One hot aftenoon however, the beautiful, crystal blue waters were not as inviting as they appeared, as while swimming in the ocean, we began feeling a frequent stinging on our limbs.

We knew that we were not the only ones experiencing it, as others were equally as confused as to what at could be causing the uncomfortable sensation. Stranger yet, no one could see the cause of this occurence.

What was to be fun, outdoor activity on a beautiful day, left us puzzled and miffed that we could not enjoy the beach.

The Invisible Culprits

On doing some research, it did not take me long to find the culprits – sea lice.

Not as awful as it sounds, the term “sea lice” has different references. However, in the case of our experience, the term most likely describes thimble jellyfish or sea anemone at the larva stage.

While jellyfish are known for their powerful stings, they belong to a unique group known as cnidarias - a complex, diverse family of aquatic animals.

Although cnidarias are mainly found in ocean waters, a few species live in freshwater habitats.

There are 4 types of cnidarias: anthozoans (which appear "plant-like" - such as corals and sea anemone), scyphozoans (jellyfish), cubozoans (very similar to scyphozoas, but "box-shaped") and hydrozoans (some species live in colonies and freshwater cnidarias are found in this group).

One of the defining commonalities which ties these seemingly various animals together is the presence of a cell called "nematocysts" - which produces the sharp sting through tentacles. These poisonous tentacles serve as a defence mechanism and the means by which these creatures trap their prey.

Some of the other characteristics of this family include: their symmetrical bodies (radial and/or bilateral), gastrovascular cavity (single body cavity) with one body orifice or opening, a "nerve net", 2 layers which make up their body (gastrodermis and epidermis) and a jelly-like substance known as "mesoglea".

Furthermore, cnidarias have two body forms: medusa (such as free-floating jellyfish with the downward-facing orifice) and polyp (such as sea anemone and sea fans which are stationery and the orifice faces upwards).

Packing in a Punch

As it relates to our encounter with the cnidarias - at the larva stage, the jellyfish or sea anemone have recently hatched and float freely in the ocean water, with no directional control.

When they are able to attach to stable objects (such as rocks, docks and ropes used at sea), they move onto the next stage of their development: the polyp stage.

Although they are minute in size, transparent and not visible to the naked eye - they did make themselves known to us through their stings.

Furthermore, they can attach onto swimwear and become entangled in hair. Their ability to sting is not inhibited when they leave the ocean, as they are still active when rinsing off the sea water with fresh water. Although at the larva stage, they are more of a nuisance than a threat to humans, their stings can produce rashes and other symptoms which can range to mild to severe.

While I always enjoy bearing witness to the various lifecycles of wildlife, this was not what I had in mind. However, Nature at work is always fascinating.

This year, I had the opportunity to return to the beautiful, historic, geological wonder - The Mojave Desert.

As mentioned in my post – Beyond the Local Patch:  A Desert Adventure, the Mojave Desert is located in a region which over millions of years, has undergone a drastic transformation and continuous evolution: from initially being part of an ocean basin, to the arid, geological wonder we see today.

The highlights of my previous visit included Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and Keystone Thrust Fault. This time around, I visited another part of the desert located North East of Las Vegas: The Valley of Fire National State Park.

First, a side note on the Mojave Desert

In my previous post, I discussed the evolution of the Mojave Desert over the eras. There are many natural, awesome occurances, such as canyons, faults, folds, mountains and various other rock formations (and a combination of these occurences). Many of these formations vary in size and have been shaped by natural forces both beneath and above the earth's crust. Additionally, despite its harsh and extreme weather conditions, this desert sustains a variety of vibrant plant and animal life.

When studying and researching such prehistoric, diverse environments, one realises that the learning is endless.

One such realisation came, when it was drawn to my attention that as the region continued to develop over the eras, there is also evidence of volcanic activity in the Mojave Desert, due to the shifting tectonic plates.

