Today is Endangered Species Day and we are honoring none other than Laysan ducks.
As the world's most endangered duck, they're considered the rarest native waterfowl in the United States: while once found throughout the Hawaiian Islands, today they only reside in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. There, they're protected by Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. In recent years, Pacific Islands: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has relocated some Laysan ducks from Laysan Island to Midway Atoll and Kure Atoll, in order to increase their chance of survival!
Let us know which endangered species you want to learn more about!
(Photo: Andrew Sullivan-Haskins. Image description: Two Laysan ducks float on the water at golden hour.)
Article by Elena Fischer, External Affairs Kupu AmeriCorps Intern with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Wisdom’s mate Akeakamai stands over their newly hatched chick. Photo by Bob Peyton / USFWS
Wisdom, a Laysan albatross and world’s oldest known, banded wild bird has hatched a new chick at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and Battle of Midway National Memorial. She is at least 68 years old, has raised between 31-36 chicks in her lifetime, and is still going!
Wisdom was first sighted at her nest site on November 29, 2018 and laid an egg soon after. It is uncommon for albatross to return to, lay, and hatch an egg every single year. However, Wisdom and her mate have done this at Midway Atoll in
Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument each year since 2006.
Wisdom’s mate Akeakamai stands over his pipping egg - the chick is starting to hatch. Photo by Bob Peyton / USFWS
Albatross spend 90% of their life at sea where they soar over the ocean for days on end and rest on the waves to feed on squid and fish eggs. And all albatross return nearly every year to the place they were born. Millions of albatross return to Midway Atoll each year to nest and raise their young. This behavior is known as “nest site fidelity” and it makes places with large colonies of nesting birds, like Midway Atoll, critically important for the future survival of seabirds like Wisdom. In 2017, the chick that she fledged in 2001 was observed just a few feet away from her current nest, marking the first time a returning chick of hers has been documented.
“She’s incredibly powerful as a symbol of why we do what we do and why people all over the world pay attention to her,” said Beth Flint, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife Biologist. Wisdom is rewriting history about our understanding of “survivorship, how long birds live, and how often they breed.”
Raising Albatross Chicks
Raising the next generation of albatross is no easy job. Albatross return starting in October to meet their mate, and will spend approximately seven months on Midway Atoll to incubate and raise their chick. Albatrosses lay a single egg and both parents take turns incubating it for a little over two months. When not on parenting duty, Wisdom and Akeakamai take turns foraging for food. After the chick hatches, another five to six months will pass before it leaves the island to fly out to sea, or “fledge”. This process takes up so much time and energy, so most Laysan albatross do not lay an egg every year.
“Because Laysan albatross don’t lay eggs every year and when they do, they raise only one chick at a time, the contribution of even one bird to the population makes a difference,” said Bob Peyton, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Project Leader for Midway Atoll Refuge and Memorial.
For the first years of their lives, albatross grow and mature at sea. Starting around age five, juvenile Laysan return to their home colony during breeding season and begin the search for a mate - a process that can take years. During nesting season, juvenile albatross can be found all over Midway Atoll practicing elaborate courtship dances or dozens of ritualized movements. When they find that special bird to dip, bow, and preen with, the pair stays bonded for life.
A pair of Black-footed albatross perform a courtship dance surrounded by chicks sitting on nests. Video by USFWS
Conserving Albatross’ Home
There aren’t many places left for Laysan Albatross to nest, and Midway Atoll is by far the most important Laysan Albatross colony in the world. Nearly 70% of the world’s Laysan albatross, almost 40% of Black-footed albatross, and endangered Short-tailed albatross all rely on Midway Atoll. In addition to albatross, there are 20 different bird species that live on Midway Atoll. In total, over three million individual birds call the Refuge and Memorial home.
