Hawaiian Birds and Bryan’s Shearwater
After decades of research, scientists have confirmed thru DNA a unique specimen among the other known species of Shearwaters. Most of the more than 9,000 known bird species, including twenty-one Read more
Hawaiian Monk Seal KE18
The Hawaiian Monk Seal, known as KE18, will have a temporary home at Waikiki Aquarium. 400-pound KE18 became a concern in 2010, when Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program workers saw him bully Read more
Hawaiian Birds and Short-tailed Albatross Success 2
An endangered Short-tailed Albatross has nested in the United States and produced a chick for the second time ever recorded. The recent discovery of the nest and chick on Midway Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands follows the fledging of the first U.S.-born chick last year at the same site by the same parents. This news suggests that the first chick hatched last year was not an isolated incident, and this may be the early stages of the formation of a new population of this very rare bird.
The Short-tailed Albatross (Phoebastria albatrus) was once the most abundant albatross species of the North Pacific, numbering more than a million birds. Feather hunters decimated the population around the turn of the century, however, and researchers believed by the 1940’s that the species had gone extinct. In the early 1950s, ten pairs were discovered breeding on the volcanic island of Torishima, Japan, and they have grown to 3,000 individuals.
Midway Atoll is home to the world’s largest colonies of Laysan and Black-footed albatrosses, as well as millions of other seabirds. 55 miles from Midway, another Short-tailed Albatross pair is attempting breeding on Kure Atoll, the northern-most coral atoll in the world. Both Midway and Kure are part of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Albatrosses tend to be faithful to the place of their birth, returning when they are around 8 years old to rear their own young. So it will be several years before researchers find out whether or not a full-fledged short-tailed American colony is in the making.
Humpback Whale Count January 2012
Volunteers collected data from 61 sites on the shores of O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, and Hawai‘i Island for the January Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Ocean Count. Over 950 participants tallied humpback whale sightings and documented the animals’ surface behavior during the survey. The sanctuary protects humpback whales and their habitat in Hawaiian waters where they migrate each winter to mate, calve, and nurse their young. Up to 12,000 humpback whales return to their Hawaiian birthplace every year between November to May after migrating from as far away as Alaska.
The following were the average numbers of whales sighted per 15-minute count period on each of the islands:
Kaua‘i – 8 whales
Hawai‘i Island – 3 whales
O‘ahu – 2 whales
On Kauai:
Kapa‘a Lookout – 8 average
Ninini Point Lighthouse – 14 highest 15-minute count
Crater Hill in Kilauea – 13 highest 15-minute count
Makahuena Point – 12 highest 15-minute count
Kilauea Lighthouse – 11 highest 15-minute count
Mahaulepu-Makawehi – 11 highest 15-minute count
Other marine wildlife seen during the Sanctuary Ocean Count included Hawaiian monk seals, sea turtles, spinner dolphins, and a variety of sea birds. Two more Sanctuary Ocean Counts are scheduled to take place on Saturday, February 25 and March 31. For more information on becoming a Sanctuary Ocean Count volunteer visit sanctuaryoceancount.org or call 1-888-55-WHALE ext. 253.
Humpback Whale Ocean Count 2012
The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary offers you a chance to monitor Humpback Whales from the shores of Oahu, Hawaii and Kauai. Volunteers count the number of humpback whales which can be seen around the islands over a four-hour period and record their behavior. The 2012 count will be held the last Saturday of January, February, and March from 8:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
This year, on January 28, February 25, and March 31, the Sanctuary Ocean Count will be conducted at over 60 different shore sites around the islands (15 different sites around Kaua‘i). The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, which is jointly managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the State of Hawai`i, lies within the shallow warm waters surrounding the main Hawaiian Islands and constitutes one of the world’s most important humpback whale habitats.
Scientists estimate that 12,000 swim to Hawaii’s waters to mate and nurse their young, typically between September and March. Since 2006, the annual count has tracked a steady rise in the humpback whale population visiting the sanctuary. Visit Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary for details.
Hawaiian Reef Fish and Japanese Angelfish
Japanese Angelfish (Centropyge interruptus) are a rare Hawaiian reef fish found on reefs and ledges deeper than 60 feet in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands of Kure, Midway, and Pearl & Hermes. Like Potter’s Angelfish, they live in small groups of one male and several females. In addition to algae and detritus, they feed on the feces of plankton-eating damselfish, and are usually found where these are abundant.
It has an orange-yellow body with purplish blue spots completed with a bright yellow tail. In bright waters, the oranges and blues of this fish are electric. The spots are larger towards the tail, and the bottom part the rear of the fish gradually becomes purple. Males have more blue on the head than females and the margins of their soft dorsal and anal fins are blue with horizontal black markings. Blue facial dots become lines on males, and they can attain a length 6 inches.
