tern island 2008

Going Home

2008-08-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

I will be on my way home in about 2 1/2 hours. I'm all packed and ready and about 30 minutes before the flight arrives we start to scare the birds off the runway. We all hope for no bird strikes coming in or departing. The plane flights are controversial because there have been flights that killed large numbers of birds. We all hope that is not the case today. I'm off!

Four Months on Tern Island

2008-08-11T23:44:00.000-07:00

This has been quite an odyssey! I've been thinking for several days how I could sum up these last 4 months and here is that effort. I worked very hard to get myself and the house and my responsibilities at home in order before I came, but a lot happened while I was gone that was beyond my control. Who can prepare for the death of your Mom while you're away. Another death in the extended family who had been a friend and mentor for 40 years added to that sense of loss. Then to cap it all off our home was burglarized in broad daylight and Jan had to deal with those feelings of fear and violation without me there. I wonder if any other 4 month period in my life had quite this many such events come together at one time. Then to have it all happen while I was living off the edge of the planet was difficult some days. I am lucky to be part of a family that dealt with it all and told me to stay where I was and complete my duties.

It is hard to think of Tern Island without the previous events being first in my mind but my time here has been the experience of a lifetime. So many events come to mind that it is hard to single out ones that were special, but here are a few that stand out. Living on a small island in the mid North Pacific Ocean. Sharing that Island with a handful of people and 200,000 seabirds. Traveling by small boat across the atoll with no land in view except La Perouse Pinnacle. Swimming and snorkeling at La Perouse felt like you were swimming in mid Pacific with nothing but the horizon in view. Watching many sunsets that showed the green flash as the sun dipped below the horizon. Dozens and dozens of colorful new fish to be observed. Common jobs, like at home, such as raking, shoveling, sweeping, or washing but with dozens of curious albatross chicks looking on. Banding 100 plus albatross chicks in a day. Catching and holding more than a hundred albatross chicks the next day while your partner banded. Seeing a Bristle-thighed Curlew. Watching turtle hatchlings emerge from the sand. Eating my breakfast every morning sitting on a bucket on the front porch in the midst of thousands of seabirds. Having Sooty Terns perch on my head almost every day I worked in the colonies. Monitoring, and banding, 6 different species of seabirds. Watching highly endangered Hawaiian Monk Seals out my bedroom window. Never being away from the sound of the surf or the sounds of 200,000 seabirds.

The whole experience will take months to process in my own mind. There will be lots of organizing of pictures and talking to Jan and other family members to help put it all in perspective. It has been the experience of a lifetime and one of which dreams are made.

Turtle Hatch

2008-08-10T12:44:00.000-07:00

Last night about 9:30 p.m. 6 of us went out to watch the hatchlings emerge from a turtle nest. Tammy had marked 2 nests that were close to the barracks and were ready to emerge. One of the nests had 2 hatchlings on the surface and the other had 3 or 4 little turtle heads sticking up out of the sand. We sat for about 15 minutes and saw little movement. Tammy then gently moved one of the hatchlings an inch or 2 and the movement underground increased. Within 2-3 minutes the ground in an area about 12 inches in diameter looked like a bucket of worms. There were turtle hatchlings everywhere. They crawled over each other and continued to boil out of the sand for about 5 minutes. When a good portion of them were out of the ground there was a slight pause in the movement and it seemed like they were getting their bearings. When the movement resumed almost all of them were headed toward the water. They crawl quickly and within 10 minutes all 100 plus hatchlings had disappeared into the small surf about 25 feet away. The action at the second nest was very similar. I'm happy to still be experiencing new things after 4 months here on Tern.

Coral Spawn

2008-08-08T10:33:00.000-07:00

For the second time in my 4 month stay there has been a coral spawn. I know very little about it but it shows on the surface of the ocean as black globules about the size of a pea. This is all floating in what looks like an oil slick. The eggs and sperm are released directly into the water in huge quantities. There is enough of this material floating that you can smell it over much of the island. It only lasts a day or 2 and then is gone.

Snorkel trip

2008-08-05T10:25:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon we had a memorable snorkel trip. The seal researchers had some work they needed to accomplish on the Ginns so several of us tagged along. We worked for about an hour on Little Ginn and then snorkeled for a short time on Ginn Spit. We then left that area and motored toward Trig and Whale-Skate. Much of this area is covered with breakers and coral heads so it was slow going threading our way through small channels between the coral outcroppings. We anchored in an area about 20 feet deep with a sand bottom and numerous coral outcroppings. The snorkeling was very good. These areas are seldom, if ever, visited and the coral is pristine. There were many fish and other organisms to look at and we all had a good swim. It is late enough in my stay here I'm beginning to wonder which of these small boat trips across the atoll will be my last.

Turtle Reproductive Success

2008-08-03T11:24:00.000-07:00

Several days this week I have worked with Tammy the turtle tech digging up turtle nests in which hatching is complete. Tammy walks the beach in the morning looking for the small depression and tracks from the hatchlings of a nest that has hatched during the night. Then in the afternoon each of these nests is carefully dug. Most of the digging is with hands and live hatchlings are sometimes found stuck under a rock or a piece of coral. The live ones are put into an ice chest for release in the evening. When the egg chamber is found all of the eggs hatched and unhatched are lifted out of the chamber. The eggs are a little larger than a ping pong ball and leathery, not hard like a chicken egg. All of the eggs that are removed are categorized into hatched or still containing an embryo. The ones with embryo are opened and the developmental stage of the egg is noted. My job has been some digging, categorizing the eggs and filling out the data sheet. Yesterday afternoon we did 6 nests and found nearly 100 live hatchlings which we released last night after dark.It is hot, stinky work but watching the hatchlings swim away from the beach last night made it all worthwhile.

A Day on Tern

2008-08-01T20:41:00.000-07:00

The work here on Tern is slowing down but there are still interesting experiences to keep the days active. I had the entrapment walk this morning at 7 a.m. The purpose of the walk is to look for animals that get trapped in broken down parts of the old sea wall or for turtle hatchlings that get headed in the wrong direction after they emerge from their nest in the sand. This morning I found 3 turtle hatchlings in one spot and 1 more in another location. I released them all on South Beach. They were all swimming strongly when I last saw them. This afternoon I had another opportunity to go with the seal researchers to Shark Island and Trig Island. On Trig I took part in an exchange of pups. For various reasons pups end up with females that are not their birth mother and the pups survival chances go down when this happens. For the most part I observed as Shawn distracted one female while Derek and Mark kidnapped that pup. They brought it to where Monica and I were waiting in a turtle pit and we baby sat the pup. It was still wrapped in the net that was used in it's capture. Derek, Shawn and Mark then repeated the pup capture with the other pair and carried it directly to it's birth mother. To complete the switch, Shawn, Monica and I carried the pup we were baby sitting back to its own mother. After a few minutes of observation the switch seemed to be a success. After 4 months here I'm still gaining knowledge and having new experiences.