Subsequently, different types of volcanic structures have formed in this desert, contributing its already rich environment. Furthermore, in addition to sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, various types igneous rocks (rocks formed from magma and lava) are included as one of the three main rock types found in this desert.

On to The Valley of Fire National State Park

Making our way to The Valley of Fire National State Park, we drove through the Muddy Mountain Wilderness Area - a grey limestone range which (partially) envolopes The Valley of Fire.

The Valley of Fire is a 40'000 acre natural geological museum and its aptly named due to the vast expanse of flaming red Aztec sandstone formations found there. Some of the structures we visited include: The Beehives, Atlatl Rock, Rainbow Vista, The Domes, Fire Canyon and The Cabins.

Similar to Red Rock Canyon the formation of The Valley of Fire takes us back to the Jurassic Period, in the Mesozoic Era. The main rock types found in these areas are sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. Simply put, many of the rock formations were once sand dunes and loose sediments and particles (including skeletal and shell deposits from animal and plant life).

Over time, these sand dunes lithified to form the various rock formations and vistas which we see today. Some of the swirling designs on the rock formations are due to the wind shaping the sand dunes and the chemical reactions of the minerals in the rocks. Furthermore, these rocks have undergone transformations (metamorphed) due to various processes, such as: atmospheric changes, heat, erosion, weathering, compression, pressure, extremes in weather conditions, tectonic activity, chemical reactions and exposure to the elements.

Although the brilliant red Aztec Sandstone is arguably the most outstanding rock found at The Valley of Fire (which gets its red colour as a result of the oxidisation of iron) a spectrum of coloured rock can be found at the national park, including hues of white, brown and purple.

The sedimentary rocks comprise of various minerals and substances and furthermore, provide the raw materials for items which we use in our everyday lives.

Some of the various rocks found in The Valley of Fire include limestone (used in construction), calcite (the base material of chalk) gypsum (used in dry wall and construction materials), quartz (also an igneous rock – used in construction, as well as watch and clock making), sandstone (used in construction and an early example can be seen in The Valley of Fire with the well-intended but crudely constructed Cabins, built in 1935).

It is interesting to note that some of the natural rock sculptures which we saw imitate various natural and manmade objects – Piano Rock, Elephant Rock Balancing Rock (a defiance of gravity) are popular examples of Nature having a sense of humour.

More to be found: Other Natural Formations

The natural formations at The Valley of Fire do not stop at geological structures. A few other formations found in the desert include:

Cross Bedding - Cross bedding occurs when sediments have been deposited at various points in time forming “beds” or "layers".  The rocks further reveal the angles and direction of the erosive elements (wind and water), which causes the prominent cross sections. An example of cross bedding can be seen at the rock structures known as the Beehives.

Desert varnish – This is a dark, shiny, charcoal-coloured substance is found on the surface of some of the rock formations. Although not fully understood, it is said that the desert varnish is formed as a result of the rection between the minerals in the rock (magnese and iron) and organic material such as algea and lichen. The early settlers would carve images (known a polygraphs) into the desert varnish, which can still be seen today. Atlatl Rock is a popular site to view the ancient polygraphs.

Tanks – During our stop at Atlatl Rock, we saw one of these naturally formed water reservoirs. Once used by the early settlers, they are a now an important, potential source of water for wildlife in the desert. We saw evidence of big horned sheep in the area, as they would have been seeking water in the intense, desert heat.

Other interesting formations

Other formations which I did not see, but still piqued my interest include:

Cryptobiotic soil – this substance is a formed from a mixture of organic matter such a lichen, moss and so on. This covering is beneficial for the desert soil and is an extremely delicate substance. Once tampered with, it takes years to regenerate.

Petrified Wood - trees dating back to the Mesozoic Era, which originated from distant highlands are said to have fallen into a river and eventually made their way The Valley of Fire. The wood mixed with the sediment and and submereged in it. The lack of oxygen (inhibiting decomposition), loss of organic matter and the minerals in the sediment taking over the wood, are the processes which contributed to the wood being "petrified", preserved or fossilzed in the rock formations.

