved from hunters as infants.  In the small science world here, I found out that the biologist in charge of caring for them is from OSU and super friendly.  So I paid her a visit; we had a nice chat and she let me photograph and play with one of the males.

Interesting (and sad) background info:  The bats are considered a delicacy by locals.  Long ago when Chamorro chiefs presided over villages, they would dictate how many and how often bats (as well as sea turtles) were killed and eaten.  Currently, fruit bats remain in small numbers on only a couple of the Mariana Islands (i.e. Guam and Saipan).  This species is now listed as endangered mainly due to (1) the illegal poaching of hundreds of bats to sell overseas and (2) locals over-harvesting  the bats for food. 

Here are a few pictures taken during my encounter with the Marian Fruit Bats.

This is the other male in a separate enclosure.  I didnt get to handle him at all b/c he's really feisty. 

Since bats spend a lot of time hanging upside down, have you ever wondered how they poops w/o getting dirty? They just turn right-side up like this.

I stumbled on this little bird nest while walking to one of my field sites.  The entire cup nest is about the size of a pool ball.  It belongs to a Rufous Fantail. 

This last batch of picture I took atop Forbidden Island.  The snorkeling in a large tide pool at the base of FI is some of the best on Saipan.  For the adventurous few, there is a small rough path which scales up the side of FI.  Parts of the climb to the top are treacherous and require assistance of climbing rope and tiny footholds.  Once you reach the table top of this plateau the view makes it all worth it.  The cliffs and top of FI are a breeding ground for the Black Noddy and the Brown Noddy.

This panoramic picture of the bay is taken close to the trail head before you descend to FI.  FI can be seen at the right in the picture below.  During low tide, it isn't difficult to wade through the water which just barely separates FI as an actual islet instead of a peninsula connected to Saipan.  I reached the top of FI by climbing up the near side facing the camera.

Noddys (and their nests) were scattered all over up here and many have chicks in various stages of development.  It is amazing that eggs and chicks sit only inches from the cliff edge.  Some of the eggs are literally stuck between a rock and hard place or in a tiny cleared area where a small twig or pebble is the only thing keeping from them from rolling into the ocean.  Crazy! 

And beautiful view of the Saipan coast from the top of FI.

So thats all I've got for right now.  I will try not to wait so long between posts.

Happy Father's Day!

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I'm dropping the ball big-time!  Sorry that I've waited so long between posts.  What started out as a post every 2-3 days has now morphed into a post every couple weeks.  I know most of you are checking this blog twice daily anxiously awaiting the next installment of my Big Adventure in the Tropics.  So sorry to keep you wondering if I'm still alive over here or not.  Fear not, I'm very much alive and well!

I think the long lull between my posts is due to a combination of exhausting days, which leave me less than enthusiastic about writing, and a current lack of interesting pictures and stories.  Most of my days consist of field work instead of island exploring or being a tourist, which is a good thing I guess since that's the reason I'm over here.  I doubt my Advisor would be thrilled about me spending more time doing fun things instead of the research that I'm getting paid to do-that's just a hunch though.


To fill you in on what I'm up to now:
I'm back on Saipan (as of 6/8) and will remain here until 7/6 when I'll fly back to Guam.  I carried out a 3-week series of experiments/observations on Guam and now I'm replicating those same experiments/observations on Saipan so I can compare the results of one island to the other island-All this to get at the effect that losing birds has on plant pollination.

Since I havent done much WWII exploring since my return to Saipan I will share some cool picture and tell you a little bit about each.  My intent is not to boast as I show off these pictures but these islands are beautiful and I want to share it with all of you.  Keep in mind that picture just dont do this place justice!  I have a few panoramic views where I've mashed several linear pictures together in an attempt to give you a ~360 degree view of the landscape.




Here are a few pictures taken on the way to one of my field sites.  First you drive down the mountain toward the coast.  A very nice scenic lookout, wouldn't you agree?

While walking to this site, you must pass the shore overlooking a secluded beach which isn't open to the public.  This panoramic is not that great but you get the idea and can hopefully imagine the view.

 If you turn around from the beach and look inland you'd be gazing up at this massive plateau rising into the sky.  The pitch and height are difficult to describe and they are even hard to capture in a picture.  

A fun find from my trek back to the car.  As I descended from a rock face, I see a little blue object scamper across the dried coral.  The picture quality is not so great b/c I took it with my iPhone.

This small hermit crab is using a chewed up Bic pen cap as a shell!  Our field crew has amassed pictures of hermit crabs using an odd variety of interesting objects as their housing. 

After my run-in with the hermit crab, I stopped for lunch under a shade tree looking out onto the reef.  It reminds me of something you might see on a postcard or something.

After a morning of field work, I took a trip to the beach for an hour or so of snorkeling.  Unfortunately it rained so I didnt get in the water.  However, I did make a really cool find...  First, this panoramic is taken from a rocky peninsula separating two small coves.  [As a frame of reference, the trees on the left side are the same trees jutting out on the right side of the picture.]