A pair of Black-footed albatross sit and nestle together. Photo by Dan Clark / USFWS
Throughout the Monument, scientific research and monitoring plays an essential role in managing wildlife, including seabirds. Surveys and banding projects conducted in the Monument and throughout the world help scientists better understand the life cycles and migration patterns of birds. Wisdom was first identified and banded by biologists as an adult in 1956, but the very first albatross was banded on Midway Atoll in 1936. To date over 250,000 albatross have been banded at the Refuge and Memorial. By pairing modern data analysis with detailed current and historical records, biologists can make more informed management decisions that ensure seabirds have the habitat and resources they need in the future.
Biologists with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are working to restore the habitat seabirds need at Midway Atoll and remove threats like invasive predators - because protecting the future for seabirds mean protecting the places they call home.
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For more photos and video, please visit: https://goo.gl/ucVV7f
Read more stories about Midway Atoll and the Albatross at:
Wisdom Returns to Midway - December 2018
Midway’s Albatross: A New Threat Puts the World’s Largest Colony at Risk
Video: Battle of Midway Commemoration Film
The Return of Midway’s Albatross
The Laysan Albatross: A Lovesong
Midway Atoll: Restoring an Ecological Gem
A Future to Count on for Albatross at Midway NWR
Discovering Midway’s Cultural History
War and Peace at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and Battle of Midway National Memorial
Return to Midway: A short-tailed albatross love story
“Lonesome” George Finds a Friend
Located on the far northern end of the Hawaiian archipelago, Midway Atoll Refuge and Memorial is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and located within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. It is one the oldest Atoll formations in the world, it provides nesting habitat for millions of seabirds, and it is a touchstone for one of the most significant naval battles of World War II, and in history, the Battle of Midway. To learn more about the Midway Atoll: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/midway_Atoll/
Papahānaumokuākea is cooperatively managed to ensure ecological integrity and achieve strong, long-term protection and perpetuation of Northwestern Hawaiian Island ecosystems, Native Hawaiian culture, and heritage resources for current and future generations. Four co-trustees - the Department of Commerce, Department of the Interior, State of Hawai‘i and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs - protect this special place. Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument was inscribed as the first mixed (natural and cultural) UNESCO World Heritage Site in the United States in July 2010. For more information, please visit www.papahanaumokuakea.gov.
Today, for Memorial Day, we honor the many people who gave their lives in service to our nation.
In addition to protecting important ecosystems and habitats, your National Marine Sanctuary System also protects maritime heritage resources that tell the story of our maritime nation.
Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, for example, protects the waters around Midway Atoll, which are the resting place for at least 31 sunken aircraft that are considered war graves. The Battle of Midway was one of the most decisive U.S. victories of WWII and is referred to as the turning point of the war in the Pacific. Here, a diver documents the wing section of a F4U Corsair.
Find out more about an expedition to explore these aircraft and honor the legacy of the brave men who helped to turn the tide in the Pacific at https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/17midway/welcome.html.
(Photo: Tane Casserley/NOAA. Image description: A diver carrying a camera swims above a sunken aircraft wing.)
George and Geraldine: A Short-tailed Albatross History
Article by Elena Fischer, External Affairs Kupu AmeriCorps Intern with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Laysan albatross (left), black-footed albatross (center) and short-tailed albatross (right), face into the wind on Midway Atoll NWR. Photo by Dan Clark / USFWS
Short-tailed albatross are one of the rarest and most endangered seabirds in the Pacific - and they call Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and Battle of Midway National Memorial home.
This year something special happened - a short-tailed albatross chick has hatched at the Refuge and Memorial!
Read the short-tailed albatross timeline below to learn more about this endangered species and its newest chick:
1800s
In the 1800s, they were one of the most numerous, great soaring seabirds of the North Pacific. Nesting in Japan’s and Taiwan’s southern islands, Short-tailed albatross foraged across the ocean, and rested in surrounding lands of North America and Asia. Their status of being the largest seabird and most abundant albatross species in the North Pacific reigned supreme.
