R.Clapp 1964 Marshall-Gilbert October-November 1964 Oct. 1 - Honolulu and 1st part day at sea. Morning spent checking out of hotel, rounding up good's etc, and getting personal belongings established on the Shearwater. Boat departed at 1500, making a spectacular 180 degree turn in the narrow channel leading from where the boat was docked. Rocks on one side of the channel, a large freighter on the other. Churned up a great deal of mud, and barely missed the other ship. A wacky maneuver but they made it. Sea watch started at 1520 as we left the harbour. Watch schedule set up with an experienced and one not so experienced watcher in three teams which watch for two hours at a stretch. (Huber and I, Ken Amerman and George Wislocki, Binion Amerson and Phil Lehner. 155 Wedge-tailed Shearwaters were seen today as the trip began. Most of these birds were seen within sight of Oahu. Wedgetails were a component of every flock seen today (9) but one. However only 76 of the total wedgetails were in flocks ( %) In the three feeding flocks in which they occurred wedgetails in every instance were associated with common noddies which in every case were numerically much more common (tending to represent about 90% of the flock total. The earliest flock seen at 1537 had a brown booby associated with it. Of the five "travelling" flocks of wedgetails, 2 were headed ENE and 3 NE. A single White-tailed Tropic Bird was seen at 1750 flying ENE. Oct. 2 - Two days out of Oahu - Gilbert-Marshall A relatively slow day. 337 birds were seen. Several unusual birds were seen including a putative Herald's Petrel and a Skua. 73 Wedgetails were seen 38 of which ( %) were in flocks. In the flock seen at 1312 a number of birds were sitting on the water. Some of these Wedgetails were preening and washing in the water. A single Newell's Shearwater was seen flying SE by Amerson and Lehner at 1017. A total of 37 Sooty Shearwaters were seen heading in a generally southerly direction. None in flocks.