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| The chicks were born in early February and will fledge in the next month or so. It’s been amazing to watch their fluff fall away as their feathers suitable for flying grow in. |
It’s only a subtle change after 10 days of being ill. I didn’t lay in bed often during the day over this period doing so for only short stints. I showered and dressed every morning, doing laundry as needed, and preparing our meals. It felt good to move about rather than lounging all day long.
Never hesitating to post I scrambled for good new photos to share. I never dreaded posting during this period. The words may not have flowed as easily as on better days but, they came nonetheless, and as long as I could roust up new photos, I was content. Bear with me over the lack of creativity during this time.
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| An un-banded Albatross out for a walk. It’s impossible to determine the albatross’s gender without a DNA test. There are no obvious markings or physical definitions. Since both parents equally share in sitting on the nest and the care and feeding of the chick, perhaps nature has made them visibly indistinguishable. |
Now, on day three of the second round of antibiotics, yesterday I noticed a slight improvement, enough to inspire me to get out. Needing more probiotics and anxious to see how the Laysan Albatross chicks were progressing, I asked Tom to drive me to the nearby neighborhood to see them, take photos and then head to the grocery store for the six items on the grocery app on my Windows phone.
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| All of the chicks now have both fluffy and new feathers, as shown in this napping chick. |
As soon as we got into the car, it started to rain. In the two minutes it took to drive to the albatross, most of them were tucked inside their own proliferating new feathers as shelter from the downpour. We were able to get these few shots although it was difficult to do so with their heads tucked away.
Tom is absolutely the most patient photo spotter on the planet. He backs up six inches, moves forward nine inches, and repeatedly backs up to provide me with the perfect angle for a shot. Never complaining. Never once. Without his patience and perseverance, we’d miss so much.
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| This banded albatross appeared to be a parent when she or he was hovering near a chick. |
As the sun began to wane with a decent sunset appearing on the horizon, at 6:30 pm, we wandered across the street to gather with the crowds at the overlook that both walk and drive to this location to take photos and gawk at the impending beauty.
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| This chick has been a favorite of ours with his nest fairly close to the road and her/him often checking out the scenery. |
As it turned out the sunset wasn’t as profound as we’d expected. We returned home at 7:10 for a quiet restful evening. Again today, the improvement is still small but enough to give me hope that I’ll be feeling better soon.
Our plan for today was for both of us to head to Lihue to return the rental car and pick up another car we’d reserved. Originally, we’d intended to leave Kauai on the 15th to spend the remaining nine nights until the cruise in Honolulu. After our unimpressive 11 nights in Waikiki, once we got settled in Kauai we decided to stay here until the 23rd, spending only one night in Honolulu.
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| Here are two chicks approximately six feet apart although they look closer in this photo. Here again, they are tucked away napping during the wind and rain. The parents lay one egg and thus these two are not related or, perhaps in some way, they are. |
As a result, when we were unable to extend the remaining nine days over the phone and a trip to Lihue was necessary today on the 15th.
Tom will return the car without me with no necessity for me to be sitting in the car for two hours for the round trip to the airport and back. Tom loaded his favorite podcasts on his phone for the drive and the time will fly quickly for him.
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| By the time we left the area, the sun was shining and we spotted this typical lawn mowing scenario. A Cattle Egret hovers near the mower hoping for morsels the process may unsettle. This always makes us laugh. |
With a little catching up on departure tasks such as paying in advance for our luggage on the upcoming flight to Honolulu and logging a few receipts on our spreadsheet, I’ll make good use of the time.
Yesterday, we took enough photos to share over the weekend. Hopefully, by Monday, we can escalate our activity level and visit a few remaining sites before departing Kauai. Have a wonderful Friday and upcoming weekend!
Photo from one year ago today, May 15, 2014:
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| A year ago, Madame Zahra had lovingly made our last meal at Dar Aicha, the lovely riad in which we lived for the prior two and a half months. With utmost respect, we didn’t take photos of the household staff. Saying goodbye to Madame was tearful and emotional for her and me. With a total language barrier somehow we managed to communicate with one another during the entire period. For details of that final day, please click here. |