Coral Fossil: Found in the Muddy Mountains, these are the skeletal and shell preserves of plant and animal life. This is an interesting formation as it is holds evidence of the region's prehistoric past showing that this area was once at the bottom of an ocean basin.

Folds: This is caused when the rocks "bend" under pressure (rather than breaking or fracturing), forming a fold. The deposits which make up sedimentary rocks form horizontal layers, which disort during the process. There are different types of folds and various processes which form them. Although we did not see any folds, the Fire Canyon was formed as a result of erosion wearing away the top of a fold.

Wildlife

Despite the extreme desert heat, wildlife in The Valley of Fire is abundant. On our tour, we were warned to beware of rattlesnakes, which are active in spite of the scorching heat. While we fortunately or unfortunately, did not see any rattlesnakes, we saw squirrels, bees and other insects, birds, hummingbirds, a lizard and evidence of big horned sheep. Many of these wildlife species, including the insects, were trying to find relief from the scorching desert heat.

The Mojave Desert however, is home to what seems to be an endless list of wildlife species. This includes: coyotes, foxes, jack rabbits, desert tortoise, mule deserts, mountain lions, hawks, bobats, snakes and bluebirds.

Furthermore, at The Valley of Fire Visitor Center there were the following live animals:

Chuckwalla - this reptile one of the Mojave Desert's largest lizards and while they consume insects, they mainly feed on plants (especially the leaves of creosote bush). Chuckwallas are said to be active during the day and are able to store water for later consumption. They hibernate in the months the temperatures are lower. One of its defence mechanisms is to deliberately exapand itself between the spaces of rocks, making dislodging it a challenge for its predators.

Gopher Snake - Like the chuckwalla, the gopher snake is resilient to the desert heat. This snake feeds on rodents, lizards and birds and bird eggs, due to its ability to make its way up trees. Although a constrictor and not venomous, gopher snakes are said to bear resemblence to rattlesnakes, due to their colouration. This snake seems fully aware of this similarity, as when threatened, it is said to triganulate its head, enlargens itself and mimick the movements of a rattlesnake.

Kingsnake- another constrictor, this snake is described as "glossy" in appearance. It was named after one of its defining traits - its cannabalistic diet and abaility to withstand venom from the snakes it consumes (at least rattlesnakes). It does however, also consume rodents, birds, lizards..

Plant Life

Similiar to the countless species of wildlife which survive the harsh conditions of this desert, the Mojave Desert is home to an abundance of plant life. While the now familiar creosote bush (a personal favourite) was pointed out on our tour, I was also introduced to other species of plants, which include:

Desert Mistletoe - this plant is infamous for being parasitic, and gets sustenance by feeding off other plants (mainly leguminous ones). The host plant, as well as the mistletoe itself, ultimately do not survive the partnership.

Desert Mistletoe is said to produce fruit (berries) which are safe to consume, unlike the other parts of the plant. One of the pollinators of Desert Mistletoe are phainopepla birds.

Cow's Tongue Prickly Pear - this a type of prickly pear cactus, which despite its thickness was quite wide spread. When looking at this plant, one can see how its name was derived - what is known as the "pads" or flat, fleshy parts of the cactus bears resemblence to a cow's tongue. The fruit and pads of this plant have been used as a food source by the early settlers and is once again gaining this popularity.

Jumping Cactus/Cholla - when viewing this plant driving through the desert, its green, fuzzy, soft appearance, made it seem harmless enough. However, all is not what it seemed as the soft fuzz is actually the spines of the cactus - which according to research are quite painful upon contact. Research indicates that these defensive spines were once leaves which have transformed into the defensive mechanism is it now. Although there were claims of the cactus actually jumping at passerbys, the spikes of the cactus actually easily dislodge, even at the slightest contact.

Another Beautiful Adventure

The Mojave Desert is one of the best places to see Nature at work - where an explosion of art and science come together to form this beautiful region. It is truely awesome and unfathomable.