Early 1900s - 1940s
A new era arrives with the late 1800s and early 1900s. Their plumage becomes a disadvantage to their survival as feather hunters club around 5 million of these albatross for a great harvest. Once five million strong, they are now near extinction. In the 1930s, one nesting island in Japan remains: the volcanic island of Torishima. Those individuals still explore the great Pacific, as biologists first document a single Short-tailed albatross at Midway Atoll in 1938. But at Torishima entire generations of birds are destroyed by human exploitation.
Fewer than 50 Short-tailed albatross remain by the 1940s. They are presumed extinct thereafter.
1950s
After WWII in the 1950s, weather scientists return to Torishima and find a handful of nesting Short-tailed albatross. Survivors and the ancestors of future generations. Hope remains for the Pacific world to see these graceful soarers once again.
One breeding island becomes two: Torishima and Minami-kojima. 50 individuals become hundreds. Research and conservation efforts grow.
1970s
In 1973, Short-tailed albatross are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
1980s
In 1988 Midway Atoll becomes Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and staff begin habitat restoration projects and document Short-tailed albatross visiting the islands. Due to increased protections in Japan, Short-tailed albatross population numbers increase across the Pacific to 1,200 by 2001.
A male Short-tailed albatross incubates an egg in between two short-tailed albatross decoys on Midway Atoll NWR. Photo by J. Klavitter / USFWS
2000s
A social attraction project is implemented with the support from Japanese researchers involving placement of decoys and installation of a solar-powered calling system.
During this time, George and Geraldine’s (the pair currently nesting on Midway Atoll) ancestors are multiplying more rapidly. George is born and banded as a chick on the island of Torishima, Japan in 2005. He first arrives to Midway in November 2006. Through the efforts of Japanese researchers and international treaties, the Short-tailed albatross population begins to recover.
By 2007, the world population is estimated at 2,350 birds. The Midway population consists of one or two Short-tailed albatrosses each year since 1938, but none are nesting. However, four birds are observed in 2008: the year that scientists suspect Geraldine is banded at Torishima.
2010s
Two years later, a female arrives and mates with a male who patiently returned once a year for four consecutive years. Their chick hatches on East Island at Midway Atoll on January 14, 2011 and on June 7, 2011 the chick takes flight, marking the first time a Short-tailed albatross chick fledged outside of the islands near Japan! The pair skips the 2012 hatch year but returns and rears a chick in 2013 and 2014. This pair was the only successful breeding pair documented in the world outside islands near Japan for the past quarter century - until recently.
Endangered Short-tailed Albatross practicing their courtship dance on Midway Atoll. Photo by John Klavitter / USFWS
All this time, George was without a mate. He earned his nickname “Lonesome George” from staff and volunteers until 2016. Geraldine starts appearing in George’s area on Sand Island at Midway Atoll and soon, they are seen courting: practicing their dance moves. In 2017, George prepares for Geraldine’s return by clearing a nesting area of about 10 feet. Albatross nests are usually close together and can be as close as two feet away from each other.
According to Kelly Goodale, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biologist on Midway, “It was entertaining to see George clear an entire area for a nest. However, one morning we noticed they were not in their original area and were sitting on a nest 30 feet away.” This sudden change revealed that George and Geraldine were practicing their parenting skills by successfully incubating and raising a black-footed albatross chick.
This hatch year, the albatross pair arrived in late October 2018, within one day of each other.
This history now brings us to this year--2019--when their very first chick, and the first Short-tailed albatross chick since 2014, hatched on January 3.
“Other albatross are currently in the process of their chick hatching and the Short-tailed chick is massive in comparison,” said Goodale. Short-tailed albatross’ rarity and size make them “stick out in the colony, making it easier to follow them and their interactions with each other.”
