Another anniversary, sinking boats and a storm - 21 February to 27 February

This week marks another anniversary, it has been three months since I left Cape Town and saw Table Mountain slowly drop over the horizon.

Work-wise this has been a quiet week, I have mostly been waiting for a chance to conclude the herbicide spraying of the Sagina infested areas around the base. Fortunately careful inspection of the areas has turned up only a few of the plants (less than twenty in total) which is a good sign that the control programme may in fact be working.

Sunset on Wednesday, no sign yet of what was to come

Every Wednesday is Skivvy day, where we divide up into teams and clean the whole base from top to bottom and then may continue with whatever else we had planned for the day. However this Wednesday was a little different because Leonie (the medic) decided that the team needed to practice a rescue. I was chosen to be the guinea-pig. It went ok, for a bunch of people without a clue, but if they had been on the Rescue Team, they would not have passed muster... It was very difficult to keep my mouth shut...

I also got to do some "caving" under the base, installing new network cabling because the mice have eaten the cables. I have no idea why they would eat the cables but they have and they needed replacing and I was stupid enough to volunteer. It was quite fun until you crawl over a rotten Petrel carcass left by a Skua.

We also got to experience our first winter storm this week. It was incredible! Basically what happened is a hurricane that was headed for Brazil was diverted by a high pressure North of Gough and hit us. It also hit a small yacht, Spraydust, en route from the UK to Brazil, crewed by her owner Tom Morgan, his wife and a friend. She was about 40nm North of Gough when she lost her mail sail boom and the mail sail wrapped around the mast, preventing it from being furled. The sail then ballooned out and stopped them from doing anything other than running with the wind. For four days they battled to keep afloat and were driven towards Tristan. Finally on Saturday they were rescued by a super tanker. It was a harrowing experience to listen to their communications with us and Tristan; and a wonderful relief once they had been rescued.

Storm swell

We got a chance to see what they had been experiencing on Saturday when we went down to Crane Point and saw the swell breaking against the sea stack just off the point. The swells were so large that when they broke, the spray was driven higher than where we were standing which is about 30m above sea level. It was quite sobering to see the full might of storm that the crew of the Spraydust had been through. You can get some idea from the video below, I apologize for the shakiness but the 80kts of wind and hail made it difficult...

Anniversaries and other momentous events - 14 February to 20 February

Well this week has marked two fairly significant events, the 15th of February marked two months since my arrival at Gough and today, the 20th, marks 200 days before the S.A. Agulhas arrives for takeover in September. It was also Valentines Day on Monday and I missed out on the party here because I was away at Gonydale with Prince. I was however, thanks to the wonder of the internet and a favour, able to send some flowers to someone I care about a lot and miss terribly.

Storm coming

Sadly none of the issues I commented on in my previous post have been resolved. I still have not received an updated workplan for the rest of the year and the Department of Environmental Affairs have now decided that no one may venture anywhere further than an hour from base alone, which means that our Tristan Albatross study sites are all out of bounds now. Ironically enough, I could probably make it to both the sites in less than an hour but if I have to take someone else along then it will take more than an hour. A time limit is a strange way to demarcate a limit, or at least it seems strange to me. A fixed distance would be more rational surely?

One of the few flowering plants on the island, I have no idea what it is though

Despite the restrictions and not knowing what I am supposed to be doing next month, I have managed to get some work done this week. Prince was kind enough to accompany me to Gonydale for the two weekly nest checks of the Tristans. I'm not sure that he knew what he was getting himself into because he has not walked on the island much before. His only other trip "far" away from base was with Ross and I up Tafelkoppie in early February. Be that as it may, he did well and we were able to check almost eighty of the nests and mark out around thirty more. We have now got more than 200 nests that need to be checked every two weeks until we have identified both the male and female parents. I have also started the herbicide spraying programme in the walk-able areas where Sagina has been found around the base. I use two herbicides in combination with Rodamine, a red dye, to mark where I have sprayed. I am really glad that they have provided us with work clothes because boy oh boy is it difficult to get that dye off... I am going to be leaving quite a lot of contaminated clothing behind when I go I'm sure!

Sunset over Richmond Hill and Cavern Head, with millions of night birds leaving the island

The general attitude and camaraderie in the base has recovered and should continue to recover and may even reach new heights as Ross's departure becomes slowly more and more distant. It was really quite awkward for the first week after he left and everyone was being very mindful of what they said, particularly around Michelle. Even with the work difficulties it has created for me I am still glad to have seen the last of Ross, the limbo period between his getting fired and leaving was quite difficult. I am really hoping that we will develop a real team spirit in the coming months.

More night birds, every speck on the photo in the middle third is a bird

One other thing worthy of mention has happened this week, Michelle was kind enough to cut my hair for me which was getting really long and irritating. It was, according to some sources (who shall remain nameless), starting to make me look like Tarzan. So now it is all gone...