Day Off

2008-07-27T20:03:00.001-07:00

We only have 1 day off each week and that is probably a good idea. The island doesn't seem small until you have too much time to kill. Today I've walked to the end of the island twice, taking pictures, and have read my book in between times. I also spent 1 ½ hours cooking, believe it or not. I blanched and roasted 2 ½ cups of almonds that Jan sent in a care package that arrived on the last visit from the ship. Most of the folks here live in areas far from almond orchards and have never had this Central Valley treat. I also baked brownies from a mix that was in Jan's care package. They required very little cooking ability to succeed and turned out well. Since we are responsible for our own evening meal on Sunday, I will continue my culinary delights and whip up a grilled cheese sandwich with a side of Dill Pickle and chips. Back to work tomorrow.

Biology Projects

2008-07-26T20:07:00.000-07:00

Today, again, was a good mixture of biology tasks. We started the day banding Red-footed Booby chicks and a Red-tailed Tropicbird chick from my reproductive success plots. We then banded Masked Booby chicks until lunch time. Masked Boobies are goose sized fish eaters that are powerful birds. We chase them down with a modified fish landing net and then carefully extract them from under the net while it is still pressed to the ground. I'm not a hunter but this is a thrilling hunt without any prey getting hurt. After lunch we did a mean incubation count of all the Great Frigatebird nests on the island. There are no eggs left. The nests all contain chicks and only 2 of those nests had chicks that were small enough to still be brooded by their parents. The last MIC for Great Frigatebirds was a month ago and there were many eggs at that time. The seasons are changing here on Tern.

Frigatebird Glutton

2008-07-25T19:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday when we were banding MABO chicks we noticed a Frigatebird sitting on the ground like it was in some distress. If you remember from earlier posts Great Frigatebirds are the pirates of the bird colonies. One of their favorite meals are young chicks that they steal from other nests in the colonies. This particular Frigate had a huge crop and tail feathers sticking out of its mouth. It had eaten a bird that was so large that it couldn't get all of its meal swallowed and the weight of the prey made it impossible for the Frigate to get airborne. I looked a little later and he was no longer in sight. He had digested enough of its prey to get airborne.

Thursday on Tern Island

2008-07-24T21:26:00.000-07:00

Today was a mixed bag of work. I began the day banding Masked Booby chicks. The chicks are larger than a Mallard duck and are nearly ready to fledge. They are fish eaters and have sharp serrated beaks so some care is required catching and restraining them for banding. While we were banding the MABO chicks a Red-footed Booby landed on my head and sat there for several minutes. I have Sooty Terns roost on my head every day that I work in the colonies but this is the first time a Red-footed Booby has ever roosted on my head. The simple pleasures continue here on Tern. One of the turtle techs has left for home and the other one, Tammy, is banding hatchling turtles. The hatchlings are smaller in diameter than a tennis ball and only about ¾ of an inch thick. The bands are tiny and clip on the right front flipper. It was interesting to watch the process. We will see many more as the program hopes for 400 banded hatchlings. The rest of the day was spent working on maintenance projects and doing 3 loads of house laundry. Just like home.

Life on Tern Island

2008-07-23T20:17:00.000-07:00

Our Internet use has been so restricted it is hard to keep up this blog. I will continue with small posts but I still can't use pictures. The biology is slowing down with most of the nesting activity finished. I still see new nests occasionally in my Red-footed Booby and Red-tailed Tropicbird plots but they are rare. I still monitor these plots every other day but the numbers of birds are way down. The biggest job left for me is banding about 130 Red-footed Booby chicks that will fledge within the next 3 weeks. We continue to have rainy days every few days so our water storage looks good. I have enjoyed my time here immensely but I can see the end coming.

Saturday on Tern Island

2008-07-19T21:27:00.000-07:00

The biological work is slowing down and some days look like they will be boring with not enough work to keep busy, but there is nearly always more work if a person looks. Our water catchment and the turtle barriers along the beach edge almost always need sand cleared. I started on that task this morning. I shoveled along the south edge of the catchment where turtles throw sand in their nest building. As I was working Shawn stopped to say his team was going to tag a yearling seal and would I like to watch. Several of us trooped along and listened to the planning and then watched as Shawn, Derek, Monica and Mark ran to the seal, threw a net over it and basically sat on it while Mark and then Derek worked on the tagging. It was interesting to watch. I then went back to shoveling sand until about Noon and Shawn said today would be a good day for me to ride along on their count of the northern atoll seals. I changed and made a quick lunch and met the same seal folks at the dock. We motored south and east for about an hour to the Ginns, a group of small sand islands that I, and many others think is the most beautiful spot in the atoll. We didn't anchor there so the person doing the survey sat on the bow and we motored slowly into shallow water and they slid off into the water with a dry bag containing there survey supplies. We then motored to deeper water and waited while the survey was completed and then picked the person up the same way. The surveys were completed in the same fashion on Ginn, Little Ginn, and Ginn Spit. We then motored back to East and anchored and all of us got out and I was able to watch the survey work first hand. We then got back in the boat and motored on to Round Island where Mark waded ashore to complete the survey. Then we motored on to Trig Island where we anchored and all of us got out and on to the island. It was a great tour of all the islands in the atoll that are above water and dry.A great way to spend a Saturday that started out as a day of shoveling. The sand will still be there on Monday.

Moon Shadows

2008-07-18T20:05:00.000-07:00

I remember a song of 40 years ago called "Moonshadow." I thought of that song the other night when I went for a stroll on the runway after dark. It was nearly a full moon and the wind was blowing at 15 or 18 knots. There were also broken clouds covering the sky. As I walked along I kept noticing glowing patches of ground ahead of me on the runway. I then noticed they were moving quickly toward me. They were brilliant spots of moonlight and the dark areas between were the cloud shadows. It was quite a sight to see the glowing spots of moonlight hurtling along the runway at 15 knots. I was not being followed I was being overtaken very quickly.

Tiger Sharks and Albatross Chicks

2008-07-17T00:05:00.001-07:00

Today we were slated to take down the turtle camp on East Island so 4 of us were at the dock about 8:30 a.m. to get the boat in the water and go out to East. While loading the boat I looked out across the channel to see the fledgling albatross and spotted a Tiger Shark making passes at an Albatross chick. The shark would lunge at the chick and the bow wave from the shark's move would wash the albatross out of harms way. This happened 3 or 4 times as we watched from 150 feet away and then the shark found its range and the albatross disappeared in one gulp. This is a bird with a wingspan of more than 6 feet. The shark was probably 10 feet long or a little more. The seal researchers saw a repeat of this predation about 2 hours later in nearly the same spot. Our swimming beach is about 100 yards away from this action so it will probably not have many bathers for awhile!

