Was reading a site about Marines preparing on pre-WW2 Midway Island and the later Battle of Midway. I thought of the "DUmmies" and how entertaining they are when I read the following random paragraphs.
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The "gooney" birds were a considerable problem within the position-areas because once they fell into a gun pit they did not have the intelligence necessary to find their way out. Actually the birds created quite a diversion for the men working on the guns; and if paint were hereditary, I imagine that many a "gooney" bird is still wearing the red-lead splotches so delicately given his ancestors by the Midway Detachment.
Recreation in the Midway Detachment consisted generally of swimming, limited boating and fishing, a small amount of beer on occasion, and a somewhat haphazard outdoor movie which came into being late in the tour. Actually the birds seemed to enjoy the movie as much as the men because the sooty tern and moaning bird would invariably flock around the sound box and emit their mournful wail.
Certain considerations should be made or continued for the preservation of these birds for they are a great source of amusement, and the cheerful calls add much to the attractiveness of the island and will in a latent way add to the morale of personnel. * * *
Kindda reminds me of the gooney birds on Skins Island.
