Field Journal: Days 14 & 15

Days remaining: 2 weeks, 6 days

The following entries are written from memory. Since the storm was so bad and I was so bored, I stopped keeping a journal.

Day 14: Wednesday June 16th
Day 4 of Worst Storm Ever
Another day stuck in the cabin. Jenn and Tasha made it back to camp late the night before, so we stayed up late the night before talking and telling stories. This was the last day to do plots, and with the storm, there was no chance of doing that. Around 5 pm, we had a break in the storm, with a few patches of sun (!), so I raced outside and snapped a few photos.
This is a western sandpiper that had built a nest just off the boardwalk out to the dock. Every time we walked by, she would pop up onto the boardwalk and start screaming and performing a broken wing display. She would do this to lure any predators, in this case us, away from her eggs. Here's a video of a killdeer doing it.
Sandpipers and other shorebirds build nests on top of the tundra, usually nestled in some vegetation. They can be surprisingly difficult to find if you don't see the adult bird pop off the nest. Since it was right off the boardwalk and she was very active in her displays, the nest was easy to pin point and I took the opportunity to take some photos.

Day 15: Thursday June 17th
Day 5 of Worst Storm Ever

This was my last day at camp. This is was unfortunate for many reasons. I had planned dinner and dessert already, but since I was the single Yukon Delta NWR employee on the crew, Julian wanted me to be in Bethel to assist with unpacking and getting people to their flights. My sinus infection was also coming back, and I think Julian wanted too get me somewhere I could recover and relax.
I flew out on the Beaver, the same plane I had flown in on, and since this time I wasn't nearly as stressed about being in a little plane. I took a few pictures of the Delta below.

When we got back to Bethel... well, the bunkhouse was very crowded, and on top of being sick, I was very overwhelmed and depressed. Looking back on my field journal, other than the first day, I was pretty happy and chipper out at camp. I still kind of miss being out there.