Changing Blog

2008-07-15T23:33:00.000-07:00

The workings of the federal agencies involved with managing Tern Island have not occupied much of my thinking until now. Because our satellite Internet has such limited capacity there has been some problem created by uploading and downloading large files such as pictures and music. The people that are responsible for our Internet connection have put much more stringent restrictions on its use. The directive was a little vague but what it comes down to is that I can no longer upload pictures to this blog. I will continue to write but there will be no pictures to illustrate my writing.

East Island Turtle Camp Switch

2008-07-12T15:37:00.000-07:00

We switched the turtle techs on East Island this morning and it was very windy. Looking at our wind sock it must have been 20+ knots. It was a slow wet trip but it's always fun to be out on the water. When we got to East Island we put out a stern anchor and drifted/ motored into shallow enough water to carry the gear back and forth from the island to the boat. It was so windy that one person couldn't hold the bow in position in shallow water so we set a bow anchor on land and then did our back and forth parade through waist deep water to carry gear and supplies onto the island. When all the gear and people had been moved we pulled the bow anchor and 2 of us held the bow while the anchor was carried out to the boat. Then, quickly, I waded out to the boat and climbed on leaving Tammy behind. We then powered slowly out to the stern anchor and got it on the boat and we were off for Tern Island. Even with rain gear we were soaked to the skin from spray coming and going but it was great fun!

Turtle Barriers

2008-07-11T19:28:00.000-07:00

Green Sea Turtles are strong persistent animals and can get themselves into dangerous situations around the buildings and runway on Tern Island. They crawl up on the beaches, usually during the nighttime hours, to dig their nests and lay eggs. If they leave their nest and crawl into a situation where they are trapped and exposed to the daytime heat they will die. To prevent this, turtle barriers have been built over the years to stop the turtles from getting themselves into dangerous situations. The barriers have been built where turtles are known to escape the beaches and get entrapped. They take many forms and the pictures in this post show most of the types. The turtles move lots of sand so we need to shovel the sand away from the barriers regularly or the turtles will crawl up the ramps of sand they have piled up and crawl over the barriers. ---Notice the height of the sand piles beyond the albatross chick and the wood barrier.---

Tern Island Without the Albatross

2008-07-10T22:04:00.000-07:00

The Albatross chicks are leaving in greater numbers every day. Almost any time you look out toward the reef from the island you can spot swimming albatross. On both of the last 2 boat trips I've been on we have spotted swimming albatross chicks several miles from land that are almost certainly from Tern Island. The ones that are left are restless and are walking long distances or practicing their flying skills on the runway. There are noticeably fewer chicks to be seen on the island. Soon the runts will be the only ones left and most of them will die. After having 3,000 albatross chicks and twice that number of adults on and off the island feeding the chicks it will be very empty without them. By the time I leave in August we won't see any albatross chicks or adults. ---The image on the grass was taken 7-4-08 and the one on the runway was taken 7-9-08. ---

The Boat Hoist

2008-07-09T20:50:00.000-07:00

This sequence shows taking a boat out of the water. This process happens almost every day and usually several times per day. The boat is lifted straight up and then is swung around onto the concrete apron and lowered onto its trailer so it can be rolled out of the way for other boats to be launched or retrieved.

The Biologist and the Birder

2008-07-09T15:42:00.000-07:00

After spending 3 months on Tern Island working as a Field Biology Technician, I'm beginning to see differences between a biologist and a birder. I've spent 30 years as a birder and most of what I've done as a birder in those 30 years, involved observing and thinking about individual birds. The albinos in the previous post are a good example. That kind of variation is fascinating to me. Steve, the biologist that I'm working for, had a passing interest when we showed him the 2 albino chicks but he didn't even take pictures. His interest, as a field biologist, is the population. One pure white, pink eyed, Brown Noddy chick, that probably won't survive, has very little biological meaning. It is a genetic mistake that occurs rarely, but consistently, and is interesting only for it's rarity. It has very little meaning to the total population of Brown Noddys.
Caption: Sooty Terns at the top, Brown Noddys at the bottom

Albino and Partial Albino

2008-07-09T00:03:00.000-07:00

In the past 2 days we have discovered 2 color variant birds. One is a Sooty Tern chick which is a partial albino that is mostly white but has some color in the eyes and bare skin parts and a dark wash on it's feathers. The bottom picture, which shows the partial albino Sooty Tern chick has a normal colored chick in the bottom right to give a good color comparison. The black and white bird in the upper left in the same photo, is an adult Sooty Tern. The true albino is a Brown Noddy chick and the picture shows it with the adult Brown Noddy.

Whale-Skate Snorkel Trip

2008-07-07T15:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday 6 of us in 2 boats left Tern Island about 1:30 p.m. for a trip to Whale-skate Island. It is an island in name only as it disappeared about 9 years ago. The trip took about an hour with much of it at low speed winding our way through coral heads and reefs. The nautical chart for this area describes it as: "coral heads, sunken and awash with deep sink holes, breakers show over the entire area." In a small boat it can be navigated carefully but it would be an impossible trip for a boat of any size. What is left at Whale-Skate is a coral sand platform the size of a couple of football fields about 18 inches under water. We pulled the boats onto this shallow platform and anchored. We started snorkeling right at the boat and swam, crawled through the shallows to the edge of the platform where it drops off quickly to 25 or 30 feet deep. The area in which we snorkeled was composed of steep, vertical walled, under water canyons. The walls are coral heads and there were lots of brightly colored reef fish to observe and the twisting canyons to swim through. The water and coral are pristine. It was a spectacular afternoon!

Birthdays

2008-07-06T23:25:00.000-07:00

I have been blessed with many interesting and memorable birthdays. There have been at least 5 birthdays on backpacking trips. The first back country birthday I remember was near Bench Lake in Kings Canyon N.P. about 1966. Jack brought in lots of goodies for us to eat. There were at least 2 up the Deer Cove Trail in Kings Canyon with Jan, Hannah, Jens, and again Jack. There were 2 in Big Whitney Meadow just south of Mount Whitney. There was one in Voss, Norway with a newly met cousin on my Moms side of the family. There was even one in Buffalo. Now here is another memorable birthday on Tern Island in the mid Pacific. Monica baked this cake for our 4th of July barbecue and before the cake was cut one candle was placed and lit, and they all sang for me.

Red-tailed Tropicbird Adult and Chick

2008-07-04T18:35:00.000-07:00

This is a characteristic pose of Red-tailed Tropicbirds on the nest when their chicks are about this age.

