Large Boobies
X86
Rich Carey
Sun 8 Apr 2018 17:10
I noticed this magnificent pair, mid day yesterday, but I think they've been around for the last 36 hours. I'd noticed a single bird perched on the port pulpit as I was doing night rounds checking the rigging (two nights ago), but now think it likely was my guests, huddled together (I didn't look muchly, as I didn't want to shine my powerful spotlight on it/them for more than a second). Yesterday I noticed them at mid day on the Starboard pulpit, and what a grand pair they are. I don't have a book on birds or the Interweb, so can't even tell which is the male/female. I only quote 'Boobies' as that's what my mom deduced from the attached photo. There's quite a lot of mess on the front, so the 'poop' deck it has to be then.
I can only deduce that this pair are on holiday. They've likely done this before - spending a few days winging it to Panama, and later hitching a ride home on a ship. I've only seen 1 ship in the last 4 days, so they appear scarce, hence they are 'Yachting' it this time. This probably means that they'll be late back on station, as I go at a quarter the speed they are likely used to.
The next point of 'weirdly note' is that mid afternoon, a bird of the Sparrow type (but better colored), flew into the saloon, did two circuits, and flew back out again - that was new. I think it may have been some king of Galapagos Gestapo super drone, send to look me over. It then landed on the tender and stared at me. I put out some nuts and raisins, but it completely ignored the offering - ha, drone, case closed! If they observed anything they don't like (I was watching Season 4 of 'Boardwalk Empire' - pretty innocuous?), I may get Galapagos Gestapo dolphin torpedoed. or maybe a Hawk missile?
This is stirring stuff, stirring enough to stir me to drag my fancy pants camera out and put the batteries on charge. Its been aboard since the start, but never out of its bag. The phone camera being so awesome, why bother? Galapagos why. My X-T1 has 63 buttons, and 4581 settings. Its been a while, but I figured out how to turn it on. Manual visit, inevitable.
Had a slightly odd breakfast. No eggs or bread aboard, so bacon on rye crackers (or whatever they're called - brown large things with seeds in!). Seemed pretty healthy to me. While burning the bacon on the BBQ, spotted some dolphins meandering past. Didn't give me a second glance as I'm going slowish (no appreciable bow wave to play in), and I'm a 'smoker' ( ref 'Waterworld' :-) ).
All's well on x86, except the 'death by manual' thing.
