The moment the plane landed and it was the softest landing ever, I got a really good feeling. I knew I would love it here. However I got a really bad feeling when I stepped on the plane from Brisbane to Hamilton Island and was hit in the face with the three S's: sticky, smelly, and smoldering! Once we arrived at Hamilton Island it was boiling hot. The airport was as small as Early Childhood back at school! Once we got on the ferry to Hayman Island (which is where we stayed) it all changed.

There were fancy chocolates, that were the best, and the people on the ferry were so nice. We were able to go up to the front and hangout with Captain Bill! He gave us posters to look at and see what animals we were going to be snorkeling with and a map of the Whitsunday Islands. That is the group of Islands that we were staying in. They are a group of islands East of Australia. I think they are a very beautiful group of Islands. Once we arrived at Hayman island and left the ferry the people that worked on the ferry all stood outside and said goodbye to us. Once we got off the dock we hopped on a "stretch golf-cart?" Then we arrived at where we were staying. Once we got there it was so beautiful. You could hear the birds cawing, and the palms rustling.

Once we saw the room I was completely amazed, I was born in Florida so I love tropical architecture like the tile floor and the white shutters that went back and forth. I said thank you's to my Mom and Dad right away because they brought me to a place that was like my real home, Florida. I went right out to the back porch and found out that there was a little door that you could open and if you went down two steps on a ladder you would be in a salt water pool, this was 84 degrees. There was a fresh water pool right in the middle (that I had to swim to) and that was only a little warmer at 86 degrees. Perfecto! The lady that brought us to the room told us that the ocean water was 80 degrees! That, I did not believe.

Once we settled in we had to start swimming in the huge pool! That night there was a party because it was New Years Eve. I found the party very boring. It was more for younger kids. So we eventually went back to the room and I was so tired I fell right asleep once I was in my pj's!

TWO DAYS LATER...

Ok, today is a very busy day! We all start off by going to breakfast and as soon as we finish eating, the smartest birds on earth come sit next to us and pick up a piece of muffin and take small tiny bites!?!?!? Now that is something you don't see everyday!!! Before you know it another one swoops down and licks the butter out of the bowl?! Cockatoo's are Australia's best known parrot. They learn to talk and are extremely intelligent. They can also be very loud and can live for more than 70 years!

To continue with our busy, day before you know it we have to rush to get to an interview with the manager of gardening. At this interview we talked with the manager about the island and what he knows about it. The interview was actually for this report. The interview took about 1hr. During that 1 hr we asked him where we could find them during the day. The Manager told us where we could see them sleeping so we went on a hike to seek them out. Slithering snakes were on the Island, many poisonous. Thats what I was scared of. It was really hot out and my Mom said the snakes may be out on the rocks giving themselves a suntan. We started on our journey in the afternoon and hiked for around 5 minutes until we ran into a bunch of rocks in the sun that we had to go over. I almost stayed back thinking about those poisonous ones, I ended up going. I started thinking to myself "Are we really going to find them?" Well, we did! There was a huge camp of them hanging right in front of us. They were much bigger than I thought they would be. It was getting hotter and hotter, I think the Flying Foxes agreed with us because they were fanning themselves off with their wings.

Flying Foxes are also known as Fruit Bats, but they don't use ecolocation/sonar they use their eyes to find where they are going instead. Their fur is short and reddish or light brown. We found out the trick to making them cute, look at their face close-up and upside down, it's adorable! So technically they are bats, but they are not? Does that make any sense?

We had to end up running back to the room to get ready for a practice snorkel by the beach in the inner Great Barrier Reef. We had to rush because we had to catch a boat to get to the beach where all the coral was. We ran to the Marina, sprinted down the dock and plopped our selves on the power boat and set off right away. It was only a 5 minute boat ride. Once we got to the beach we noticed that is was white. This beach had no sand what-so-ever. It was a beach with dead, dried up coral everywhere! It really hurt to walk on the coral because it was hot and it was really bumpy.

We settled down at one spot on the beach. We wanted to get right in the water, but we were instructed to put stinger suits on?!?! Those are suits that you wear that give you sun protection and you are protected from anything that can come up to you and sting you. They also made you very hot while you are out in the sun because they were a dark color. We very quickly put those on, then we slapped our snorkels over our heads and everybody made a pig face when they did it because they wouldn't fit! We ran over to the water once in our stinger suits and snorkels on. We sat down in the water and put out flippers on, because it would've been harder to walk if we put them on up at the beach. Then we did some exercises before we started snorkeling. I, Captain-O, and Rosie-Meets-World had never gone snorkeling before so that is why we had to do those exercises. We finished them and started off into the sea but not far away from shore. We saw so much coral, and we saw a good amount of fish but I wish we could've seen more. :( I saw this one fish and it was the biggest one there, even though it was still pretty small. On the way back to the Marina the water was splashing in our faces and I got soaked and had a huge laugh attack! It was so funny!