Related Article:

August 2017: Beyond the Local Patch: A Desert Adventure

Furthermore, it is not unusual to find an odd arrangement of various twigs scattered on the balcony floor.

The culprits are either Zenaida doves or the common ground doves (known locally as "wood doves" and "doves" respectively) - and the untidy arrangement can be traced to a nest being built in between the high wooden beams.

New Household Members

In recent years, while I have seen many nesting attempts, I was not fortunate enough to see a successful hatching up close.

Nevertheless, doves are one of the most populous birds on the island (especially wood doves), not being familiar with their nesting habits, I decided to research them.

As I was beginning to think that my luck had run out, this year, I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that two nestlings successfully hatched by a pair of common ground doves.

Starting from (and with) Scratch

Sticks, twigs, mud, dried leaves, bits of cotton and other fibres are used in the construction of nests. Another common material are the dried needles from the "Casuarina tree".

Compared to some of the other species on the island, which build fully or at least partially sheltered nests, doves' nests can be considered as more of a padding.

Preparation: Not as easy as the storks make it look!

Research indicates that doves are monogamous and both parents undertake various tasks in sharing the responsibility of building the nest and caring for their young. Female doves usually lay 2 eggs per clutch, although this can vary.

Furthermore, both partners take turns incubating the eggs, for a period of about 2-3 weeks. The eggs have to be incubated at a certain temperature (about 40° C) and if left unattended for extended periods of time, the temperature of the eggs drops and the embryo will not develop further.

Welcome!

Nevertheless, I took a snap and adjusted the exposure of the image - only to find the two small squabs (infant doves) closely huddled together! They were masked by the dark indent of the nest.

As the days went on, I had to look carefully at the nest and pay more attention to my images, as the nestlings were sometimes

(partially) hidden by their parent. Furthermore, being small and fuzzy they could easily be mistaken for the materials used to build the nest!

Feeding time

One morning, when checking in on the nest - I saw a quick flutter of activity between one of the parent doves and one of the squabs. The parent stared at me watchfully and I believe I had interrupted feeding time.

Doves/pigeons are 1 of 3 bird species (the others being flamingos and male emperor penguins) which produce "crop milk".

In many species of birds, the crop is a part of the oesophagus and holds already consumed, but undigested food (digestion will occur at a later time). As the name suggests, it is also where crop milk (also known as "bird milk" or "pigeon milk") is produced.

In the case of doves, both parents produce this matter during the incubation period.

The parents initially start their young on a diet of only crop milk, which is fed to the squabs through the process of regurgitation.

Crop milk has been described as resembling "cottage cheese" or "curd" and is said to be rich in fats, proteins and other vital nutrients. Other foods, such as seeds, are introduced incrementally into the nestlings diet when they are a little older (as the young birds grow at an exponential rate "a little older" is just a few days).

It is interesting to note that the hormone prolactin that stimulates lactation in mammals, also causes the birds to produce crop milk.

Not always a happy time...

It is always enjoyable watching innocent, fuzzy young birds nestling snugly against their parents or listening to them chirp loudly, demanding to be fed.

However, nesting does not come without its challenges.

From fallen to abandoned eggs to predators awaiting the vulnerable young birds - it is unfortunate when tragedy hits.

For example, it is not uncommon to find smashed bird's eggs on the floor, as in the case of the common ground dove on my balcony, which appears to have originally

Perhaps eggs fall accidentally, or sometimes the doves are aware that the egg will not hatch and push the egg out of the nest, in order to utilise their energy incubating the eggs that will successfully go on to develop.

I have also seen instances of abandoned nests with eggs still inside. While the reason for this is not always clear, possibilities may include, the nesting area no longer giving a sense of security, the eggs will not hatch, or there was a severe disturbance while nesting.

