Boat Update

Today was windy and cloudy, but not rainy. We got some weed spraying done and also had to band a bunch of red-tailed tropic birds. We don't band them if it's raining because they might fly away for a while, and the rain could cool the egg too much. Usually they don't get too bothered and will hop right back on their egg.

The westernaustralia2011.com is going to be coming in tomorrow morning or afternoon. It looks like we'll be able to get their new gearbox for their transmission on the G-1 (our usual plane) on Friday. I hear it weighs over 100 lbs. so I hope they don't bump off too much mail and fresh food. We have a supply ship (the Kahana) coming next week anyway so it won't be that big of a deal. Here's the link to their site again if you want to check it out.

http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com/index.php/the_teams/team_home/westernaustralia2011com

Dana and Lauren are banding the one of the tropic birds.

Here's one of our frequent activities on Midway, digging out petrel burrows. It's very hard to walk anywhere without caving them in. We just have to make sure the sand doesn't bury the birds and that the opening isn't blocked. Most of our work is not on the paved areas, so we usually fall in about 5 times a day. There is rarely injury to the adults, but every now and then an egg or chick doesn't make it. I've fallen in up to my hip before but that was probably a wedge-tailed shearwater burrow, not a petrel burrow.