Winds of Change

When the windsock is straight out as in the bottom corner of this picture, that indicates to us that the winds are 25 knots plus.

The windsock has been like that since Monday night.

They say as the days push toward the winter months that the waves get bigger and the current changes in direction and strength. That much most certainly has proved true. But this wind can't last forever, can it?

On 5 December, at 0630 I saw an orange light on the horizon. It was still the dark of night outside. Blazed on like a horizon star, then disappear, over and over. It was certainly an artificial light source.

Ended up being a fishing vessel. We contacted the boat and learned a bit about why the voice on the other end of the radio seem worn out.

This fishing vessel went through a night of "50-60 knot winds, 35-40 foot swells." When asked how big of a boat he has, the answer..."40-feet."

Are you kidding!! 40-foot boat out here, regardless of weather conditions. Not too smart we all thought.

Our SAFE boat is 20 feet.

A boat that size is local, from main islands. Must have been caught up in the storm that night. The same storm that went down the chain and hammered the main islands.

He was heading up to Lisianski...a long way to go still. Trying to get in his "christmas run."

As Frank Costanza said just before the birth of Festivus..., "there must be another way."

I think the small crew on that boat already got their Christmas gift.

Back to the islands. Midway got hit hard, having downed trees and a number of birds killed. We don't really have any trees, so the albatross all seemed to survive. Though with wind and rain such as this, some eggs aren't always so lucky.

Ruddy Turnstones (Aremaria interpres) swarm towards an incredible bounty of needed efficiant protein. Nothing goes to waste in nature.

Rest assured, most albatross eggs survived, like this one...

*Addendum* We did lose several Red-footed Boobies (Sula sula) from just fledged to adult in age. One reason that becomes an obvious one when out here to explain part of the seabirds' lives being so long is the lack of any natural predators. They do not escape Mother Nature though. Strong wind storms take birds sometimes. These RFBOs were mostly impaled on branches.

Some damage on Tern, this stuff was not exactly made of bricks however...


Albatross do like higher winds opposed to no wind at all. And at this speed, all an albatross need do is stretch out the wings, not far to run, and it lifts to the air.

I'm out of time this morning. Internet has been off and on, with these weather conditions, and I have to get to work

Good morning.