|
To see what the weather is like in Fajardo, click here to go to a Fajardo web cam.
All photos shot by and copyrighted by me, Rex Cauldwell. Enjoy but do not copy without permission. Please
read the text below since a couple minutes are needed for the photos to download.
Beware: High quality photos--slow download zone!
My apologies, but this site may not be for sightseers who only
have a fast, passing intrest. Throughout the entire site there will be large photographs with many photos per page. This is
needed to show how impressieve El Yunque is--but this translates out to be slow downloading unless you have a fast computer
system with a fast internet hookup. The average download time for the page is around two minutes. If you are serious about
seeing some quality photos of the El Yunque rainforest then this is your site otherwise you may not have the patience for
the downloading.
What you want to do here is prop your feet up, relax, and read your favorite book for a bit or that
mag you've been putting off looking at. If you want a good detailed look at dinosaurs then the wait will be worth it.
Click here to contact me
In Puerto Rico, the iguanas get to be quite large--and get to be quite bold. These big ones that I have seen are not in the
park itself (but the locals say they are moving up into the park--so it will interesting to see how they effect the eco system)
but in Fajardo, just a few minutes away. They roam over the rocks, the piers, the yachts, the boats, and out into the streets.
The locals say some get to be over 12 feet+ but I have yet to see any of that size. However, give them the right of way, do
not chase them, and make sure you do not grab one.
To photograph them you go to the yacht club and travel around
behind it--there is only one paved road that does this. Once you start up the steep hill take the first driveway to the right.
Follow the driveway down to the pier--park on the left. Bring some insect repellent--the mosquitoes are everywhere.
It should be obvious that I like large photographs. You simply cannot get the magnitude and the beauty of the iguanas
unless the photo is enlarged. The disadvantage is that the photo downloads slowly. However, I think you'll agree that it is
worth the wait.
These babies come in all different colors and lengths. I photographed this one during an early morning rain with a 500mm lens.
He was high in a tree over water. They like to come out in the morning and sun themselves to raise their body temperatures.
You'll normally see around 10-30 of them at a time in the trees. Note the jaws, it is quite easy to see how they could pop
a finger off your hand if they wanted.
If you want to take close-ups like these (besides a good camera) you will need a tripod, a 500mm lens, a 1.4X or doubler,
and both 100 ASA Reala and some 400 speed film. I have two cameras: one loaded with 100 ASA Reala for the days when the sun
is out and one loaded with 400 ASA flim for the days when the sun is not (which is quite often).
This orange guy was not with the rest of the group, but on a different tree in a different area. Sometimes it looks like the
iguanas like to group together and othertimes they appear to want to be alone. It's hard to shoot these guys because you have
to get a clear shot though the tree limbs. Many of the best shots are inside of the tree which means you have a lot of tree
limbs and leaves between you and the little dino making the shot impossible.
Around six inches long, this little baby can't bite your finger off--though he might nibble. These lizards sleep on leaves
and limbs at night and can be seen along the jungle trails. They wake easy and when startled they sometimes pose themselves
in this threatening position. I shot this one on a jungle trail around 2 AM.
Taken along a jungle trail around midnight,this little lizard was fast asleep until my flashlight woke him up.
|