No longer Tarzan

First week alone - 9 February to 13 February

Well, it is Sunday and I'm not dead. Just kidding, my first week without Ross's opinion on everything has actually been okay. I was quite worried that I would not be able to carry out everything that my boss wants me to do but I have made peace with it. If I can't manage to get through all the work they set me then it is actually their problem and not mine, I can only do my best and then that is it. I don't know, perhaps I am being overly pessimistic as I have not seen the revised workplan. Maybe it will only have a few things to do and I will pass the remainder of my days here on the island in proper movie island idyll style, sipping cocktails in a hammock with a sea view.

The Glen, site of the old Base is just below the rock spike just to the left of centre

It is quite nice working by myself actually, it means I can get started at a reasonable time in the morning, Ross was not a morning person, we rarely got going before 9am, which is crazy on an island where it is light from 5am. I am currently sort of marking time, waiting for the revised workplan, only continuing with the two priorities for this month which are monitoring the Tristan nests at Tafelkoppie and Gonydale, as well as doing Sagina inspections. Both of these have serious restrictions in place now with Ross having left. I am no longer doing the inspections in the areas that require ropework as the RSPB, John and I think it is too risky to work alone. Also I am not allowed to go to Gonydale by myself as it is a comms dead spot and John (in line with the DEA regulations) does not want me there alone. This has caused some problems as I am now reliant on either Michelle or Prince to accompany me and they have other duties which must take priority. Again, however these are not really my problems but rather the RSPB's as it was their decision not to replace Ross which has caused this. I wish they would hurry up with the new workplan, they have known since the first week in January that Ross was going to be leaving and that they were not sending a replacement. They have therefore had more than a month to edit the existing document, which is more than enough time. Thankfully this is also not my problem as I can do nothing about it whatsoever, so I shall not let it bother me.

To end, as it is Valentine's Day tomorrow, I would like to wish all the women reading this a wonderful day and hope you get spoilt by your significant other. If you don't have a significant other I hope at least that you receive some token from a mysterious stranger...

The end of an error - 31 January to 8th February

Hi everyone

I apologise for the slight delay in publishing this new edition but I was waiting for the arrival of the Edinburgh. It was a bit touch and go, getting off this island by boat always is, but they managed it: and at about 1500 yesterday, Ross departed for Cape Town. I actually have mixed feelings about him leaving, he was difficult at times and quite short tempered but in the last while we had been getting on quite well. Also now he is gone, the continuation of the research and the ultimate success or failure of this year is now entirely my responsibility which is quite daunting.

Ross' chariot

[Note: to all those of you who read this regularly, I am now under instructions to include more of how the work makes me feel, rather than explaining the details of what we actually do, so those of you who were hoping to be informed about the work here are going to be disappointed :-) ...]

The M.V. Edinburgh off Transvaal Bay

With that over, it was time to unpack the presents from the Edinburgh. Thanks to all for everything you sent, it was the most awesome feeling to open all the parcels and boxes, I felt like a kid again! Thank you Mom, Dad, Granny, Grandpa, Martin, Janice and Stefan, I really appreciate everything (if I missed someone out, I'm sorry). Sadly the lemon curd didn't make it, I think it got a little warm or something because it separated out and would not remix.

The elusive Gough Island Bunting

 Anyway, most of last week was spent up at Gonydale. What was supposed to be an overnight trip turned into a five day slog because the weather did not cooperate at all. Anyway, it wasn't all bad, there is something wonderful about being warm and comfy in a tent, listening to the wind and rain beat against the fly, knowing that you don't have to get up and do anything; you can just lie there and read your book or go back to sleep.

Clouds over Gonydale, looking south

On the odd occasion that the cloud lifted enough for us to see more than ten meters, we were out marking out Tristan Albatross nests as part of a long term study to monitor reproductive success. This is the part of the work I enjoy the most, it is such a wonderful privilege to work with these beautiful birds, in one of the most remote places in the world. They are completely unafraid and will allow you to approach within touching distance. We have to pick them up to place rings on their legs and even then, they are quite gentle and relaxed (You do have to hold their beak closed though, because they can give a nasty bite). We are also lucky enough to be in Gonydale at the correct time to see the mating displays (see the video below) although the birds doing the displays are probably too late to mate, lay and incubate. It is incredible to be one of a very small group of people who have ever seen this behaviour in the wild.

Spending a long time with the Tristans alters your perspective, on the way back down to base we passed several Yellow nosed Albatross nests and the adults look really small. Funny, that.

Courting Tristans

So, now I am waiting to receive the new work schedule revised for one person, I really hope that my boss puts some serious thought into this and makes some sensible changes because if he doesn't I feel that I might be in for a bit of a 'mare of a time. Holding thumbs!