Arctic Tern Egg- First egg of the season!
Good news! The first tern eggs of the season have arrived on Metinic Island. Soon all of the eggs will be laid and the incubation period will start. Terns usually lay from 2-4 eggs one at a time until they are all laid. Because the terns are colonial breeders it is advantageous to them to all lay their eggs around the same time. This reduces the chances of predation through the protection of sheer numbers. We are excited to see the first eggs because this means the busy season is on its way. This past week we put together the three blinds on the island and have begun to record sightings of banded birds.
Inside the blind using a scope to read bands
Because we live on an island there are some things we have to do differently that many people take for granted. We thought it would be interesting to show you how we accomplish some of these everyday tasks. Today we will give you our step-by-step guide on how to clean the dishes with no running water:
Step one- retrieve water from well
Step two- fill pot
Step three- boil water in pot using propane stove
Step four- pour boiling water into two tubs; one for washing and one for rinsing.
Step five- clean the dishes
And then you are done! 
So long for now,
Katie and Chelsea
