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 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.
Papahanaumokuakea Shipwrecks and Corsair
In addition to ships found submerged in the waters of Papahanaumokuakea, planes have also been discovered. Records of naval aircraft losses in Hawaiian waters from 1925 to 1952 lists 1,485 entries. F4U Corsairs comprise 204 of these 1,485 entries, and six of those are specifically noted as lost at Midway Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The number of naval aircraft lost in the Hawaiian Islands is a testimony to the logistical effort and commitment of the nation during the development of aviation in the Pacific. By far, most of these losses reflect the hazards of training and non-combat operations. Many young pilots found themselves in intensive training operations over unfamiliar waters, and were forced to ditch due to engine failure, etc.
Many regard the Vought F4U Corsair as the best single-seat fighter plane in World War II. The plane’s distinctive bent-wing design allowed the use of an over-sized propeller, and combined with a powerful radial engine this produced a maximum air speed of 425 mph at 19,900 feet altitude. Searching for the identity of a Corsair aircraft south of Midway Atoll’s Sand Island provides a glimpse into the history of naval aviation in the Pacific. While documenting the spaces within and underneath the fuselage and wing sections and inside the landing gear recesses the survey team found that these areas provide a wide variety of fish species a wealth of habitats in which to shelter. The remains of the Corsair are the only conspicuous topographic feature on the relatively flat bottom at its 110-foot plus depth.
In 2002, a team of NOAA maritime archaeologists investigated the site of a Corsair at Kure Atoll. Divers noticed an aluminum aircraft starboard wing portion and debris located on the seafloor, as well as an encrusted machine gun nearby. The US Navy aviation database includes only two known Corsair losses at Kure Atoll, both related to the same incident on August 1, 1944. Both crashed in the water on the south of Kure Atoll with no loss of life.
Hawaiian Birds and Short-tailed Albatross Success
Even though this one particular Short-tailed Albatross hatched in the middle of a raging storm in January, and was swept away from its nest during a second storm in February, and then survived the Japanese tsunami in March, it still managed to fledge in June. This alone makes for an incredible survival story, but this Short-tailed Albatross chick is also the first to have been bred in the United States.
The chick’s parents were banded as fledglings on their main breeding grounds of Torishima Island, Japan. The pair then nested in the middle of a Midway Atoll decoy plot that biologists created in 2000 in an effort to lure the birds to breed there. Biologists placed dozens of decoys in the area, including models of adults and immature ‘shorties’, and played recorded birdcalls.
The Short-tailed Albatross (Phoebastria albatrus) was once the most abundant of North Pacific albatross, but was decimated by feather hunting, and by the late 1940s was thought to be extinct. They were later found on only two breeding sites in the world -Torishima and the Senkaku Islands in Japan.
Midway Atoll, which is now part of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, provides a new breeding ground for this endangered seabird, marking a potential turning point for the species. The Short-tailed Albatross ranges along the coasts of eastern Russia, Korea, China, Taiwan, Aleutian and the Hawaiian Islands, and rarely off the Pacific Coast of North America south to California. The Midway chick will spend the next two to seven years at sea before returning to land to find a mate. Photo by Pete Leary.
Papahanaumokuakea Aerial View
In this aerial video you will experience the grandeur of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument from the air. From the flight deck of a U.S. Coast Guard C-130 you will tour the largest conservation area in the U.S.
Flying from Nihoa Island at the southeastern end of Papahanaumokuakea and continuing for 1200 miles over French Frigate Shoals, Laysan Island, Lisianski Island, Pearl & Hermes Atoll, Midway Atoll, to Kure Atoll, the northernmost island in the Hawaiian archipelago, this video gives you a birds-eye view of tiny islands and atolls surrounded by the azure waters of the North Pacific.
Papahanaumokuakea and Tsunami 2011
Following a massive earthquake in Japan, a tsunami washed over the three low-lying islands of Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge on March 10-11, 2011 affecting the lives of Hawaiian seabirds. Surveys reveal that more than 110,000 Laysan and Black-footed Albatross chicks (about 22 percent of this year’s albatross production) were lost as a result of the tsunami and two severe winter storms preceding it.
Midway Atoll is comprised of three islands – Sand, Eastern, and Spit Islands – 1117, 366, and 15 acres, respectively. Following the earthquake, the three islands were washed by four successive waves, the tallest of which was approximately 4.9 feet. The tsunami overwashed the fringing reef and Spit Island completely, and covered approximately 60% of Eastern Island and 20% of Sand Island.
Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge provides significant habitat for over 3 million seabirds of 21 species. Fortunately, only 4 species were nesting at the time of the tsunami – Bonin petrels, a species that nests in burrows, the endangered Short-tailed Albatross (1 pair), Laysan Albatross (482,909 pairs), and Black-footed Albatross (28,581 pairs).
Wildlife losses at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge also include at least 2000 adult birds. Wisdom, a 60-year-old albatross that recently hatched her 35th chick survived the tsunami partly due to the elevation of her nest. Due to the Bonin petrels’ behavior of nesting underground it is hard for biologists to confirm the number of casualties. The Refuge is also important habitat for the endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal, the threatened Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle, and a translocated population of the endangered Laysan Duck. Three Green Sea Turtles were found washed onto the interior of Eastern Island and were returned alive to the sea. Biologists are confident that, absent any other stressors, the Hawaiian wildlife population can rebound from this event. Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
