DAY 13 at MIDWAY

Wednesday December 28
           This should be short and sweet as we had very little time for pics today.  We did a very large sector close to home, one they saved for us till now, as veterans.  Whew!

Gil got this shot of 6 people and about 28,000 albatross as he caught up with us

there are probably over 400,000 total because the numbers are down from last year

           Our count was to the left and I probably climbed over and under more downed trees today than I remember doing in Colorado in the natural forest I grew up with.  We all rescued petrels from holes and also rescued nesting albatross who were webbed over by the drying verbesina; don't know how the chicks would have a chance getting out to sea from it.

 We have had talks by volunteers and staff the last three evenings

           Monday there was a talk about seabirds, particularly wings and flying, given by our team member/leader, Breck Tyler who is a professor of ornithology at UC Santa Cruz.  We've been observing  their flight for two weeks and it begs lots of questions.  Nice to have someone who can answer them.

           Last night, Tuesday, another team member Karen Courtot talked about what albatross do when they are not nesting, ie, their real life at sea.  Too fun - her grad work project was done from a boat near the Aleutian Islands.  She also works for USGS but cannot talk about that study yet.

          Tonight John Klavitter gave a talk on some of the research projects that have been done at Midway.  Midway's biologist for 7 years, John is now Deputy Manager for Fish & WIldlife.  
          While it is seemingly a contradiction, we are on overload but can't get enough.  Half the group leaves tomorrow and we are already worried that we have to leave next week.  Gil just told me I should record the birds outside our window so when we get home we can listen to them to go to sleep.