It is rumored that historic sites can be found nestled up in the jungle a few hundred meters from the beach.  There are no signs or trails to these sites and they are hard to find.  Your two options are go with someone who knows where they are located or venture in random parts of the forest and hope for the best.  Since I was by myself, the latter was my only choice.  The sites are small and cant be seen from the beach so it's really a stab in the dark.  I lucked out and found such a site.  In a small clearing in the jungle, several pillars stand 6-7 feet apart.  These ancient pillars are known as latte stones.  These sites consist of usually 6 pillars capped with a half-circle stone (flat side facing up).  They generally ranging in height from 2-10 ft.  The stones can be made of limestone, which is pretty abundant.  Sometimes the hemisphere top stone can be coral collected from the ocean.  It is commonly accepted that these were building supports for the ancient Chamarro people to raise their houses and important buildings off the ground and protect them when the forest flooded during tropical storms.  Typically the chief's house and common gathering structures were built on latte stones.

The site I found had relatively small pillars.  Often latte stones have fallen over and are reconstructed.  However, these are so secluded that what you see here is most likely due to the normal wear of time and the elements.  B/c this isn't a tourist 'hotspot' there is no real need to reconstruct the stones since they aren't featured in too many photo ops.

 Below is an intact latte stone with another cap stone overturn in the foreground.

I am 6'3" (unless you ask Jackie who says I'm 6'2").  That should give you an idea of how tall these latte stones stand.  

Here was a gathering of 12-15 blue star fish under a boulder.  I wonder what the occasion was for this party?

Anyone care to venture a guess of the 2 species of sea invertebrates below??

A beautiful sunset enjoyed while sitting on the beach with a group of hippies.  They meet every Friday night and take a shot of tequila at the sun touches the horizon in hopes of seeing a green flash.  You can Google 'green flash' if you care to know more.

 Post sunset view from the hill above our Guam house.  Beautiful shades of blue and orange!

People here are extremely outdoorsy.  If you live here for an extended amount of time, you have to find things to do outside or you will go stir-crazy.  Paddling has a huge following and many compete on a national level.

It is great to be king!  Well Guam doesn't have a King but it is great to be Governor.  Here is a picture of just a section of the Governor's Mansion.  Impressive!  The grounds and buildings used to be a high school.  They were so nice, the Governor (not the current one) confiscated it for 'official' purposes.  Sound a bit shady if you ask me

On the flight from Guam to Saipan, we pass over Tinian.  History buffs should recall the significance of Tinian during WWII.  Bombers took off from the airfield (barely visible in the red box) carrying the two atomic bombs (Little Boy and Fat Man) which would devastate Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 

Pictures from Saipan to follow.....

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Memorial Day -part II

 

In the late afternoon of Memorial Day I spent a couple hours at Asan Beach which is located on the west coast in the central part of the island.  From a historical perspective, Asan Beach was one of the two primary beaches stormed by US troops as we recaptured Guam from the Japanese. This landing beach is 1 of 7 park units commemorating the WWII fighting on Guam.  If you visit ever visit, you can travel from unit to unit and trace the 3-week battle that began on the beaches, spread inland, and swept across the island.  This area is now a Nation Park: War in the Pacific National Historical Park.

 

This plaque welcomes visitors to this historic site.

 The picture below is a panoramic view take while standing on the beach which aces out to the north.  The short peninsula extending out on the left side is Asan Point.  There is a heptagonal monument commemorating the 50 Anniversary of this battle.  

Countless markers are posted around this beach and field describing the events that took place during the War.  One sign recounts the scene: "Mortar shells geysered the water as thousands of US Marines rode amphtraks and wade ashore on July 21, 1944.  Jap forces-concealed in caves, machine-guns nests, pillboxes (to be described later), and artillery bunkers- resisted American assault fiercely.  It took Americans all day to secure this narrow strip of sand.  Though hard-won, the beachhead was not a final objective.  As heavy fire continued to rain down from the surrounding ridges, Americans used Asan as a staging area for assaults on Jap strongholds [scattered throughout the island]".  Below are pictures taken during the Battle.  The first is an American demolition squad blowing up a cave.  The second is a Jap 6-inch gun from the cliff which overlooks the beachhead.

 

The peninsula on the left in my above picture is the same view seen in the old photo in the signage below.  This old photo was taken 1 hour after the first troops landed.  In the foreground you can see a field dressing station in operation.

Another sign sits closer to that peninsula cautioning scuba divers.  [The Mariana Islands are apparently some of the best diving in the world.  The Mariana Trench,which runs along the east of the chain of islands, is the deepest part of the ocean in the entire world.  The Trench is around 1600 miles long and is almost 7 miles deep.  So divers flock to this region from all over the world.]  After the Battle of Guam, US troops disposed of unexploded ammunition (ordnance) in the sea from the aforementioned peninsula.  50 years after, despite cleanup efforts, live ammo can still be found eroding on Guam, Saipan, and Tinian in hillside caves and on the ocean floor (which I have actually found in the forest-pretty cool!).  

