17 Sept, cont. 
1830- 25 Blue-faced ^oobies in club.; 5 + Hawaiian Noddies on top of lighthouse. 
Both adult Blue-faced Boobies by the chick. The pair of ^lue-faced Boobies 
that were in the middle of the island last night weren*t #ere tonight. 
The frigatebirds have left the island area# 
Jeff and I went out after dark to band all the birds we could catch. We 
first went to the lighthouse where one out of five Hawaiian Noddies was caught. 
Near the lighthouse the female Blue-faced Booby with the nestling was returned. 
The club was next on the agenda# Only four birds were captured - all banded# 
The birds were very spooky# In this same area is the nest with two eggs# 
We proceeded to the lagoon where 100 + Common Noddies and $0 + Ruddy 
Turnstones were roosting# The noddies are not seen during the day# I think 
that all the rain caused the water in the lagoon to rise high enough to flood 
the land where the birds generally nest# They must be returning to start 
nesting now# One Gray-backed Tern was heard flying over# 
The telephone poles were checked next - one Brown Booby roosting# WaLked 
back to camp around the egde of the island. A little beyond the two Cordia trees 
we found two pairs of Blue-faced Boobies roosting. No evidence of breeding. 
A few Sooty Terns can be heard flying over at night# Jeff found one 
today on the beach that couldn ! t fly. 
The vegetation is in good shape indicating plenty of rain# Triumfetta is 
blooming# The two Cordia trees are in full foilage and starting to bloom. 
Euphorbia is erect Q almost lh inches high. The whole island is green and lush# 
Two species of crab were collected. One was the land crab that lives all 
over the interior of the island. %e other was a type of ^iddler ciab (one 
cheliped bigger than the other)# It was found in a sandy depression near the 
beach and vegetated area near canp# 
18 Sept. 
0900 - 6 Hawaiian Noddies on beach; pair of Blue-faced Boobies with nest; adult 
Blue-faced Booby with two eggs; h frigates feeding off West shore; two Lesser 
Frigates flying SSW# 
ll£0 - 1200 - 1 Blixe-faced Booby low over water off west shore; 6 Hawaiian Noddies, 
1 Common Noddy on NW shore; 1 Blue-faced Booby on water off NW shore; 7 frigates 
circling offshore# 
I went to the lagoon this morning to check for unusual shorebirds# However 
they weren 1 1 in the lagoon but rather wading around in puddles of water that 
had formed in depressions near the lagoon# Collected one ^harp-tailed Sandpiper^ 
and saw another one. Continued to the lagoon where a flock of Ruddy Turnstones 
flew up# In the flock there was one bird with a bright red rump - an Aleutian 
bird# I wasn* t able to collect it. A good indication of the amount of rain that 
they have had here is the large number of water-filled depressions all over 
the island# 
