Bird survey on the Layang-layang atoll

I had the opportunity to conduct a bird survey on Terumbu layang-layang off the coast of Labuan in the early 1990s. As a matter of fact, I went there on two occasions. The first time to survey birds while the second time was to do a documentary on migratory birds with RTM. I enjoyed both trips. It's like heaven for migratory birds, just like being on Galapagos Island. Imagine being surrounded by colonies of brown boobies, noodies, crested terns etc. You can practically sit among the colonies watching the chicks on the ground while the adult birds flying above your head, sometimes bombarding you with fish...what a feeling. Guys, we should plan to visit this place sometimes.
My first trip to Terumbu layang-layang was with Dr.Tajuddin Abdullah (UNIMAS) and Mat Isa Marzuki who is retired now. We were there to study the impact of constructing an airstrip on the bird population and the potential danger to the airplane should the project proceeds. The only way to get to the atoll at that time was either take a Nuri helicopter ( 2 hr+) or Royal Navy Ship ( 18 hr+ depending on the weather and sea condition). We opted for the first choice but had to standby at the TUDM base everyday until the weather permits us to fly. So there we were, waiting at the base every day until 1:00pm before the army personnel would come to us and said " sorry guys, no flight today. Weather doesn't permit flying. Come back tomorrow". So off we went, to our hotel. Labuan was still developing during that time. The best hotel in town belongs to one of the senior politicians in the state. Nothing much to do except window shopping for duty free items. A can of beer costs the same as coke....We were on standby for three days before the weather permitted us to fly to Layang-layang atoll. After safety briefing, we walked to our waiting nuri with our field equipments. The army also sent the week supplies for the personnel on the atoll as the ship that was supposed to carry the supplies had to turn back due to engine problems. At last we took off from the TUDM base in a Nuri, flying above Labuan town before flying above the ocean. We flew above the ocean for more than one hour. You only see the blue ocean everywhere. It's quite frightening to imagine what would happened if the Nuri was to make an emergency landing in the ocean......Alhamdullilah, we reached Layang-layang safely. As we approached the atoll, we saw a small patch of sand surrounded by deep blue ocean. Everyone was excited and looking forward to the new experience. We landed safely and the personnel crowded the Nuri to unload the supplies that we brought along with us, especially the cigarettes. After lunch in the fully air-conditioned mess, we went out to the bird area. You can hear the sound of birds as you approached the area. And suddenly, before your eyes.... thousand of terns, boobies, nodies etc flying just above your head. We set our transect lines amidst the cries of the birds, as if telling us to leave them alone. while setting our transect lines, we came across eggs, chicks and dead chicks. After surveying the transects, we decided to just sit down and enjoyed the scenery with birds flying just above our heads. As usual I took the opportunity to photograph the birds using my faithful Nikon SLR. (I hope I can still find the slides of the birds). We left the atoll after completing our task. Spend a couple of days in Labuan (for duty free shopping) before departing to KL. It was truly an unforgettable experience for me to be surrounded by birds just like what you normally see on the telly. My second trip to Layang-layang was more relax as the air strip was completed and we took a small plane instead of the Nuri. Personally, I enjoyed Nuri compared to the light plane as you can see more with the door opened on the Nuri..I'll write about my second trip next time. In the meantime, all the best to our representatives to the sports meet. Remember, good sportsmanship is more important than winning. Go out and enjoy yourselves and please do not show your faces at the office on Monday if you fail to win anything...hahhaha