Road Trip!

At my new job, they sent me to Midway Island, literally a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific (essentially and literally, in the middle of no where). So, guess what came along with me? My field bag!

Come fly away, come fly away with me ...

See, I'm really at Midway!

In case you couldn't see the sign above, they even have their own license plates!

And a fire truck!

And here's where my Field bag lived while I was out in the field:

Fortunately, I was only there for two (2) (very long) days (and unfortunately, since I was working most of the time, I didn't actually get a chance to knit). Here's what I was doing:

How many Mōlī (Laysan Albatross) do you see?

Here's what a baby Mōlī (Laysan Albatross) looks like:

And, here's more of them ...

Hanging out at one of the Monuments

Thinking about flying away ... maybe ...

Or not ... (this is how they really sit so they don't burn their feet or tushes)

There's even art work dedicated to them!

I suppose they were hoping the airstrip would inspire them to take flight? (And, no, none were actually on the airstrip.)

Although it seemed as though some tried to take flight off the beach ...

Here's a rare albino Mōlī (Laysan Albatross) (one of five (5) this hatching year).

At least the Mōlī (Laysan Albatross) weren't all over this road - yet.

But it seems that anywhere you go you see more Mōlī (Laysan Albatross) ...

Even at the infamous Midway Monument. As you can see a baby Mōlī (Laysan Albatross) is checking out the inscription. Perhaps it'll inspire him to fly away ...

Although it looks like this one is still thinking about coming out.

Unfortunately, not all the birds make it ...

And, you need to watch out for the ducks! They're endangered.

See, they're smart - hang out on a stump, not the road!

This mama White Tern certainly took a lesson from the ducks.

Here's what a baby White Tern looks like (they're so cute).

And, here's a pair of White Terns watching over their nest.

Here's a baby Kaʻupu (Black-footed Albatross).

One of many Monk seals hanging about "resting".

Can you spot the giant sea turtle (that looks like a largish rock)?

Here's a Red-tailed Tropicbird nesting.

Here's a pair of Christmas Shearwaters.

And, here's a huge flock of sunshine yellow canaries (hidden in the trees). Yes, I said canaries. No, they're not indigenous to the Island; they were brought in as pets when the Navy resided there. Since no one wanted to take them home, they were released into the wild. Now, since they are the only "wild" flock of sunshine yellow canaries, they can't be eradicated.

Other places of interest:

This is the historical "comms" building - great Navy construction work.

Whale bones fronting the FWS building

And finally, my room with a "view" ...

Seriously, this is my view!

While is was definitely "interesting", I'm hoping this was a once in a lifetime trip!