More Tern Island Eggs

2008-07-04T18:30:00.000-07:00

These are all eggs that have failed for unknown reasons. From the left they are:Unknown Albatross, Masked Booby, Red-footed Booby, Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Brown Noddy, Sooty Tern, and Black Noddy

Black-footed x Laysan Albatross Hybrid

2008-07-04T18:20:00.000-07:00

Here is another picture that shows the hybrid nearest the camera, a Laysan chick on the far left and 3 Black-footed chicks behind the hybrid. The bill shape and the feather color can be compared easily in this picture.

Laysan and Black-footed Albatross

2008-07-03T23:58:00.000-07:00

These 2 pictures show Laysan and Black-footed Albatross chicks of about the same age as the hybrid shown in the previous post. Laysan on the left and Black-footed on the right. Look for characteristics of both in the previous pictures.

Hybrid Albatross

2008-07-03T23:49:00.000-07:00

Hybrids between Laysan and Black-footed Albatross are known but are rare. We are pretty sure that the bird pictured is a hybrid. It has characteristics of both species including color and bill shape.

Albatross Chicks

2008-07-02T23:45:00.000-07:00

It is difficult to watch the albatross chicks now. The big healthy ones that have been fed regularly are strong and more and more of them are actually fledging and flying away from the island. When adults do show up with food to regurgitate, as many as 4 or 5 chicks that aren't their own come running up to be fed, all the while uttering their pleading call for food. If it isn't their own parent they usually get beat on or grabbed and shaken by the strange adult. Many of these hungry chicks are too small to survive on their own and even if they are being fed occasionally by their own parents, will probably be abandoned soon. The parents return less and less as the season progresses and the hunger of the chicks is one of the things that drives them to leave the island and fly to sea. I know this is the natural order of things but it is still difficult to watch the small underfed chicks and know they will not survive much longer.

Eggs of Tern Island

2008-07-02T15:47:00.000-07:00

The eggs from the left are: Albatross, Booby, and Sooty Tern. Notice the pencil for size comparison.

A Good Story of Marine Debris

2008-06-29T23:59:00.000-07:00

When we visited East Island in mid May we saw a turtle that was entangled in line and netting with a white plastic bottle trailing along on the surface. We waited for quite a time for it to come up on the beach so we could cut it free but had no success. A number of weeks later the seal researchers found that same turtle on the beach and were able to cut it free from the trailing line and bleach bottle. More weeks passed and the story resumed. I was in need of a mesh bag for my snorkel gear and found one on the debris pile that collects at Tern. It was in need of repair and I spent several hours stitching it into a serviceable bag. Last week when I went out on the boat with Derek and Mark I mentioned my new found bag and Derek said that it was part of the debris that he had cut loose from the entangled turtle. Few turtles are lucky enough to be freed alive from plastic and mesh debris and few people have a snorkel bag with as good a story as mine.

Reef Debris

2008-06-29T16:50:00.000-07:00

One of the jobs that we occasionally get involved with is collecting derelict fishing gear from the reefs. The seal researchers spend more time in the boats so they perform this task more often than the FWS volunteers. When I went out with the Monk Seal researchers we found this wad of line and other fishing gear, cut it loose from the reef and loaded it onto our boat. This kind of gear goes right on trapping fish, birds, and reef organisms long after it is lost so it is good to remove it whenever it's found. Derek is on the left and I'm on the right. The picture was taken by Mark Sullivan

Red-footed Booby Chick

2008-06-29T14:36:00.001-07:00

Black-footed Albatross Chick

2008-06-29T14:34:00.001-07:00

East Island Turtle Camp

2008-06-29T13:35:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday we changed the turtle techs again and I was finally in a spot where I could watch and take pictures instead of working. We put out a stern anchor, drift in close to the beach, and one person holds the bow line while the rest wade back and forth carrying water and supplies. Most days there are fewer people involved but this was an outing that involved everyone on Tern going to see the Tiger Sharks that congregate when the albatross fledge. One picture shows the camp from offshore a ways and the rest show the movement of gear back and forth to the beach. The pole is left from the Coast Guard days and has a web cam that is monitored over the internet.

Seal Census

2008-06-26T23:31:00.000-07:00

I had an interesting afternoon of wandering the northern end of the atoll with 2 of the seal researchers today. We left about lunch time and took the small boat to Shark Island. We motored into shallow water and Mark jumped off and waded into the Island. Derek and I motored out a 1/4 mile and anchored while Mark did the seal census work on the island. When he was finished we went in and picked him up and left for Trig Island. We went on past Trig and stopped in several places for some snorkeling. We then went back to Trig, anchored, and all of us went onshore. Derek and Mark did their census work and I watched and wandered the parts of the island I could walk without disturbing seals or turtles. We then got back in the boat and motored home to Tern. Much of this travel is in among the coral heads which require wandering left and right to get where you are going. The snorkeling was good and we saw many interesting fish and invertebrates.

18 Year old Albatross

2008-06-24T19:28:00.000-07:00

One of my tasks recently has been to find dead albatross chicks and remove the bands that we just installed. The paper trail behind the newly installed bands will be more useful if the dead bands are shown. On Saturday I took a band off a dead adult Black-footed Albatross (BFAL) that I found during this task. This afternoon I was completing the paperwork and discovered that the dead BFAL I found had been banded here at Tern Island on June 5, 1990. The bird was 18 years old and a couple of months. That is far from a record age but it is still pretty amazing! These birds travel many thousands of miles searching for food each time they raise a chick, so that band may have traveled 300,000 or 400,000 miles across the north Pacific on the leg of an albatross! These are not exaggerated numbers. It could have traveled considerably farther. (The picture is not the same bird I found dead. It shows an adult BFAL and its chick just to illustrate the kind of bird I'm talking about.)

Alpha Codes

2008-06-24T15:30:00.000-07:00

Biology has its own language much like other disciplines. One of the shortcuts that is used to talk about birds, especially in print, are known as alpha codes. I don't know the exact rules but all birds have an alpha code. Here are a few of the codes that I deal with everyday here on Tern. Great Frigatebird-GRFR Masked Booby-MABO Red-footed Booby-RFBO Laysan Albatross- LAAL
Black-footed Albatross-BFAL Red-tailed Tropicbird-RTTR Sooty Tern-SOTE White Tern-WHTE You do begin to see patterns in how they are produced but some of the uncommon ones I still have to look up. The common ones, that I have memorized well, help to shorten the time that I spend on some of my data entry paperwork.

Frigatebird and Booby

2008-06-23T15:42:00.000-07:00

Here are several more pictures of the mismatched nest. Notice the shape of the beak on the chick and the adult. The Great Frigatebird has a large hooked beak and the Red-footed Booby chick has a beak that is nearly straight.