Troops disposing of ammo into the ocean after the Battle. 

This Park exists to honor the bravery and sacrifices of WWII and today a special memorial commemorates those who fought to recapture Guam.  3,033 US and Guam flags were arranged on the main battle field of Asan.  Each US flag represents 1 of the 1,866 US Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen who were killed or died from woulds suffered during this Battle.  Additionally, 1,167 Guam flags represent the Chamorro people who died during the Japanese occupation and the battle for Guam.

Main battlefield at Asan.  3,033 US and Guam flags represent those who gave their life for this territory.

This is one torpedo presented fo Submarine forces in memory and recognition of the courage and sacrifice of subs whose heroism contribute significantly to the liberation of the Pacific.

Below is a panoramic view of the entire field.  This view is taken at ground level from the park's parking lot.

Maybe I should have presented this info at the beginning, but ohh well.  The fields of Asan Beach have been influenced by several cultures which have contributed to the modern-day Guam.

1892-1900: Spanish government built a leprosy hospital here at Asan Point.  In 1900, a typhoon destroyed that building.
1901-1903: The US government in the Philippines banished Filipino rebels to a prison camp at Asan Point.
1917: When the US declared war on Germany, Americans seized the crew of German auxiliary cruiser Cormoran and imprisoned them here in a tent camp surrounded by barbed wire.
1944: For 2 weeks, in July, US Navy pounded the fields here into a crater morass of mud and sand.  Only a few topless coconut palms survived the bombardment.
1945-1967: Rows of barracks, called "Camp Asan", housed US Navy civilians employees.
1975: The abandoned "Camp Asan" became the reception center for thousands of Vietnamese refuges.
1976: Super Typhoon Pamela destroyed most of the buildings here and the navy subsequently cleared the rubble.
Today: this park stands to remember the fallen.







This last piece of the post tries to gives you a glimpse into the past as soldiers overtook the beachhead.  Put yourself into the boots of our troops; it makes this section especially captivating (and terrifying)!


As you come off the beach and cross the open field pictured and described ealier, this hill/cliff/ridge is the first formation you see.  Keep in mind that Japanese soldiers are buried in this hillside with huge cannons and machine guns.  You should know that this hill sits by itself therefore retreat would not have been an option for the Japs.  Like a cornered animal, the only choice was to 'fight to the death' and they did just that. 

Taken from the left of Asan Ridge

Same Ridge taken from the right side.

Now you have stormed across the field, under constant barrage of Japanese bullets, and make it to the base of this 'hill' (at least it looks like a hill from afar).  At you stand below it, the hill is quite steep and intimidating.

Jap soldiers are holed up in shallow caves, crevasses, and pillboxes fighting for their life.   In preparation for this expected invasion, Japs dug hundreds of caves like this throughout the island using forced labor (mostly Chamorro and Koreans).  Caves and tunnel systems like this honeycomb the hills and ridges throughout Guam.  The reason they did this was b/c they were outnumbered and planes bombarded them from above; so their best protection was to go underground.  After Americans secured the beachhead, the battle became a deadly game of hide and seek.  Below is that same cave as above taken during the battle (top picture), looking into (middle picture) and looking out from the cave (below picture).

I can't imagine being a US soldier ordered to take over this hill and then encounter Japs hiding in a dark cave like this.  If you follow the path (up to the left of the above picture)  which leads to the top of the hill where more Jap soldiers are waiting to kill you or die trying. 

Toward the top of the hill are 2 bunkers barely 4 ft tall with a small window large enough to shoot through.  These bunkers protected the paths leading up the ridge from the invading US.

View of the bunker from the path leading up the ridge.

Inside view of the bunker.  A 4ft tall x 3 ft wide space with a small gun window is all that constitutes this small but effective defense post.

Currently, this bunker is only accessible by belly-crawling.  The opening is a couple feet high.  I assume it was not always this way and the elements have closed the opening.

 
Today little is left now from what was surely a bloody and chaotic scene atop Asan Ridge.  The few bunkers (pictured above), some scattered rusted gun/cannon barrels (below; see if can spot them all in the next 4 pictures), a beachfront defense post (below; fortified for tourists' protection), and overgrown foliage are all that remain.

Some discarded gun barrels and old pipes.

2 broken and discarded gun barrels.

As is common with these old metal parts exposed to 60 years of weather wear, these barrels flake off much like tree bark.

An old gun barrel buried in the earth.

Large bunker facing the opposite bay on the backside of the hill.  This bunker looks out on a different (but in close proximity) bay than Asan.

 Standing atop Asan Ridge, this is the view looking out onto Asan Beach and Asan Field.  I'm sure the view 60 years ago was not as majestic and beautiful as the one I took below.

Asan Beach and Asan Field from the top of Asan Ridge.

All pictures presented in this post are property of the author.  Unauthorized use of these pictures is prohibited unless given explicit permission by the author.