The Home Front

We're finally getting warm weather. The albatross chicks are panting and looking for the nearest shade. I, of course, am looking for the best spots for some serious nude sunbathing. Kiss those tanlines goodbye, you know what I'm saying? Just kidding.....there are more important things to worry about......like The Pedes!!!! Yes, there are tiger sharks (apparently, there is one that lives directly under the pier people jump off of to go swimming) and unpredictable humanoids here, but I dread The Pedes. I have already had a brutal Night-terror about them, and I am surprised that I did not go straight in to a catatonic state of despair as a result.



The front of the house, with lots of Laysan Yardatross chicks in the yard. Literally, The Home Front.



This is part of the backyard.....aka "Tucker Field". Many yardatross of two species here.

The Pedes, of course, are the (allegedly) gigantic centipedes that were brought here in the soil from Guam a number of years ago. They have a venemous, painful bite, and they give me The Fear. Reaching into damp, dark petrel burrows (which is sometimes required) is not a very calming experience.....but so far so good. I have not experienced The Wrath Of The Pedes yet, but Im sure they will call my number in the not too distant future. I have already found a pile of roaches in my duffel bag though......the various critters that live in buildings here are interesting. There are house mice, several species of geckos, roaches, Pedes, Giant Death-Spiders, black widows, brown recluses......good stuff. I like the geckos though. One particular Laysan Albatross in the backyard has thought about walking in to the house a couple times (I held the door open for it) but decided to pass.

Outside, we have a lot of Laysan Albatross and Bonin Petrels, with some Black-footeds nesting on the "ridge", "out back". White/Fairy Terns sit on the wall to our shed type thing in back, as well as on my windowsill and on my air conditioning unit. They are the first thing I hear in the morning. A Pacific Golden-Plover is usually around somewhere, sometimes on the roof. On our "street" there are also Ruddy Turnstones and Black Noddies flying around gathering nesting material. A Red-tailed Tropicbird thought about nesting next to our front door, but I think it passed. They are usually flying around though, and sometimes Great Frigatebirds as well. Oh yeah there are mynas and canaries around, but they are not native here.



This is one of the Bonin Petrels from the front yard.

In other news.....I think I may have found a Grey-tailed Tattler this afternoon and its stressing me out. How embarrassing.