Adults and Chicks

2008-06-23T10:38:00.000-07:00

Look carefully at the pictures that acompany this post. The adult sitting on this nest is a male Great Fgigatebird and the chick is a Red-footed Booby. No one is sure how this exchange took place but the chick seems to be doing fine. We have watched this nest for several weeks and the chick is thriving. Both adult Frigatebirds are seen on the nest.

White Buckets

2008-06-23T10:13:00.000-07:00

White plastic buckets are used for everything on Tern Island. They seal and unseal easily so are used to store all of our dried food. The pantry has shelves that are built to fit. They are also used for luggage. Several of the researchers arrived on the island with 2 or 3 white plastic buckets and a backpack. They are used for carrying supplies on small boat journeys on the atoll, again, because they seal and unseal easily and will keep cameras and paperwork dry. If you need a tool box, there is one handy in almost every common room on the island. We used one full of water to prime the cistern pump after working on it. When pulling invasive weeds the buckets come in handy again. Maybe its most important use is as a stool. Most mornings, as the sun rises, I eat my breakfast and drink my morning coffee on the porch while sitting on an upturned bucket.

Trig Island

2008-06-21T00:09:00.000-07:00

I visited Trig Island this afternoon with Mark and Shawn, 2 of the seal researchers. Trig is only a couple miles to the east of Tern Island and is less than 1/2 the size of Tern. It is a coral sand island that is only a few feet above the tides and is washed over regularly by winter storms. It has no vegetation except for 1 small spreading plant that will be washed away this winter. Trig has 3 nesting bird species, Laysan Albatross, Black-footed Albatross, and Masked Booby. Today it also had dozens of Green Sea Turtles hauled out on the sand and a handful of Hawaiian Monk Seals. Trig is only a couple miles to the east of Tern but we must have traveled twice that distance following the twisting channel through the coral heads to approach the island. It was a wet ride over traveling against the wind and the chop, but drier coming back downwind. I'm always happy to see new parts of the atoll and to see a new view of Tern Island.

Masked Booby Chick

2008-06-19T23:43:00.001-07:00

This one is the size of a chicken at this point in its development.

The Crew

2008-06-19T23:36:00.001-07:00

From the left: Gary, Steve, Laura, & Marie. Tern Island is in the background.

Tern Island Sunsets

2008-06-19T23:31:00.000-07:00

After Dinner at Tern Island

2008-06-18T21:00:00.001-07:00

Nearly everyday, here on Tern, a group of 5 or 6 or more ends up on the front porch of the barracks after dinner to watch the sunset or to comment on what is happening in the world. For several days the Frigatebirds were preying on Sooty Tern chicks and that was the topic of conversation. On a clear night everyone will wait for the green flash that shows just as the sun dips below the horizon. There may be talk about rainbows or clouds or the above normal rainfall we are receiving. Recently the conversation includes the albatross chicks and which one is doing well with its flight practice. Unfortunately, it also may include which favorite chick, in a prominent spot, has died or is not thriving. We may watch squadrons of boobies flying onto the island after fishing at sea to feed their chicks or we may talk about some particularly engaging newly hatched Tern chick in view from the porch. The conversation is wide ranging but almost always centers on the natural world. The natural world, the birds and the seals and turtles in particular, are the common thread that brought us all to this outpost in the Pacific.

Commando Biology

2008-06-17T10:58:00.000-07:00

Commando biology is what Steve calls our work on some of the outer islands. We get suited up and put our counters and notebooks in a dry bag and slip into the water for a quiet approach. It does add some extra interest to tasks that we do most days on Tern by walking out our front door.

Ginn Island & Little Ginn Island

2008-06-15T19:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we spent much of the day traveling around the northern 2/3 of the atoll by small boat. We left Tern about 9 a.m. and went o East Island to switch the turtle techs. We stayed there about an hour doing several bird censuses and giving the techs some time to discuss their exchange of duty. We then left East and went on to the Ginns. Officially called, Ginn Island and Little Ginn Island. They are both low sand islands with no vegetation but good populations of several ground nesting seabirds. We got ashore by anchoring the boat, leaving Steve in the boat, and swimming in through the surf. We did several censuses there and sat on the beach and enjoyed the wild surroundings for a minute. The picture of me walking was on Little Ginn. I was walking out a spit of sand that was submerged and had small breakers coming from both sides. It felt like, and is, a very wild spot. From the Ginns we went back to East Island and dropped Tammy off to begin her 3 day shift. We then moved on to La Perouse Pinnacle and sorkeled for a little while. It was too rough to be much fun so most of us snoozed in the boat and a couple people snorkeled. From there we motored back to Tern and our home away from home.

Frigatebird Predation

2008-06-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

I have written about Frigatebirds in earlier posts and they are taking center stage in the show from our porch. The Sooty Tern chicks nearest our door are mostly less than a week old so are nearly defenseless. The Frigatebirds are fierce predators of chicks and they are patrolling the colonies looking for unprotected chicks. Sometimes they snatch chicks without touching the ground. Other times they actually land in the colony and will pick up and swallow whole as many as 4 or 5 chicks. The Sooty Terns are much smaller and screech and claw at the frigates but it does little good. It is one of those sights that is hard to watch but also hard to ignore when it happens right next to the porch.

Albatross Bolus

2008-06-13T20:41:00.000-07:00

A bolus is a collection of indigestible materials that is coughed up by some birds. An albatross bolus may be 2 inches or more in diameter and 5 or 6 inches long. They are made up of squid beaks and other natural materials that cannot be digested and for some reason lots of plastic bits. Most of them the size of a quarter or smaller but they also include things like disposable lighters and toothbrush handles. Unfortunately our oceans are full of this kind of trash and the albatross pick up large amounts of these plastics and some are fed to their chicks. They have very little smell, as nearly all the digestible parts are gone. By picking through a bolus scientists can see very clearly what albatross are eating. A bolus can also be a powerful educational tool. A child picking apart a bolus can see first hand what an albatross eats and the problems created by plastic trash. This explanation brings me to this afternoon's job. I picked up 60 bolus, (boli?) put them in zip lock bags and labeled the exact location where they were found, the date, and who found them. They will be used in educational outreach programs in the main Hawaiian Islands. The educational programs never have enough of this material as Albatross Bolus Collector is a rare occupation.