George sitting with his chick. Photo by Bob Peyton / USFWS
This makes them the only Short-tailed albatross pair nesting and breeding not just within Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, but outside of the southern islands of Japan as well. It is exciting to see the estimated Short-tailed albatross population of 4,300 increasing, and Midway Atoll a part of that story.
Geraldine sitting with her chick. Photo by Zeke Smith / USFWS Volunteer
Biologists with the USFWS are working to restore the habitat seabirds need at Midway Atoll and remove threats like invasive predators - because protecting the future for seabirds mean protecting the places they call home.
“Albatross and other seabirds depend on the habitat protected by Midway Atoll and other Pacific remote wildlife refuges to raise their young,” said Bob Peyton, USFWS Project Leader for Midway Atoll Refuge and Memorial. “Thanks to the hard work of our partners and volunteers, we have been able restore the native habitat that the birds need for nesting sites, ensuring a future for these seabirds.”
Plan Finalized to Repair and Replace Failing Seawall on Midway Atoll Refuge and Memorial
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has finalized a plan to repair and replace damaged sections of seawall on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and Battle of Midway National Memorial, within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The action will replace approximately 5,720 feet of seawall damaged by erosion on the southern end of Midway Atoll’s Sand Island. The Final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact associated with the project are available to the public.
Originally built in 1957, the seawall protects the southern portion of Sand Island and Henderson Airfield’s runway from erosion. The airfield is an emergency landing site for transpacific commercial flights.
Henderson Airfield is an emergency landing site designated by the FAA for jet aircraft transiting the Pacific Ocean. Photo by Megan Nagel / USFWS
“The eroding and worsening condition of the seawall represents a serious risk to the future function of Henderson Airfield which serves as an emergency landing site for transpacific commercial flights. The airport is also important to refuge and Monument access and management operations, and endangered wildlife,” said Bob Peyton, Midway Atoll Refuge and Memorial Manager. “Beyond disrupting FAA and refuge operations, the damaged seawall may entrap endangered Hawaiian monk seals and threatened green sea turtles.”
A Hawaiian green sea turtle and Hawaiian monk seal resting on a beach in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Photo by Mark Sullivan / NOAA Fisheries Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program
The Service and Federal Aviation Administration will work together to repair and replace sections of Midway Atoll’s seawall over a 10-year period. The length of the proposed action allows the project leads the flexibility to repair sections of seawall that need work now and parts of the seawall that will need repairs in the near future. To avoid impacts to breeding birds, construction and repairs would take place annually between mid-August and October when seabird populations are at their lowest.
All public comments and information received during the public comment period were considered in the development of the environmental assessment. The environmental assessment and associated documents are available at: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Midway_Atoll
Midway Atoll is one of the most remote places in America. Culturally significant for Native Hawaiians, it has also been a place of strategic importance for communications, commercial airlines, and the military – and it has always been a home for wildlife. Midway Atoll is safeguarded and maintained by the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service as the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and Battle of Midway National Memorial.
Nesting albatross and the Battle of Midway Memorial. Photo by Dan Clark / USFWS
Papahānaumokuākea is cooperatively managed to ensure ecological integrity and achieve strong, long-term protection and perpetuation of Northwestern Hawaiian Island ecosystems, Native Hawaiian culture, and heritage resources for current and future generations. Four co-trustees - the Department of Commerce, Department of the Interior, State of Hawai‘i and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, protect this special place. Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument was inscribed as the first mixed (natural and cultural) UNESCO World Heritage Site in the United States in July 2010.
For more information
Click to access the Midway Seawall Environmental Assessment and relevant supporting documents, permits, and information.
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Battle of Midway Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony Honors American Service and Sacrifice in the Pacific
June 4-7, 2018 marks the 76th anniversary of the Battle of Midway. The U.S. Navy, U.S. National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service commemorated the historic event in a special ceremony at the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument. The American victory at Midway was a turning point of the war in the Pacific, and is considered one of the most important naval battles in U.S. history.
