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A16 LOCAL
Wednesday 22 January 2020
Birds of Aruba

ORANJESTAD — On May 11th, 2010, the Aruba
Birdlife Conservation was founded with the aim
of protecting the biodiversity in general and
birds in and around Aruba in particular.

Among other things, the foundation will focus
on increasing the survival chances of species
of wild birds by promoting their preservation
and conservation. The foundation publishes the
most beautiful pictures of local birds on their so-
cial media that show us the beauty of Aruba’s
birds and nature in general. Aruba Today gives
you a little peek with the following pictures and
descriptions from the foundations Facebook
page. can do so best. A Greater Yellowlegs rediscov-
The Great Egret ering Aruba’s Bubali Wetlands.
Serenity in Aruba’s National Park, a Great Egret
flying in peace. When it is peaceful and quite, Cabochon
beautiful things start happening in nature. In its living form of so much more value than
any gemstone. Aruba’s smallest and most mas-
Canadian in the house ter of flight. A top pollinator. A hovering Blenchi
The breeding season is over and it’s getting inspecting the human who just entered his ter-
pretty cold in North America. Shore birds have ritory.
started moving southwards as early as July. This English: Blue-tailed Emerald (male) Dutch: Blau-
wetland beauty wants to keep its toes warm. wstaartsmaragdkolibrie (mannetje).
Our Canadian friends know exactly where they Aruba’s to enjoy. Aruba’s to protect.q

Fruit Loose

Fresh fruits make a tropical holi- chewing gum. Rich in tannins, an-
day’s picture complete. Whether tioxidants shown to contain anti-
you see the mango’s hanging in inflammatory compounds, and
the trees or the fresh fruit cocktail vitamin C, essential for healthy
on the side table of your pool bed, immune function. Season: year-
the link is there: you are in the round.
tropics. Aruba grows her own fruits
and veggies and there are some Kenepa
pretty out-of-space local species Ovoid green fruit that grows in
you may never had heard of, but bunches on trees up to 30m high.
really healthy and delicious. The fruit is related to the lychee fruit typically ripen during the sum- to generation. Its fruit’s degree of
and have tight, thin but rigid skins. mer. sour depends on the amount of
Mispel Inside the skin is the tart, tangy, rain it gets. Red Shimarukus tend
This is a fruit with a character (5- or sweet pulp of the fruit cover- Druif to taste better than orange. The
10 cm/2-4 inches). It does not ripe ing a large seed. The pulp is usu- There is no chance you did not fruit has super power: a true vita-
until it is picked or falls off the tree. ally cream or orange colored. bump into one of the sea grape min bomb. Adults only need to eat
Mispel is hard with a sandpaper Kenepa strengthens the immune trees while spending your vaca- 3-4 of these berries to meet their
like texture when immature, soft system, and prevents the repro- tion on Aruba. The sea grape daily recommended amount of
and juicy when ripe. It’s techni- duction of bacteria and viruses in plant is often used in ocean-side Vitamin C. Season: Rainy months
cally a berry, but contains a skin the body. landscaping in sandy soil right on (Oct-Jan).
similar to that of a kiwi. It’s grainy This fruit is highly recommended the beach and it produces clus-
and sweet, with a light, musky fla- to treat lung infections and uri- ters of fruit that resemble grapes. Tamarind
vor. The sap or gum from the tree nary tract infections. It also helps Are sea grapes edible? Yes, they A delicious, sweet fruit that has a
is also a source of ‘chicle’ the to cure insomnia and rejuvenates are. Animals enjoy sea grapes wide variety of uses and applica-
original ingredient used to make the nervous system. Season: the and humans can eat them as tions, both for medicinal and culi-

well, and they are used to make nary purposes. It is a medium-sized
jam. They contain very low calo- bushy tree with evergreen leaves
ries and sugar, enabling good and fruit that develops in pods
bacterium to digest food and characterized by long, brown
excrete waste quickly which is ef- shells. Inside is a sticky, fleshy, juicy
fective in preventing constipation. pulp, which is the Tamarind fruit.
Season: Sep-Oct. Both sweet and sour in taste, the
fruit contains a significant level
Shimaruku of vitamin C, as well as vitamin
Maybe Aruba’s most popular wild E, B vitamins, calcium, iron, phos-
fruit tree. You may have noticed phorous, potassium, manganese,
cars at the side of the road and and dietary fiber. There are also
people picking those red ber- a number of organic compounds
ries. Well, that’s Shimaruku. The that make tamarind a powerful
local habit to stop for these deli- antioxidant and anti-inflammato-
cious fruits goes from generation ry agent. Season: March.q