East Island Turtle Camp

2008-06-11T21:08:00.001-07:00

I was mistaken in my post last week about the time the turtle techs spend on East Island before coming back to Tern Island. The techs work a 4 day and then a 3 day rotation. So for one trip to the camp they will spend 4 days and on their next trip, will spend 3 days. The techs work dusk to dawn because that is when the turtles are nesting I still don't have many pictures of the camp because the change is a busy time. Just like when we set up the camp we anchored in waist deep water and all the gear is carried through the water to the beach. For this change only a stern anchor was placed and I held the bow of the boat while Steve,Tammy and Irene ferried loads through the water. This saves the time of setting a second anchor but it doesn't leave much time for picture taking. The trip to East is interesting with shoals and breakers always visible and La Perouse Pinnacle in the distance.

East Island Turtle Camp

2008-06-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

One picture shows leaving Tern Island this morning and the other shows Irene standing on the beach at East Island as we are headed back to Tern.

Film Team

2008-06-10T21:01:00.000-07:00

Last week we had a National Geographic film crew on the island for a short time. They came on the NOAA vessel,Hi'ialakai, and were on Tern Island one afternoon and the next morning. Just like when guests are coming at home we cleaned and straightened the place in preparation for their arrival. The film team knew how to get close to our hearts. They brought 30 or 40 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables for us. That kind of gift is much like Christmas morning for a child after you eat out of cans and boxes and the freezer for weeks at a time. They were most interested in filming the Monk Seals and the Green Sea Turtles. Our manager Steve B. spent time showing them around and trying to get the best camera angles possible. They spent several more days in the atoll taking underwater shots while scuba diving. We could see the ship and the small boat that the divers worked from for several days after they left the island.

Black-footed Albatross Practice Flight

2008-06-09T10:25:00.000-07:00

A Day Off on Tern Island

2008-06-08T17:36:00.000-07:00

(The picture shows Tern Island from the small boat. The boat house on the left, the barracks on the right.)
Last night about 2:30 a.m. I was awakened by thunder and lightning. I opened my eyes and there was lightning flashing every few seconds. Today is a day off so I actually got up and watched the lightning for a short while. It was the first lightning I've seen here. I got up about 7:30, had some breakfast and went for a slow picture taking stroll down the island. I saw 2 Monk Seals on the berm above South Beach and about 40 Green Sea Turtles on East Beach, including one that has a radio locater glued to it carapace. The radio gear was installed in the main islands sometime this Spring. I was thinking about a bike ride but the bike had a flat, so I patched the tube and put the bike in order for a ride this afternoon. As I returned to the barracks a snorkel trip was in the planning so I joined in. The water was very murky so nobody was very enthusiastic about the swim. When we got near the beach where we started an adult Monk Seal started investigating us. It swam slow circles around us about 20 feet away. We work hard 6 days a week and days off are fun and varied but everyone seems more at ease on work days.

Adults on the Nest

2008-06-08T13:29:00.000-07:00

From the top: Brown Noddy, Masked Booby, & Red-footed Booby

Adults & Chicks

2008-06-08T13:19:00.000-07:00

Clockwise from the upper left: Sooty Tern, Red-footed Booby, Laysan Albatross

Red-tailed Tropicbird Adult & Chick

2008-06-08T13:13:00.000-07:00

Flight Practice

2008-06-07T23:49:00.000-07:00

The albatross chicks are very close to fledging. The healthiest chicks now weigh more than their parents and the adult birds will soon stop feeding them. Many of the chicks are standing in open areas, extending their wings, and flapping. All of them still have some down, so some of them look like shaking a feather duster. This is all in preparation for their first flight. After the parents stop feeding them, they get hungry and lose weight and eventually will make their first flight away from the island. They instinctively know that they must fly away from land to get their food. These first flights are dangerous and many birds drown or are eaten by predators just beyond the surf line. The first chicks will make this flight within a week or 10 days and the last will be gone by mid August. The island will be much different without them.

Refuge Manager

2008-06-06T22:22:00.000-07:00

This is my boss Steve B.

More Albatross Banding

2008-06-06T22:16:00.000-07:00

That's a Sooty Tern on my hat and a Black-footed Albatross chick in my arms.

East Island Turtle Camp Set up

2008-06-06T22:03:00.001-07:00

I haven't been back to East Island since the camp was set up but here are some shots of the tent being put up.

Busy Times

2008-06-05T16:11:00.000-07:00

We are still madly banding albatross chicks because some are very close to fledging. Much of our other work can't be ignored so it makes for long tiring days. I will be back and forth occasionally to the East Island turtle camp and will get some pictures of the camp and the island once the albatross banding is complete.

East Island Turtle Camp

2008-06-03T21:04:00.000-07:00

This morning about 8 a.m. most of the people on the island started moving gear for the turtle camp down to the boat dock. We loaded gear and 2 people in one boat and more gear and 4 people in another small boat. We left Tern about 9 a.m. and about 30 minutes later were threading the reef to get into East Island. We anchored both boats and one person from each boat carried a second anchor up the beach and placed it carefully. We then stretched the boats between the 2 anchors and pulled them close enough to shore so we could wade about waist deep to get to the boats and started carrying loads up the beach to the camp site. With 6 of us working we emptied the boats in about 30 minutes. There is a permanent wooden platform for a tent on the island so for the next 2 hours we helped Irene and Tammy get their tent and camp set up. The 2 women will alternate 48 hour shifts in the camp, working nights, to study the large nesting Green Sea Turtle population. Every 48 hours a boat from Tern will make the run to East Island to pick up one researcher and drop off the other. The camp will also be kept supplied with fresh water and food at the same time. After our part in the set up was complete, Steve, the refuge manager, and myself did a count of the albatross on the island. There were nearly a 1,000 albatross of 2 species. A busy but interesting morning.

Masked Booby Color Variant

2008-06-01T14:58:00.000-07:00

We found this unusually colored Masked Booby Chick on an incubation count several days ago. The chick with the darker beak is the normal coloration.

Sooty Terns

2008-06-01T14:08:00.000-07:00

As I've said before, the Sooty Terns are a constant presence when working in the colonies. Here is a behavior that takes place every day as I work. I took these pictures myself and am reaching with the camera, so that explains the grimace. In the picture with 3 Terns, one is roosting on my hat and 2 are flying.

Albatross Chick Banding

2008-05-31T23:31:00.000-07:00

These pictures show the process of banding an albatross chick. We have done nearly 2400 chicks.

Great Frigatebird

2008-05-31T19:48:00.000-07:00

The Great Frigatebird is a pirate in the bird colonies. It takes unwatched chicks and then passes them around in the air before eating them. These 2 Frigatebirds are passing a noddy chick to each other. They are masterful fliers. This photo was taken by Marc Romano.

Working in the Seabird Plots

2008-05-29T19:14:00.000-07:00

Notice the cloud of Sooty Terns that shadows me while working in the colony. They are very loud!

