Two weeks ago, when the vessel was fishing close to the Isla de los Estados, something strange happened.
After having observed the morning haul, I went back to my cabin for a wash before lunch and was startled to find a bird that we are not used to seeing way out on the open ocean. It had neither long nor thin wings as an ocean bird should have, no tube upon it’s beak like a true petrel, not even webbed feet! It was a Cattle egret Bubulcus ibis that one of the crew must have deposited in my bunk!
As is typical on these trips, I was immediately given the name ‘bird man’ and was swiftly beckoned each time any bird came to settle on deck. This time, the bird was left in my cabin for me.
As I found it, I realised that many of the crew had gathered to watch my reaction, and to see how the bird was enjoying my bunk. It seemed to like it, snuggled in amongst my slippers and stinky outdoor clothes. It is not an ocean-going species and was clearly in need of some rest and recuperation.
At least this gave a good occasion to explain more about seabird biology and conservation issues, which is a big part of our work onboard. I also routinely tested the crew on seabird identification to see what they had picked up from my little lessons, as for many of them all the bird species that frequent the southern oceans are just ‘different sized seagulls’.
At the end of the trip I presented the best seabird ID scholar with an ATF Argentina hat!
Before leaving the vessel, I helped the crew change their tori line to the more efficient model that I had built for them. They seemed happy with its performance and are continuing to use it on their next trip, so my work onboard was very positive!