A curious Black footYeah, the last 2 weeks have been Google's fault. But we're back on schedule now. Ready to go.
I've had to scan through my travel journal to remember/ recollect what has happened these last two weeks, because, let me tell you, the days tend to run together here. So much happens that I want to talk about, but not all of it would be amusing to someone that's not me. It gets to be a process when choosing what to write about. So, here are the highlights from March 30 - April 13 on Tern Island, FFS.
March 30th was the day we said goodbye to Melinda and Josh as they boarded the Kahana bound for Honolulu. March 31st I saw my first masked booby chick. Not cute at all -- a skinny, naked, pink, bug-eyed mole rat looking thing (see photo below). April 1st I cooked my first loaf of sourdough bread! And it was actually good! I also saw my first whales that day. When Dave and Cindy saw the spouts they told the rest of us, and we rushed up to the roof and looked to the north. We strained our eyes for a bit, and then we saw the puffs of vaporized water shoot into the air. The spouts happened so fast, one right after the other. I didn't get my binoculars up in time to see the backs of the humpbacks that were traveling that day, or last Saturday when we saw even more spouts (Therese saw one of them breach before I got out there). Whales hold an aura of mystery for me -- these gigantic living monoliths lumbering out in the vastness of the sea. They are so big and yet rarely seen. I am so glad I got to see them show off a bit as they travel up to their summer homes.
The last two weeks, the albatross chicks are all of a sudden developing their adult feathers. From downy fluffy chicks to partially feathered chicks. My babies are growing so fast! I think we start banding them at the beginning of May, right before I leave. I'm excited to get to do that -- it'll be like finishing a project or seeing a kid off to college, sort of.
Now one of the highlights of my time here, thus far. Friday, April 3rd was hot and we were off a little early, so Adam, Whitney and I decide to jump off the dolphin into the crystal blue, cold water. Therese catches up with us, and although she doesn't want to get in the water, she decides to stand on the shore and watch the ocean. So Adam goes first and I watch him, trying to get up the courage to jump off the 9 foot tall platform. Then I see a couple of big silver fish dart from the shadows into the shallow water where Adam had just landed. I'm amused so I keep looking at them, and then I see 2 other shapes, that look a little bigger and a little like sharks. Because they were sharks. I start telling Adam to get out of the water and Therese says she sees something too. Adam gets out, the sharks swim towards where he had been and then swim out of sight. Uh yeah. I was freaked out. They weren't big (maybe 4 - 5 feet) but man, watching them swim was eerie. By then everyone is standing where I am and we are all scanning the water for those sharks. 20 minutes roll by and it's hot. That water looks good. No sharks. Yup, they're gone. So I jump in, Whitney and Adam right after. Therese is our lookout. All is right with the world. As I'm headed towards the exit point, Therese points nonchalantly "Oh, there's a shark. And another one." I jump out of that water so fast, and look back down to where Whitney's getting out, and see 3 slinky swimming sharks right underneath her. Adam is still in the water, cut off from land by water and sharks. The sharks swim out of sight and he takes his chance in getting out. As soon as he touches land, the sharks come back, searching for those 3 lovely pieces of meat they had just missed. That, my friends, is a true story. But it didn't stop me from jumping off the dolphin again on Saturday. This time the water was shark free -- we all made absolute sure of it this time.
The view while walking up the dolphin
April 8th I helped Cindy band Tristram's storm-petrels. These guys are the size of a man's fist, black, and with a relatively large holed tube on the tops of their beaks. During the day, the chicks stay in underground burrows, and the parents bring them food at night. We had to keep them shaded from the sun -- they literally never see the light of day. A Laysan wandered into the bunkhouse Saturday. His feet slap-slapped the ground as he explored the common room and took his time heading out the front door. Sunday was Easter (look up Titus 3:5 – 7) and Whitney and I cooked a marvelous Easter feast. Several of us also went snorkeling. I saw several Picasso triggerfish, or the Humuhumunukunukuapua’a (Hawaii’s state fish). Yeah, it’s a mouthful, but it is a beautiful fish.
Me with a Tristram's storm-petrel chick
The Laysan in the bunkhouse
So there you have it. The last 2 weeks summarized.
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