Hawaiian Birds and Short-tailed Albatross
The Short-tailed Albatross is a large rare seabird from the North Pacific. With a wingspan between seven and twelve feet, and a weight up to twenty-five pounds, the Short-tailed Albatross is the largest albatross in the North Pacific. Its plumage as an adult is overall white with black flight feathers, and a black terminal bar on its tail. Contrary to its name, its tail is no shorter than that of the Laysan or Black-footed Albatross. It has a golden nape and crown, and a large pink bill (which later turns bluish at the tip). Juveniles start as an all-over brown colour, and whiten as they mature sometime after ten years. The average life span is up to 45 years or more.
Short-tailed Albatrosses (Phoebastria albatrus) presently nest on only two islands in Japan. They begin breeding after about seven years, and mate for life. Pairs lay a single egg each year in October or November, which hatches in late December through early January. Chicks remain near the nest for about 5 months, fledging in June.
During non-breeding season they forage widely across the North Pacific, and in Hawaii they are currently only found on Midway Atoll. Their long, narrow wings are adapted to soaring low over the ocean, and when feeding, alight on the ocean surface seizing their prey, including squid, fish, and shrimp. The Short-tailed Albatross was once common, but trading of its feathers brought it to the edge of extinction. The world population is currently estimated to be about 1200 birds and is increasing.
Papahanaumokuakea and Midway Atoll
Midway Atoll (Pihemanu) is a circular-shaped atoll in Papahanaumokuakea with three small islets – Sand, Eastern, and Spit. The land area is about 1,535 acres, and the reef is around 85,900 acres. Captain N.C. Brooks, of the ship Gambia, landed on Midway in 1859. Other visitors included the castaway crews of several large sailing vessels who built huts on the island and awaited rescue by passing vessels. More visitors made their way to Midway during the late 1800′s to collect feathers and eggs.
Its geographical position midway between San Francisco and Japan made the island a critical link in cable communications in the early 1900′s, and later a plane stop. Work began on a military facility at Midway in March 1940, and during World War II it served as an important naval air station and submarine base. The atoll was attacked on December 7th 1941, and again during the Battle of Midway on June 4th – 6th 1942, considered as the watershed moment in the tide of the Pacific War.
Nearly two million birds of nineteen different species nest on Midway including Laysan Albatross (largest colony in the world), Black-footed Albatross, Red-tailed Tropicbirds, White Terns, Black and Brown Noddies, Shearwaters, Bonin Petrels, Bristle-thighed Curlews, Ruddy Turnstones, and the endangered Short-tailed Albatross.
The waters abound with Spinner Dolphins, Hawaiian Monk Seals, Green Sea Turtles, and more than 250 species of fish including Hawaiian Grouper (Hapu`upu`u), Jack (Ulua), Goatfish (Kumu), Bluestripe Snapper (Ta’ape), and sharks. Midway Atoll is the second most northern atoll in the world and lies near the northern limit of coral growth. Sixteen species of stony coral have been reported, as well as several algaes, seagrass, urchins, bi-valve clams, and sponges.
Prior to human settlement, Midway’s islands consisted primarily of large sand dunes and a small variety of native plants, which included beach naupaka, native bunch grass, and beach morning glory. Three-fourths of Midway’s plant species were introductions, including weeds, ornamental shrubs, exotic vegetables, coconut palms, and ironwood. Major efforts are underway to control alien species and restore native habitats.
Papahanaumokuakea Fall 2010
French Frigate Shoals & Tern Island
Papahanaumokuakea is home to most of the breeding albatross in the world, and Blackfooted Albatross (Ka’upu) and Laysan Albatross (Moli) started returning for their next breeding season. Albatross fly thousands of miles across the North Pacific, eating squid, and fish, and return to the same place each year to lay only one egg at a time. Albatross chicks born on Tern get a plastic yellow-and-black band on their left foot to identify the bird whenever it returns. Red-footed Booby chicks, and Wedge-tailed Shearwater chicks were also banded. Thirty-six Hawaiian Monk Seals were born on French Frigate Shoals.
Laysan Island
Shorebird surveys revealed Ruddy Turnstones (Arenaria interpresi), Pacific Golden Plovers (Pluvialus fulva), Wandering Tattlers (Heteroscelus brevipes), Bristlethighed Curlews (Numenius phaeopus), Sanderlings (Calidris alba), and Long-billed Dowitchers (Limnodromus scolopaceus.) The Laysan Duck (Anas laysanensis) surveys accounted for 414 adult ducks. Efforts were made to eradicate invasive plant species, as well as to repopulate the island with a native grass Pacific Island Thintail (Lepturus repens).