“In just a few moments time, the events of the Battle of Midway, caused the world to pause on its axis as the tables turned on not only the war in the Pacific, but the whole world” said Rear Admiral Brian P. Fort, Commander Navy Region Hawaii and Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific.
Rear Admiral Fort. Photo credit: USFWS
The early morning ceremony honored the many veterans whose determination and sacrifice led to the U.S. and allied forces victory in the war in the Pacific. The ceremony featured remarks from Rear Admiral Fort who concluded the ceremony with a wreath laying at the Lone Sailor Memorial, accompanied by National Park Service Superintendent Jaqueline Ashwell and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Marine Monuments Supervisor.
Ceremony at WWII Valor in the Pacific National Monument. Photo credit: USFWS
Rear Admiral Fort began the wreath presentation with a message for today’s generation of sailors, “This morning as we lay a wreath at the foot of the Lone Sailor statue in memory of those who fought the Battle of Midway. I charge you to consider the lessons of those who fought that great battle.”
He went to commend the, “Sailors raised on the traditions of the past, who embraced those values of integrity, accountability and toughness...who seized the initiative and won the greatest naval battle since Trafalgar and by so doing changed the course of history. This is the legacy of the United States Navy at the Battle of Midway.”
The Lone Sailor Memorial. Photo credit: USFWS
Following the outbreak of the war in the Pacific, Japanese armed forces conducted military operations against the U.S. and her allies. The Battle of Midway shifted the balance of power in the Pacific, halting the strategic offensive of the Japanese and shifting the tides of war. Sailors, aviators and Marines all laid their lives on the line against the Japanese attack, triumphing against all odds during the four-day assault in which the Americans were outnumbered and outgunned. Their determination, courage, and heroic sacrifice won the day.
“Through their courage and commitment, those who fought at the Battle of Midway changed the course of the war and the world,” said FWS Pacific Marine Monuments Supervisor White. “It is our duty and privilege to ensure that they are never forgotten - and continue to be beacons of inspiration for future generations.”
Veterans of the Battle of Midway at Battle of Midway National Memorial in 2017. Photo credit: USFWS
As stewards and caretakers of the Battle of Midway National Memorial, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service honors the memory those who gave their all at Midway. Part of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument - the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, volunteers and partners work together to conserve and interpret the historical and natural resources of Midway for all Americans.
For photos and videos of today’s ceremony in Honolulu and on Midway Atoll visit, https://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwspacific/ or https://www.dvidshub.net/
For a video about the Battle of Midway and Battle of Midway National Memorial visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un9y70Dw9Rc&feature=youtu.be
To learn more about Midway Atoll, www.fws.gov/refuge/Midway_Atoll
For more information on the Battle of Midway, please visit https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/b/battle-of-midway-4-7-june-1942.html
Wisdom, the World’s Oldest Known, Banded Wild Bird has a new chick!
Wisdom checks in with her newest chick. Photo credit: Naomi Blinick/USFWS Volunteer
By Holly Richards, USFWS
Wisdom Returns!
On a remote atoll in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the world’s oldest known, banded bird just became a mother again. Last December, volunteers and staff at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and Memorial documented that Wisdom, a Laysan albatross at least 66 years old, had returned to the atoll and was incubating an egg with her mate. About two months later, word came from Midway, Wisdom had hatched another chick!
“Wisdom continues to inspire people around the world. She has returned home to Midway Atoll for over six decades and raised at least 30-35 chicks,” said Bob Peyton, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Project Leader for Midway Atoll Refuge and Memorial.
Wisdom and her newest chick. Photo credit: Naomi Blinick/USFWS Volunteer
In her lifetime Wisdom has likely flown over three million miles. She spends much of her life in the air, crisscrossing the North Pacific. When she’s not soaring over vast expanses of open ocean, or resting on the waves hunting for squid, she returns nearly every year to the same nesting spot on remote Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and Battle of Midway National Memorial in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Wisdom and her mate are not alone in their annual pilgrimage to Midway Atoll - over three million seabirds call the Refuge and Memorial home.
