Hackman, C. Douglas, 1964-1965, 1967
Page 110
Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Contributed by [Holding Institution Unknown]. | www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Transcription
March 22 Southeast Island, P+H Reef It was a delicious + thoroughly enjoyable meal. Tonight Emie + I combined talents ad fixed a fine dinner, consisting of frozen dried pork chops, potatoes, apple sauce + core full (off the reef). Fish was pretty fair but didn't compare with the lobster meal of the evening before. Just before dusk this p.m. I hauled about 200 Black f Albatross chicks with his hook. After dark with the moon nearly 3/4 full (at climax around 2:30 in the afternoon) it was impossible to capture any more. I saw many birds with hands but couldn't get close to many of them. The Sooties were down on the ground in several places but were difficult to capture. By running through them with a net ad by standing in one place setting bird on they flew by, I was able to lecture & double footed terns. I saw many more headed birds than this but couldn't get close enough to capture them. I made 5 counts of the isled + the settled Terns for about 2 hours before finally giving up completely + sailing out. Caught the following headed birds: 11 Red f. Boodie, 1 Bonin St. Petrel, & Sooty Tern + 1 Layson Teal between 8:30 pm and 1:45 am. I didn't try to bed a ny because the would have represented futility at its best. While returning from sea + turtle tagging on the oth. isled, we stopped at one of the many card spits because it had 9 visible seals (outcall 14 more on the left). I jumped out of the boat in my fine feet + swelled down the head to the far end. Near that & ad there was a large area covered with jagged coral rubble. In the middle of the coral rubble sat one of the Layson Teal which was wing-clipped tightly + released on Southeast Is. I got within 3 feet of the bird before it pattern away into deep water. Apparently the bird had wandered off of Southeast Is. & then came down to this card spit (about 1 mile from Southeast Is.) Set up at 3 am + changed the battery to the light used by the ship for bearings. March 23 Southeast Is., P+H Reef Woke up around 4 am. To find everyone shuffling around mumbling. She had gotten them out of bed to pull the boat up high on the beach. They all shuffled back in (still mumbling to themselves) around 4:15 & went back to sleep. Set up at 7 am + sat around the morning's camp fire until about 8 am. Here, Emie & I then spent the next two hours counting albatross chicks. After finishing with the albatross chicks, I got out all of my gear + made a circuit of the isled to search for more eggs, describe nests + weigh chicks of several species. Finished at around 1:30 and returned to camp, ate lunch + helped break camp. The whole boat came in at 2:30 and John + I returned to the ship with the skull of the gea. John + I spent the rest of the afternoon aboard sorting gear + repairing. When they & the others returned we all pitched in and stored the rest of the gear. They had stayed on the island in order to spray the mustard that was growing as profusely there. We were altering time & Midway by 6 p.m. Spent the rest of the evening until 11:30 catching up on field notes + species accounts. Odds + ends: While on Guam Island yesterday, I found down to measure a frigate egg and fill something crawl on one. The area near the frigate nests was infested with ticks. I collected a bit of the bird but didn't have time for very many. In the short time spent on Green (about 40 minutes) I was little at least 4 times - several behind my right knee. Found cured frogbit ticks later on. These are the first and only type I've seen all this trip. Have checked all other isleds but haven't seen any. Couldn't find any with either. John said he found one crawling on his leg on Southeast Is. but I couldn't find any on either of the two nights we were there.