Tern Island

We arrived on Tern Island yesterday and were able to hang out for a few hours. People really weren't joking when they said it is more runway than island.

Actually the current population is 2, or at least was 2 before the seal crew arrived. It'll be 2 again in just over a week when they ship back to Honolulu.

Quite a while after we left Tern we had some dolphins riding the bow which was pretty cool.

We're due to arrive at Laysan sometime tomorrow morning.

Nihoa Day 2

A Brown Boobie and a Frigatebird

Two Brown Boobies

Frigatebird

Beach with a bunch of seals

Nihoa Finch

Nihoa Finch (Female)

Monk Seal Playing With Old Float

Pup Nursing

Nice New Satellite Tag

Getting Picked Up

Noddies

Some Fish in a Tidal Pool

The Sette

Nihoa Day 1

Nihoa is a very special island. It was an honor to be able to step foot on it and help collect seeds to propagate on Laysan for the restoration effort. While I was collecting seeds I was able to view and take photos of some of the wildlife.

Here you can see a Blue-Grey Noddy

A Boobie Chick

Brown Boobie

Either a Brown or Black Noddy, I have difficulting distinguishing the two.

In the lower right you can see a old man-made wall, this is one of the 80-90+ historical sites on the island. The birds seem to enjoy roosting on the walls.

A view of Nihoa from the boat

Frigatebird

Frigatebird

Hawaiian Monk Seal

This is the landing spot

Matt and Lisa checking out the view

Me, looking at some Monk Seals

Monk Seals

This is the rock bed we walked up to collect seeds

Nihoa Finch (Male)

Cool Plant

Red-tailed Tropicbird

Matt and Lisa going up to collect seeds

Tern of some sort?

Prep and Day One

View from Coco Head Crater

After a few months on the mainland and several weeks in Honolulu I'm finally underway on the Sette en route to Laysan. Hopefully I didn't forget anything otherwise I'll have to do without for six months.

Matt and Lisa on deck while we were leaving Pearl Harbor/Ford Island

On an upper deck looking back on Honolulu and Diamond Head

Close up of Honolulu and Diamond Head

Matt on the Flying Bridge

Land Hooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

So far the voyage as been great. We've already seen flying fish, a Boobie and many small(ish) seabirds (petrels we think...). The swell isn't too bad and surprisingly I haven't gotten sick yet although I have been keeping myself medicated. The food is great and the ship is even better. They can subsistence fish on this boat so I'm hoping they'll catch something and let me check it out. I had my cup of coffee this morning up on one of the higher decks and it was fantastic. We're due to arrive at Nihoa around 12:30 and if the water isn't too bad we'll land on the island and collect seeds while the seal crew does their thing. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the weather behaves and we can land on Nihoa.