Every available space at Midway Atoll Refuge and Memorial is taken up by nesting albatross. Photo credit: Dan Clark/USFWS
Starting in late October, albatross begin to arrive at Midway Atoll to rest, find a mate, and fledge a chick. There are over three million seabirds that nest at the Refuge and Memorial.
Most seabirds, including albatross, return to the place they hatched to breed and raise their young. Biologists call this type of behavior “nest site fidelity,” and it makes preserving places with large colonies of birds, like Midway Atoll, critically important for the future survival of seabirds like Wisdom.
A Laysan albatross, black-footed albatross, and short-tailed albatross at Midway Atoll. Photo credit: Dan Clark/USFWS
Nearly 70% of the world’s Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) and almost 40% of Black-footed albatross (Phoebastria nigripes), as well as endangered Short-tailed albatross (Phoebastria albatrus) all rely on the Refuge and Memorial. In addition to albatross, there are 20 different birds species that rely on Midway Atoll. In total, over three million individual birds call the Refuge and Memorial home.
"Laysan albatross and other seabirds depend on the habitat protected by Midway Atoll and other Pacific remote wildlife refuges to raise their young,” said Peyton. “Thanks to the hard work of our volunteers, we have been able restore the native habitat that the birds need for nesting sites, ensuring a future for these seabirds.”
Wisdom and her newest chick on their nest. Photo credit: Naomi Blinick/USFWS Volunteer
It Takes Two
Raising the next generation of albatross is no easy job. Starting around age five, juvenile albatross begin the process of finding a mate and can be found all over Midway Atoll practicing elaborate courtship dances. Laysan courtship dances can have dozens of ritualized movements. They are looking for just that special bird to dip, bow, and preen with, and once a pair bond forms they stay bonded for life. Wisdom and her mate Akeakamai will spend a approximately seven months on Midway Atoll incubating and raising their chick. When not on parenting duty, Wisdom and Akeakamai take off to forage for food. Because this process takes up so much time and energy, most Laysan albatross don’t lay an egg every year.
“Because Laysan albatross don’t lay eggs every year and when they do, they raise only one chick at a time, the contribution of even one bird to the population makes a difference,” said Peyton.
Wisdom and her mate on their nest, waiting for their egg to hatch. Photo credit: Naomi Blinick/USFWS Volunteer
A Chance Encounter
Wisdom was first banded during a bird survey in 1956 by a biologist named Chandler Robbins. In a strange twist of fate, Robbins “rediscovered” Wisdom 46 years later during a survey near the same nesting location. Thanks to detailed bird survey records kept by biologists and volunteers, they were able to verify that it was the same bird.
USFWS volunteer and a staff biologist work together to band one of Wisdom’s previous chicks. When this year’s chick is old enough, it will recieve it’s own carefully applied band - helping us gather the science we need to ensure a future for albatross and other seabirds! Photo credit: USFWS
Bird surveys and banding projects have helped scientists understand the complex life cycles and migration patterns of birds across the globe. By pairing modern data analysis with detailed current and historical records, we can better understand the migratory paths of millions of birds and spot changes in those patterns. This helps scientists make better management decisions and take action to ensure seabirds have the habitat and resources they need in the future.
Wisdom and her newest chick - a fluffy reminder that one bird can make a difference for future generations of seabirds. Photo credit: Naomi Blinick/USFWS
Located at the far northern end of the Hawaiian archipelago Midway Atoll Refuge and Memorial, within Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. One the oldest atoll formations in the world, the atoll provides nesting habitat for over three million seabirds, and was the site of the decisive Battle of Midway, one of the most significant naval battles of World War II, and in history. To learn more about Midway Atoll, visit: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/midway_atoll/.
Click here for more photos and video of Wisdom.
