Hi Tweeters,

I did a home inspection today for a couple who spent most of the last year living on their sailboat. They sailed from Mexico to Hawaii last fall. When I asked Howard about the birds they saw away from land, he said the strangest thing happened.

When they were about 200 miles west of Mexico, a Blue-footed Booby landed on the railing at the bow of the boat. When it faced into the wind, it pooped on the deck, so they would scare it off. When it faced backward, it pooped off the front of the boat, so they let it stay. It soon learned to land facing backward. It stayed with them until they sighted land in Hawaii, a ride of about 2500 miles. The booby only left the boat to catch something to eat, mostly flying fish.

This makes me wonder how the boobies that have been seen in the Pacific Northwest got here. Did they hitch-hike, too?

* Denny Granstrand *
* Yakima, WA *
* dgranstrand at charter.net *
photos on-line at:
http://osprey.bardill.net/gallery/