When we got back to the resort, I started noticing how pretty the birds were. I got on my computer and started researching them. I found out that there are 215 types of birds that live near the Great Barrier Reef. They separate these birds into groups. Those groups are: Seabirds, Boobies, Frigatebirds, Gulls, Noddies, Shearwaters, Terns, and Pelicans. The first three interested me the most, I thought I'd share them with you.

Seabirds live on islands, on or underneath vegetation, shrubs or trees. They eat a variety of supplies found in many different locations along the reef. Unlike most birds, Seabirds can drink salt water.

Boobies are large Seabirds, related to Gannets. They dive from hights up to 30m to catch fish down below. Boobies live in large colonies, on level ground, cliff tops, cliff ledges, bushes, or tree tops.

Frigatebirds are the most aerial of tropical seabirds. Their habitat is on top of low trees, bushes, or on the ground where vegetation is absent. Frigatebirds never land on water, they eat by snatching up surface marine food and scraps, or by harassing other seabirds until they discourage their catch.

A threat to these birds is the same for any other bird. These threats are: being scared of leaving their chicks and eggs behind, human disturbance, natural disasters, and litter. Here are some ways we protect their habitat. During the breeding season people close off the Great Barrier Reef to the tourists so they do not disturb them, controlling feral animals, allow native vegetation to grow, not letting vehicles to go on and off the sand dunes or on the beach in general to prevent pollution and the eggs getting run over, and people are trying again and again to keep control of the pollution and waste going into the sea.

THE VERY NEXT DAY...

This morning we woke up bright and early to go eat breakfast and then go to the marina again, but this time to go to the outer Great Barrier Reef! We are going to see alot more animals here because the Outer Reef is open to all of the sea creatures that want to come in. As for the Inner Reef, it's a longer way for the fish to get there. We weren't getting there any ordinary way, we were getting there by seaplane! "All aboard the Whitsunday Air seaplane!" thats what I was thinking in my head that the pilot was going to say to us. It didn't happen. :( We got on the plane and got buckled in, and before you know it kvroom goes the engine and we were off! I was looking down at the Great Barrier Reef while up in the air and I remember hearing that it was 1,800 miles wide! I was told that there would be lots more animals to see. I looked down and saw a little island, and I noticed that it was heart shaped! It was a little coral heart shaped island. It was the prettiest thing I've ever seen! In fact I (think a heart here) it! The day before I looked up what kind of animals we would see and this is what I found: coral, coral sponges, molluscs, rays, dolphins, over 1500 species of fish, around 215 types of birds (as you already know), 20 types of reptiles including turtles and giant clams over 120 yrs of age! That truly amazed me but then I found out about sharks and I was terrified.

We landed on the water (because its a seaplane) which was a beautiful bright blue with little dark patches where the coral was. We all hopped onto a boat that took us to the reef that we were snorkeling in. Ok, now I really didn't want to do it, but I went in for around an hour. I was looking out for Wobbegongs which are creatures that hide underneath the sand and eat off of the ocean floor. I think I did see one because the sand was moving the opposite way of the current at one point. : / I started getting really scared so I sat out out for a half-hour. During that half-hour a lot happened: a man brought up a sea cucumber from the ocean floor and I got to touch it, I drank a pineapple juice, and I saw a turtle!

Soon we had to start heading back, but I wanted to know more about the Great Barrier Reef so I got on my computer and found some interesting information like this: The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven wonders of the natural world, it is larger than the Great Wall of China, it is the only living thing on earth that is visible from space, the worlds largest collection of corals, endangered species like: Dugong (Sea Cow), and large green sea turtle.

Well that was only the first stop so there will be more "adventures" to take on soon.

P.S. Look under the picture album called Hayman Island and you will find pictures of birds, and the Great Barrier Reef! Make sure you look there!

World Rings Bell

Bibliography

"Seabirds GBR Explorer." ReefED. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Jan. 2013. <www.reefed.edu.au/home/explore/animals/marine_vertabrates/seabirds>.

"What Is Australia's Great Barrier Reef." About the Reef -. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Jan. 2013. <http://www.greatbarrierreef.org/about.php>.

Interview with Mr. Douglas Smith, Hayman Island Landscape Manager