Off Load Canceled

We were expecting a NOAA ship from Honolulu tomorrow but the ship had to turn back half way here. There was a medical emergency on the ship and it had to return to port. No word yet what the emergency was but we all hope it was not too serious. We were expecting 21 pallet tubs of food and supplies. Now don't get me wrong we are not starving out here by any means but this ship has had some major problems all along. First it was supposed to leave port 2 weeks ago but was delayed due to engine problems. Then it actual leaves yesterday, and we get word that 2 of our diesel drums (back up generator fuel) and 1 gasoline drum was jetsamed. They keep the fuel on the deck on racks that can be tipped overboard in case there was a fire. Well our 3 drums went over even though there wasn't a fire. Now the ship had to turn back for a medical emergency. Oh well, we can only hope everyone is all right.

Last night we all worked on mark recapturing Wedge-Tailed Shearwaters. We caught and read the band numbers or banded 123 adult birds in a little less than 2 hours. It was tough work. Those little guys may be cute to look at but they are something fierce when handled. Pound for pound they are the dirtiest, scrappiest, strongest birds out here. They are burrow nesters so they are designed to kick with a force, and have nails that hurt. They were breaking skin with there beaks even through gloves. It was a late night to say the least.

Laura and I just got out of the water from an after work snorkel trip. It was a treat today to get into the water and come face to face with a Spotted Eagle Ray. They are really big graceful Rays. We also came up on about 6 or 7 small Green Turtles feeding off the algae growing on the coral. All and all it was a great day for snorkeling.

Hope everyone is doing great and enjoying the pictures online. As I take more photos I will be adding them to the website so stay tuned. Kathryn, another girl out here with me is really into the pictures and will be putting hers online as well so I will link to her site when that is complete.

Aloha ~Tim~

Boat Trips and What Not

Yesterday we took a boat trip out to Trig. This is one of the outer islands in the Atoll. We did a count of the birds that were nesting on the island. It was only a small island and had no vegetation. I was lucky to find two glass Japanese fishing floats. I guess they are worth some money or something. Anyone have any info about this? There was a few seals and a green turtle basking on the island. After, we took a small detour to clean off a NOAA buoy. I got to get into the water and clean off the UV sensors or something. I was just excited to get in the water way out there, a little bit scary but it was fun.

Today I got to band some Red-tailed Tropic Birds. I am glad that I get this experience. After work Laura and I went boogie boarding off of East Beach. East Beach is a small spit off the east end of the island so the waves kind of break off each other. The ride is not too long but it was hot today here and the water felt really good.

Dinner time, Aloha ~Tim~

Day Of Firsts

Today was a day of firsts for me. We woke up with the sun to mark recapture Christmas Shearwaters. Mark recapture is to catch a bird and read its band if it has one, put a band on if it doesn't and mark it to know you have already handled that bird, in this case we use yellow nail polish on the head. So starting at 0700 hrs we scoured the island looking under every bush for Christmas pairs. In total we found 23 birds and were able to capture 21. It was the first time that I have seen a Christmas Shearwater and the first time that I have banded a bird.

Later I completed my Black-footed Albatross plots. Basically I go through 4 designated areas and take role call. The Albatross in the study (about 100 nests for both Black-footed and Laysan) have been poultry banded. This is a small band with a number and color corresponding to the nest. This band is temporary and will be removed after the study is complete. So after making sure all were present I broke for lunch. We work and 8 hour day with 1 hour for lunch. It is nice to get out of the heat for a while in the middle of the day.

After lunch Laura and I did some mark recapture on some Red-tailed Tropic birds. Same deal as with the Christmas's. We have to capture 600 over the course of the study. We are slightly more than half way there!

So with and early start comes an early end. We took the opportunity to get in the water and do some snorkeling. This was the first time I have snorkeled here and it was amazing. The water clarity wasn't 100% but it was still the tropics. I saw 3 Green Turtles, 5 White-tipped Reef sharks and numerous other fish that i am sure have long Hawaiian names. After a long day I am exhausted. Bet I sleep well tonight. Hope all is well with you guys.

Aloha ~Tim~

Settling In

So with my first full day off I am beginning to settle in. We all have our own rooms (the old Coast Guard Barracks used to house about 35) so it is nice to have the space. My room came decorated which is a great thing because all we have out here to decorate with is stuff that washes up on the beaches. For the most part this is just trash, but if you are lucky you can find those glass Japanese fishing floats. So with a day off comes the task of trying to fill the hours. We have over 600 movies and tons of books to keep you occupied. We also have a weight room and a 3000 foot runway to jog or walk on. Not to mention we have the entire Pacific Ocean to our disposal, although we rarely go outside our little lagoon.
On Monday we are back at the never ending task of trying to band and document the birds that use this little island as their nesting grounds. But for now all I have to do is to relax and work on my tan. Hope all is well back on the mainland.

Aloha ~Tim

Newly Arrived

So after a short 3 hour flight I have arrived on Tern Island in the French Frigate Shoals, a small 35 acre Hawaiian Island. I have volunteered my time for the next 4 1/2 months to study the 16 different nesting seabirds on this island and the other small islands that make up the Atoll. Having left behind many friends and one very special girlfriend I am ready to make some new friends who will share this experience with me. As this is my first post I will not elaborate to much on the specifics of my job out here (as I am sure that if you continue to read over the next 4 months or so you will have a perfect idea of how i spent my time).

After a brief orientation of the island and the way things work out here I learned that I will be taking over the study of the reproductive success of the Black-Footed and the Laysan Albatross. This involves monitoring plots or small sections of the island 3 times a week to determine how many of the eggs that are laid make it to fledging (the chick can fly and is considered an adult). Along with this task I will also aid the other workers on tasks that come up regarding the other species on the island.

I will post a link to the Tern Island website so you can better acquaint your self with my project if you wish.

Oh yeah, I am a horrible speller and can get lazy with using proper grammar. Get used to it. Photos will be added later and more will probably be available through webshots or some other website as well. I will keep you posted. Hope to hear from you guys, and let me know what you think

~Aloha~