On Friday we completed the last sector on Eastern Island!🎉 This is always a terrific feeling. As I mentioned, weather and sea conditions can be fickle at this time of year and have, in some years, prevented us from reaching Eastern for many consecutive days.

Our two teams of six worked so smoothly and professionally that we were able to count the last three Eastern sectors: E10, E1, and Spit, and were finished at 2pm. There was great celebration later that evening when those last three areas were colored in on our progress map at Clipper House.

Spit is (was) a tiny island off the western tip of Eastern, but over the past several years the two islands have merged together as the sand has gradually piled up to bridge the two. Eight years ago we had to make a separate wet landing on Spit; four years ago we simply walked across a stretch of pristine bare sand between E1 and Spit.

Since then, the vegetation is now filling the gap. It’s fascinating to see the landscape changing, while at the same time Eastern Island is eroding along its east edge, and the resident birds on that side are being forced to share reduced real estate. Given their nesting site fidelity, it’s possible it could be some years before any nesters choose to inhabit the new land that is growing on the other side.

This coming week will be a final push to count the remaining six sectors on Sand Island which will complete this year’s census.

To celebrate the completion of the count on Eastern, here is a selection of images and memories.