Another scenario which I have seen, is a pair of doves laying as many as four eggs. Again, while there may be many reasons for this, research mentions that this may occur when the birds are a pair of homosexual female doves. As the eggs are unfertilized, they will not hatch.

Furthermore, now and again, we find an unsure, disoriented fledgling wandering on the balcony. I suspect they are usually in the process of learning how to fly. It is unnerving to think of the predators (such as cats and rats) that may await these young, vulnerable inexperienced birds.

Unsavoury Characters

One morning, when entering the balcony to have a look at the nest, I saw a wood dove suspiciously close to the nest, while both parents were away. While the wood dove seemed perturbed at my appearance - my presence was not enough to drive it away.

Wanting to see if the wood dove was up to anything (I have also read that some doves may try to take over another's nest), I patiently watched.

Suddenly, one of the parent common ground doves appeared and attacked the much larger wood dove. The common ground dove then perched watchfully on the beam near its nest for a few moments, before finally settling down in the nest with the fledglings.

The attack, appeared to be a warning, as it was swift, not continuous and did not drive the wood dove away.

Front row seats

Although sharing our home with various creatures is arguably a nuisance, on the other hand it can be considered a privilege.

For weeks the common ground doves had taken up occupancy on my balcony and had given me front row seats to witness a part of their life cycle.

Over a span of just a few days, the small fuzzy infants developed feathers and started to resemble their parents (and every common ground dove).

The nest is now empty and I wish that the family did not have to move on in such a short space of time. I hope they enjoyed their stay and perhaps I will see them again and hopefully even future generations.

No matter which part of the world we live in, our natural surroundings have so much to offer us. Whether it is simply admiring a sunset, going for a swim in the ocean, or talking a walk in a park, I have found that spending time with nature is extremely rejuvenating.

Over the past year, I have been involved in a very hands-on outdoor activity - handling horses (and ponies) at a local stable. Although this can be both physically and mentally engaging, one can leave feeling completely energised.

Being a complete novice in handling horses, I initially believed being kind was the only requirement to building a positive relationship with them.

Unknown to me at the time - horses can distinguish between affection and respect and it has not taken me long to learn that horses are not only more complicated, but also more opinionated that I initially thought…

Thinking like a horse

Although equines have been domesticated for thousands of years, they still maintain behaviours and characteristics that are paramount to their survival in the wild.

It is important to bear in mind when interacting with horses, unlike dogs and cats which are predatory by nature, horses are prey animals and a sense of security and comfort are priority in this anxious creature’s life.

Secondly, horses are herd animals and look towards a leader. From the horse's perspective, a herd is not limited to other horses and can simply be formed with a single person and the horse. Even in this equation of two, the horse will try to determine its position as a herd leader or a herd member.

Dominance and trust are important aspects of holding the leadership position with a horse. If the horse does not sense adequate leadership, by instinct, it will try to fill the position of leader and exert its dominance (sometimes in the form of pushiness and even aggressive behaviour). Many times, horses test their boundaries and challenge leadership in their herd and the dynamics can change.

Are you trying to tell me something?

Horses can be temperamental. Furthermore, their senses are highly developed and in the wild, this is what helps them survive. There are a number of signals horses use to indicate their feelings – and this is

expressed through their body language. The position of their ears, noses, legs, tails and overall demeanour are all indicators on how the horse is feeling. They also use vocal cues, such as nickering, whinnying or snorting to express themselves.

While horses exhibit general characteristics of their species - like people, they also have their own unique personalities.

Furthermore, horses are masters at reading human body language and emotional energy which in turn influences their interaction with humans.

When building a safe, trusting relationship with a horse – it is important to have an understanding of both general equine communication, as well as the individual horse’s personality and motivations.

Not just a horse ...

While dealing with horses has been quite the experience, as I continue to spend time them, I am always amazed that two very different species are able to communicate and form a silent, yet respectful understanding with each other.

To this end, I have made some wonderful friends and have also learnt about some of their other dominant traits - loyalty, compassion and forgiveness.