Life after our first week....

We are sooooooo busy!!!  The new crew at Tern is great -- Everyone is learning their new jobs, while the returning albatross are keeping us very very busy trying to record all the band #s for the birds returning to nest. 

Dan Rapp and Melinda Conners work on banding a black-footed albatross during adult survival monitoring ('sweeps' -- since we do a sweep through the island checking each bird).  Photo by FWS Volunteer James Macaulay.

Laysan Albatross incubating egg on Tern Island, November 2010.  Photo by FWS Volunteer James Macaulay.

Patricia Jackson reads a black-footed albatross band, while Jim Macaulay records. 

Our little Moe friend, pup PN3, born this fall.  Much sleep is required when you play so hard in the water. :-)

The weather has been too rough for snorkeling, but we saw a female eagle ray with an entourage of males swimming just offshore.  Photo by FWS Volunteer James Macaulay.

We expect the next flight in and out of Tern for Tuesday, when we'll do our last staff switchover for the next few months.