Unsmooth Sailing

Storm after storm continues to cause us to alter course, but the good news is that we have been in open water. The past couple days I have surveyed south of Saint Matthew's Island, and a little SE. While we were closer to the island, gulls and Fulmars really stole the show. There were constantly Kittiwakes, Glaucous and Glaucous-winged Gulls and Northern Fulmars buzzing the ship.

Today, further from the Island, there was not as much activity. However, a juvenile Pelagic Cormorant decided the boat would make a good place to rest.

I also added Pigeon Guillemot to the trip list today.

Auklets are surprisingly absent. My guess is they are congregated around the Aleutians. We will be heading south again soon, and there is a great line of stations south of St. Paul that could prove productive. We will have to wait and see.