The other day I went on a terrific day trip to two remote, uninhabited islands off of the east coast of Naxos. They’re collectively 2 of 3 islands that form the Makares cluster. In days of yore, they were rumored to be the back door to Hades. I’m still trying to track down more information … More Makares
Here is a higher resolution version of the fish haul. It should work for a desktop background! I’m glad this photo has gotten so much attention – it has a lot of good memories with it. Enjoy!
I’d wanted to write this post for mother’s day but got busy and wasn’t actually catching that many lizards at the time. My mother sent me to Greece this field season with a bunch of hand-sewn lizard bags that have proven absolutely perfect. I’ve been the envy of all of my herpetologist friends out here … More Lizard Bags: Thanks Mom!
I’ve just finished laying pitfall and sticky traps for my insect sampling and it’s already almost time to start picking them back up. I set over 200 pitfall traps and over 150 sticky traps these last two days and I’m worn out! Here’s a quick picture of a pitfall trap, and a video showing the … More Finished with the insect traps
Hi Everyone, I recently spent a couple of excellent days islet hopping off of Schinoussa. This involves riding in a fisherman’s boat to a few small deserted islets, jumping ashore while the boat is bobbing in the water, and then catching lizards for a couple of hours until it’s time to progress to the next … More Islets
These are the little guys I’ve been looking for, Podarcis erhardii, and there’ve been lots of them out and about!
Hi all, In case you thought life was all fun and games here on Naxos I just wanted to give you a quick update on my research progress. This last week I’ve been out and about driving around the island in search of potential field sites for one of my experiments. I’m scoping out lots … More Walls or terraces? That is the question.
It’s a Loquat! Thanks to those of you who chimed in with the identity of the gifted fruit from last post. Now I know how delicious loquats are! Here’s a silly loquat still life for your enjoyment. I was practicing taking decent macro photos of my lizards, and the loquats seemed like a ready subject. … More Loquat!
Today is the Greek Orthodox Easter and, after last night, it’s safe to say the Greeks take the idiom “celebrate with a bang” a lot farther than I’d have thought possible! From what I’ve learned, Easter eve, is a day full of family, baking and cooking. It’s a rush to prepare all of the many … More Easter in Naxos
I just rented a car for the summer! I’m really excited. Compared to some of my previous field vehicles (see here and here) this little Hyundai feels like a Ferrari. Well, almost. Still, I’ve taken it out twice now and it’s done great on the tight corners and switchbacks all over Naxos. One exciting development: … More The new car!
Colin Donihue 