75 19 Nov. (cont) Blue-faced Booby and Laysans, perhaps even Browns, will be crowded out by the Verbecina. Areas newly overrun this year that were used by Laysans this year are not used - the brush is too thick for the Laysans 20 Nov. Rats all AM - the last of the rats for the month. In the afternoon Bob and I went after Laysan recoveries. We got some 130 recoveries and banded 20 new birds. Also, we found 2 Laysan eggs in the SAF, I forgot that last night we banded 19 Wedge-tails, 24 Bonin Is. Petrels, and a new Booby - new to the colony - Banded No. 737-95842 and painted Blue 1. ad. ♀ I have taken a good number of notes on Blue-faded Booby behavior - there is a good deal of agonistic behavior in the colony, as well as pair maintenance ceremonies such as mutual preening or just standing closely together. Sat. 21 Nov. I have the early morning activity count - we had a great deal of rain. Blue-faced Boobies seem to leave the colony singly, and go directly to the area in which they will feed. Several examples will illustrate this point - 0755 - 2 SAF birds fly over NAF, to lagoon, up beach and out along north point, angling over the reef gradually. 0844 - R6 flies from NAF directly out over the lagoon 0923 - NAF Bird flies directly to Lagoon beach, moves south along beach out of sight. 0926 - R9 from NAF, flies to lagoon beach and N. along Scaevola, out along N. pt., then heads straight toward reef and out to sea. 0931, 0935 birds leave NAF, turn south along lagoon beach. 0944 - R11 and other bird leave NAF, fly to lagoon and join up, then R11 goes north in normal manner, other bird heads south. This is repeated several times - it seems that the birds go directly to their fishing area. It is interesti ng that the birds head 1st the lagoon, westerly, when they fly to N.pt. and beyond, which is east of the colony. They were flying into the wind to get to the lagoon.