Click here to read more about Wisdom, one hardworking mom.
Leaving on a Jet Plane: Black-footed Albatross Chicks Moved to a New Home
Late at night on February 16, fifteen black-footed albatross chicks made a special landing at Honolulu International Airport. These former residents of Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and Battle of Midway National Memorial were flown from the remote atoll and then transported from the airport to their new home at James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, on the north shore of Oʻahu.
Black-footed albatross chick. Photo credit: Eric Vanderwerf/Pacific Rim Conservation
These small, fluffy chicks are part of a pioneering effort to establish a new albatross colony in the main Hawaiian Islands. Black-footed albatross nest only on low-lying islands and are at risk of losing their nesting habitat due to rising sea-levels and increasing storm surges.
Black-footed albatross nest nearer to the beach and their nest sites are at risk of being washed out from increasing sea-levels and storm surges. Photo credit: Lindsay Young/Pacific Rim Conservation
An albatross chick after being over-washed. Photo credit: Pete Leary/USFWS
“We are thrilled that the Refuge can provide a safe place and a new home for this species on Oʻahu,” said Joseph Schwagerl, Refuge Manager, James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge. “This translocation is the first step toward creating a new colony of black-footed albatross in the main Hawaiian Islands and ensuring the albatross will be protected for future generations.”
Biologists carefully moved the chicks from their nest sites into carriers for the ride to their new home. Photos credit: Lindsay Young/Pacific Rim Conservation
Besides a few small colonies on volcanically active islands near Japan and one colony on the small islet of Lehua near Kauaʻi, black-footed albatross currently nest only on low-lying islands in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.
“We know that sea level rise and increased storm surges are a threat to this species, and many others. We have an opportunity to do something to mitigate that threat now, before it becomes an emergency” said Eric VanderWerf, of Pacific Rim Conservation.
Every available nest site at Midway Atoll Refuge and Memorial is taken up by albatross. Photo credit: Lindsay Young/Pacific Rim Conservation
Midway Atoll, Laysan Island, and Tern Island, which support 90% of the world's breeding population, all have very low elevations and are predicted to be highly susceptible to sea-level rise and storm surges in the coming century.
The chicks were carefully transported to their plane for the ride from the remote Midway Atoll, first to Honolulu International Airport and then by car to their new home at James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on the North Shore of Oahu. Photos credits: Lindsay Young/Pacific Rim Conservation.
“Midway Atoll is home to one of the largest black-footed albatross populations in the world. As conservation managers, it is important we use good science to evaluate other options that might protect these seabirds into the future,” said Midway Atoll Refuge and Memorial Project Leader Bob Peyton. “Refuges like Midway Atoll and James Campbell provide the healthy habitat that black-footed albatross, and other seabirds, needs to thrive.”
The chicks at their new home at James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge. Photo credit: Lindsay Young/Pacific Rim Conservation
The chosen translocation site at James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge is high enough that they are less at risk from rising sea-levels and increasing storm surges. Additionally, birds nesting within the predator-free enclosure will be protected from non-native predators that are prevalent in the main islands such as mongooses, rats, and feral cats and dogs.
Black-footed albatross being fed a diet of fish and squid. Photo credit: Eric VanderWerf/Pacific Rim Conservation
The three week old chicks will be hand fed a diet of fish and squid and closely monitored by biologists for four to five months, until they are able to fly out to sea and feed themselves. Black-footed albatross chicks imprint on their birth colony at about one month of age and they will return to breed at the same colony as adults. By moving the chicks at this critical one-month period, they will imprint on their new home at the Refuge and become the seeds of a new colony, when they return as adults to raise their own chicks.
Black-footed albatross practice their courtship rituals. Photo credit: Eric VanderWerf/Pacific Rim Conservation
Partners on this project include Pacific Rim Conservation, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.
For photos of the translocation visit on Flickr at https://goo.gl/8spbvk