Seabird Plots

2008-05-29T18:41:00.001-07:00

The goal of the seabird plot work is to produce data that can be used to calculate reproductive success. I have 2 sets of plots. One is Red-footed Booby (RFBO) and the other is Red-tailed Tropicbird. (RTTR) For RTTR I have 8 seperate plots that total about 60 nests combined. In these plots I'm only watching RTTR nests. For RFBO I have 8 plots totaling about 160 nests. In these 8 plots I am only watching RFBO nests. There are many other birds and nests in my plots but I'm only collecting data on the assigned bird. In a nutshell, each day I decide if there are any new nests, new chicks or failed nests in each of the plots for the species in question. At the end of the season I will have collected data that includes how many total nests and how many failed nests. Using that data you can divide and find a percentage for reproductive success.

Eating at Tern Island

2008-05-28T23:38:00.000-07:00

Several people have asked about food and how we eat. We don't have anything local which is too bad but understandable. Tern Island is now designated as part of a National Monument and there is no fishing or harvesting of any wildlife, so all of our food is brought in. We have 2 large freezers full of frozen meats, vegetables, bread, bagels, and fruit. We have several refrigerators for leftovers, bread, condiments and cold drinks, mostly Tang and iced tea. We have a large pantry area with all the dry and prepared food. Most of the food tends toward basic ingredients that need to be but together into a meal. Not pot pies or TV dinners. We have fresh fruits and vegetables for a couple of weeks after each visit by a ship then we move on to more frozen or canned fruit and vegetables. We have a large variety of cold and hot cereals for breakfast and a good selection of sandwich stuff for lunches. Breakfast and lunch are on your own and Dinner is cooked on a rotating basis and you cook for all 10 people. That has been a daunting task for me. I have relied heavily on Jan and Hannah for ideas and I am now team cooking with one of the other volunteers so we cook more often but we have 2 people working on our nights to cook instead of 1. Everyone seems to cook more than is needed and leftovers become popular lunch fare. This week we had pasta one night, a stir fry another night, and tonight had all the fixings for roll your own burrito. The food has been pretty good.

Wind & Weather

2008-05-28T19:04:00.000-07:00

For the past few days we have again had very little wind. We can't work in the colonies when the temperature is above 80 degrees and the wind below 5 knots. This condition has been met by 10:30 a.m. the past few days. The conditions are hard on the birds and many of them pant to cool off. It also makes it harder for them to fly because most seabirds are adapted to use the wind as part of their flight power. On calm, hot days we see large mixed species groups circling in any spot of warm, rising air they can find. This way they can gain elevation and then use that elevation to glide long distances. The seas around Tern Island are not very productive so the birds must travel long distances to find enough food for themselves and their chicks and the heat and lack of wind makes that task more difficult.

Sad Day

2008-05-28T18:59:00.001-07:00

Yesterday the team of seal researchers found a 3-4 week old seal pup that had been attacked by a shark. All of us understand that this is the natural order of things but when a healthy female pup is killed by a shark it is sad. When there are so few breeders in the population every female is important and now there is one less.

Comments

2008-05-28T18:55:00.000-07:00

Tell me who you are and what interests you about Tern Island. Seeing your comments helps me write about areas of interest that seem common and everyday to me. I will only put your comments on the blog if you tell me it is OK.

Shark Island Snorkel Trip

2008-05-27T17:46:00.001-07:00

Shark island is permanent, but has no vegetation so is probably washed over every winter. There were turtles, seals and albatross visible on the island but we did not go ashore.

Monday at Tern Island

2008-05-26T23:34:00.000-07:00

I usually am up by about 6:30, fix a pot of coffee, eat breakfast and read or write for a short time. Today was supposed to be a holiday for us all, but several of us had planned a half day of work in trade for time off on another day. As I was leaving the barracks a crew was being put together to move an adult sea turtle back to the water. Monica, the person doing the entrapment walk, had found a turtle on the runway and it needed to be moved to the water quickly. The first five people she found, including me, coaxed the turtle onto a small piece of netting with handles like a stretcher and we placed it on our trusty golf cart. With 3 of us jogging along side and Monica driving, we got the turtle close to the beach and then carried it to the water. The turtle was moving well when it was released and it immediately entered the water. After this exciting start I went on to my normal seabird reproductive success plots. At lunch time there was talk of a snorkel trip to Shark Island. This trip came together about 1:30 and 7 of us took the boat about 4 miles north across the atoll to our destination. We snorkeled about 2 1/2 hours in beautiful coral heads and channels. The high point for me was a 5 foot White-tipped Reef Shark sleeping on the bottom about 10 feet below us. While we watched the shark an adult Green Sea Turtle swam within 18 inches of me, totally unconcerned with my presence. When we left Shark Island we approached Tern from the northeast, so I got to see my home away from home from a new perspective. It was an incredible day.

Tern Island Days

2008-05-25T11:46:00.000-07:00

I sometimes get wrapped up in all the work we are doing and I then try to remind myself to stop and look around. I get up in the morning to Frigatebirds soaring along the barracks wall, almost within reach of my window. Each day I watch the growth of 2 Laysan Albatross chicks along the sand outside my window and some mornings I get out of bed to threatened Green Sea Turtles and critically endangered Monk Seals in the surf within 30 feet of my bed. I ride the old bike up and down the runway and watch the shadows of Sooty Terns or Masked Boobies following me. I can't see the birds, but I can watch their shadows in front of me, on the ground shadowing me 2 feet above my head. Whenever the horizon is clear for sunset we watch the green flash as the sun disappears below the horizon. For 50 years I thought the green flash was a myth and at Tern Island I found out that it is real. I live and work and spend my days in a colony of more than 200,000 seabirds. The work can wait for a minute or two.

More Banding

2008-05-24T20:16:00.000-07:00

Probably about half or a little fewer of the chicks have been banded. It is not hard physically, except for the hand and elbow that squeeze the pliers, but I am still very tired by the end of each session. You are squeezing the pliers very hard to close the band and a slip would crush the leg of the bird being worked on so there is lots of self imposed tension. We usually work in teams of 2, one person catches and the other bands. We normally switch off at the end of each string of 50 bands. Today I did 85 birds and that was a full morning.

Hawaiian Monk Seal

2008-05-23T21:25:00.000-07:00

The Monk Seal researchers have gotten settled in and have censused most of the atoll. After dinner Wednesday several of us started questioning their lead man about the seals. He answered many questions and gave a synopsis of the present condition of the population. It is dire! There are few to no pups reaching breeding age. The population is so skewed to the older age classes that even if the trend was reversed the seal might not survive. No one knows why the pups are not living long enough to become breeders. He quoted one of the top researchers as saying it is simple arithmetic, in 10-15 years the seal will be extinct! As this is happening, the budget from the federal government for Hawaiian Monk Seal Research is being cut.

