DAY 6 on MIDWAY

Wednesday December 21st

            Eastern Island again today – we have the routine down making our lunch in the morning and heading to the harbor in time for sunrise.  The dock we use is at Finger Piers.

This is 7:45 am on the shortest day of the year at Sand Island Harbor

             Once we unload on Eastern we trek out across the island with our cases of paint.  There is the old runway, an occasional tree like the native nau paka below, and dead verbesina.  Birds fill every niche yet it is looking like there are less birds this year than last and no one really knows which factors contribute but suspect the storm flooding followed by the tsunami that took the lives of thousands of chicks may have somehow deterred breeders this year [?]

           The runways that are reverting to nature are seen here.  Just after a shower, some of the birds are flapping their wings to shake the water off.  The white spot in the nau paka bushes is a booby.  Since we land at the dock, we work back and forth across the fields and runways, away from the beach and then back.  At lunchtime we find a shred of shade to share. 

Left to right:  Leaders Martha & Breck , Karen, Gil, & Kirsten 

          In addition to Gil & I who just love the birds, this shady crew is made up of Martha Brown, a science writer at UC Santa Cruz (UCSC) for the organic ag dept. and freelances on other topics.   Her husband Breck Tyler is a professor of ornithology at UCSC. and is a seabird biologist.  They have been team leaders on this count for a number of years.

          Karen Courtot is a wildlife biologist working for USGS on the sea level rise aspect of global warming and it's impact on the Black Foot albatross.  Kirsten Craig is a fast track student from Washington here with her parents who are on different teams

This moli is curious about Karen

This derelict pier has some merit for contrast with the water and beach

Then there is the brown noddy on the far left piling and 2 brown boobies on the right

This hybrid (a mix between Laysan and Black Foot) albatross is stunning

Back to work, we have a section better served by splitting the crew.  

  We finish our odd section as these three work back toward us. 

My buddies look like a couple of field soldiers 

Nature and relics of war like this old canon are the contradictory mix all day, every day

          

  We are of like minds, nature wins.  The hot work is interspersed with wondrous sights.   

This adult Red Footed Booby has a pretty intense blue bill, he may be trying to attract a mate

 This fuzzy baby booby is in the same bush.  I think we saw him yesterday in a different tree

And while we already saw the huge single Short Tail Albatross earlier in the week on Sand, there is a nest on Eastern.  Midway's field biologist, Pete is out flagging the area while we are counting.  They are actively trying to attract the extremely endangered bird with decoys and want nothing to discourage them.  We see the nest from a distance near one set of decoys.  The same pair had a successful chick that hatched and survived the flooding last year.  Keep your fingers crossed!

It is all about birds here – can anyone doubt that in these clouds?  

           We finally make it home, clean the poke weed thorns out of our shoes, have some dinner and put our feet up.  

           Last night we made it to the very interesting talk after dinner, but tonight we keep our feet up and miss out on making Christmas decorations out of beach rubble.  It's hard to maintain the social calendar!  Gotta love this gang.