Tuesday on Eastern

Today we had a full day of counting on Eastern Island. I don't have a sense of how the count is going overall but the sectors we did today were washed over completely by the Tsunami in March and the number of birds was down. No one knows if there is a correlation but many people are asking questions about the connection. Yesterday we saw Manta Rays feeding in the Harbor. There were several and one of them swam directly toward us to within about 100 feet. They feed very close to the surface and the light was very good so I could look straight down its large oval mouth as it cruised for the small animals it feeds on. I guessed 10 feet from wing tip to wing tip so it was quite a sight. We also saw a Peregrine Falcon circling high overhead with a cloud of 40 or 50 White Terns mobbing it. The days are short so I don't get anything done after work in the way of picture taking or snorkeling.