Black-footed Albatross Chick Banding

2008-05-22T23:12:00.000-07:00

These 3 pictures show the 2 bands that are installed on each bird. The picture with the size 10 flip flop gives one an idea of the size the chicks have attained at this point.

Black-footed Albatross Chicks

2008-05-21T23:38:00.000-07:00

More Albatross Banding

2008-05-21T21:47:00.000-07:00

We banded Albatross chicks today for most of the day. It works like this. One person catches the chicks and smothers them against their chest. The birds wings must be carefully folded to the sides of the chick, with the birds feet pointed out. The bander then says the band number, the catcher repeats the number for accuracy and the bander places the metal band right side up on the birds right leg. The bander then spreads a bright plastic band with the same number and says the number again while placing the plastic band on the left foot. The plastic band can be read from some distance with binoculars but will only last a season or 2. The metal one should last the lifetime of the bird, which is 30 plus years. With care the bird usually doesn't regurgitate. They do defecate regularly so the bander and the catcher wear old clothes and reserve those clothes for banding. We have now banded more than 600 chicks. In round figures we have about 2900 to go!

Albatross Chick Banding

2008-05-19T23:36:00.000-07:00

We started banding albatross chicks today. It is probably the biggest project I will be involved with during my stay on Tern. Six of us learning to band and handle birds banded about 50 chicks in 2 1/2 hours. I'm sure we will get faster but it still is a very big job. There are approximately 3,000 chicks to be banded. The bands need to be very tough to withstand a lifetime at sea that could stretch to 25 years or beyond so the metal is very tough and hard to work. It also requires careful work to keep from injuring the birds. We also need to keep up with all of our normal plot work and the cleaning and cooking. Not a dull moment here.

The Volunteer Hard at Work

2008-05-17T00:29:00.000-07:00

These pictures were taken at East Island but many of my days look very much like this. Hunting for nests and then tipping birds carefully to see if there is nothing, an egg, or a chick. I usually have a clipboard but for this day I only had a pocket notebook.

NOAA Ships

2008-05-17T00:15:00.000-07:00

NOAA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric administration, works closely with US Fish and Wildlife in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The NOAA vessel that has been in our area for 2 weeks, the Hi'ialakai, was our backup when we went to East Island Yesterday. They have been doing research in the shoals and will be here for about another week. They have invited us for a meal tomorrow. It will be fun to go out to the ship and have a good meal. I wonder if I will recognize anyone from my June of 2000 Teacher at Sea cruise? Sunday, the Oscar Elton Sete, will be at Tern Island dropping off 7 more people and some new supplies for us. The situation here at Tern Island will be different with 11 people on the island instead of the 4 that have been here for 5 weeks. In about 10 days the Sete will be back from it's cruise to Midway and beyond and will take 2 people off Tern Island and back to Honolulu.

East Island & La Perouse Pinnacle

2008-05-15T20:09:00.000-07:00

We finally got to some of the outer islands today. The NOAA vessel is in the area again so they could act as our backup in case of problems. We traveled 7 or 8 miles to East Island and had our lunch and then did some basic survey work. Nothing as detailed as the work we do here at Tern but did nest counts of 10 species. There are hundreds of turtles in the water and hauled out on the beaches. Much of the island looks to be covered by small bomb craters that are 5-6 feet across and 2-3 feet deep. All of theses holes are nests that are dug at night by female turtles. She then lays her eggs and leaves and does not return. When the eggs hatch, the young turtles are on their own. There were also good numbers of Hawaiian Monk Seals including a new pup. From East Island we went 5 or 6 miles west to La Perouse Pinnacle. This is a rock that is much too steep to land on, but we did some basic census work from the boat. From there we came back to Tern Island. Some of this boat travel was among the coral heads with breakers all around and some was deep water.We were gone about 4 hours.

Red-tailed Tropicbirds in Flight

2008-05-13T23:04:00.000-07:00

Red-tailed Tropicbird

2008-05-13T22:57:00.000-07:00

I can't resist the Tropicbirds in flight. I notice places on the island where they fly repeatedly during the heat of the day and sit or stand and wait for them to come to me. At one of the spots I was seated on a small wooden runway up to a shed. I discovered it had a nest underneath when the bird landed right beside me and started squawking to its mate.

Red-footed Booby Faces

2008-05-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

The facial skin on Red-footed Boobies is beautiful in color. Here is a sampling. The females are the second and 4th down with the blue beaks.

Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle

2008-05-12T20:23:00.000-07:00

In the previous pictures many of the turtles could be 3 feet long and weigh more than 200 lbs. They can grow to 40 inches long and more than 350 lbs. This time of year they are breeding in the water and then the females crawl up the beaches at night and dig 3 foot deep holes in the sand or dirt above the beaches and lay their eggs. They then cover the eggs and crawl away. French Frigate Shoals is one of their most important breeding and nesting areas.

Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle Gallery

2008-05-11T23:33:00.001-07:00

There are turtles on all the island's beaches but more on East Beach than anyplace else.

Turtle Rescue

2008-05-11T23:17:00.000-07:00

Our days have been just like at work, to much to do and not enough time to do it. Then Friday morning we had another job come our way. A Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle, of which there are many on the island beaches, had gotten above the beach into an area from which it couldn't return to the water. We started our day directing this 250 lb. turtle onto a piece of netting and the 4 of us carried it back to the water. It was an extra job added to an already busy day but it was so different than the usual day to day complication that it was a great way to start the day.

White Tern Gallery

2008-05-11T12:45:00.000-07:00

Shorebirds

2008-05-09T23:30:00.000-07:00

These are the 3 most common birds that we see except for the 18 nesting seabird species. These small shorebirds are approximately the size of a Killdeer. From left to right. 1 Pacific Golden Plover, 3 Ruddy Turnstones, and a Wandering Tattler.

Sooty Tern

2008-05-09T23:27:00.000-07:00

Sooty Terns occupy a lot of your time and thought when you work in the colonies and this is not an uncommon view.

Masked Booby and Chick

2008-05-09T23:01:00.000-07:00

Sweeping Feathers

2008-05-09T15:31:00.000-07:00

There are many maintenance tasks on the island that go on constantly because of the unique situation in which we live. One of these is sweeping feathers. It goes on almost every day and requires a unique mind set. Picture in your mind sweeping feathers in an environment where the wind almost never stops blowing and the birds never stop dropping feathers. It's a job that has to be done, but you need to adjust your expectations to match the environment.

Red-tailed Tropicbird Nest

2008-05-08T23:56:00.000-07:00

There is a Red-tailed Tropicbird nesting under the front porch. Notice the chick in the background.

Gray-backed Tern Gallery

2008-05-08T23:44:00.000-07:00