Midway Atoll
Wetland checks and Laysan Duck surveys revealed a total of 337 ducks. Eradication of cattle egrets continued, as these non-native birds have the potential to prey on White Tern chicks, Sooty Tern chicks, and Laysan ducklings. Removal of the invasive, nonnative Chinese banyan trees (Ficus microcarpa) continues. Once all the trees are removed, staff will continue to look for new seedlings that may germinate over the next year. Thanks go to the US Fish and Wildlife Service and volunteers for their conservation efforts in Papahanaumokuakea. Photo by Keith Burnett.
Marine Debris on Midway
Midway Atoll is a small island located at the northwestern end of the Hawaiian Archipelago and is now part of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. One would think that a 2.5 square mile island In the middle of the North Pacific Ocean, one thousand miles from the nearest big city, would be pristine. But, many Laysan albatross chicks die each year because their bellies are full of bottle caps, toothbrushes, lighters, and other plastic.
Many people think that the biggest source of pollution in the oceans is from oil spills, but most marine pollution is litter that starts out on land. Trash is washed into streams that lead to the ocean, and wind and currents carry it further out to sea. Sadly, every little piece of plastic manufactured in the past 50 years that made it into the ocean is still out there somewhere.
Albatross fly hundreds of miles in search of food for their chicks, looking for squid, fish, and fish eggs floating on the surface of the water. Unfortunately, plastic also floats, and Laysan albatross eat it, mistaking if for food, then they fly back to the nest and feed bottle caps, lighters, toys, fishing lures, and other pieces of plastic to their young. One study found that 97.5% of chicks had plastic in their stomachs, and 40% die of starvation or dehydration with bellies full of plastic.
Photographic artist and cultural activist Chris Jordan along with three colleagues filmed on Midway to increase the public’s awareness of marine debris and its effects on natural resources in the Pacific Ocean. By making changes now, we can reduce the amount of plastic that gets into our oceans in the years to come.
Papahanaumokuakea Summer 2010
French Frigate Shoals & Tern Island
Green Sea Turtle hatchlings found on Tern Island’s runway and other locations considered dangerous for the small turtles, were collected and released at the water’s edge.
Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus) eggs and chicks on Tern Island decreased in numbers from approximately 6,400 total nests to only 228. Great frigatebirds are known to eat noddy chicks, and some of the chicks had fledged since last count, but not enough to account for the dramatic decline.
NMFS Staff continues collecting marine debris of nets, rope, wire, and trash, which is especially important in preventing Hawaiian Monk Seals and Green Sea Turtles from becoming entangled.
Thirty-six monk seal pups were born, three were killed by sharks. Based on observations and remote cameras, certain sharks have been identified as targeting and attacking newly weaned seal pups. Typically, nothing would be done to intervene in the natural predator/prey relationships that occur within Papahānaumokuākea. However, since the Hawaiian monk seal is a critically endangered species whose population is dropping by approximately 5% per year, a decision was made to take a more active role in protecting young seals.
Laysan Island
There were a total of twenty-five known Green Sea Turtle nests this season.
The Laysan Finch (Telespyza cantans) was originally native only to Laysan Island, but a small translocated population is also found on Pearl and Hermes Atoll. An annual survey sighted approximately 8,300 individuals.
A survey located 327 adult Laysan ducks (Anas laysanensis). Once found only on Laysan Island, a second population has been translocated to Midway Atoll where it is thriving.
Midway Atoll
Daily wetland checks and weekly Laysan duck surveys were conducted on both Sand and Eastern Islands. The first suspected case of avian botulism was found, but many have been successfully treated and released.
In the summer of 2009 four Laysan Albatross fledglings were tagged with solar satellite tags. One of them continues to transmit its location approximately 3,000 km northwest of Midway. Two other albatross were approximately 370 km northwest of Midway after only 6 days. And one tag failed prematurely for unknown reasons.
At least 5 Bulwer’s Petrels were seen investigating the artificial burrows and petrel calling station on Sand Island. Refuge staff are hopeful that successful nesting will occur this season for the first time since rats were eradicated from Midway in 1997.
Invasive plant removal on roughly 200 acres of the refuge, along with native plant propagation of approximately 300 pots per week is ongoing.
Volunteers removed a large mass of netting and rope from the emergent reef that threatened to entangle several Hawaiian monk seals. Monitoring of five marine debris plots is being done to hopefully qualify and quantify the tremendous amount of marine debris that makes its way to Midway Atoll. Thanks go to the US Fish and Wildlife Service and volunteers for their conservation efforts in Papahanaumokuakea.
Hawaiian Monk Seal Breeding
The female Hawaiian Monk Seal reaches sexual maturity from age five to nine, and mating occurs in the water but has rarely been observed by humans. The gestation period is thought to be about 11 months, with most pups born between February and July. Preferred birthing sites are gently sloping beaches with adjoining shallow water providing ease of movement and protection from sharks. The majority of Hawaiian Monk Seals live in six main breeding subpopulations in Papahānaumokuākea at Kure Atoll, Midway Islands, Pearl and Hermes Reef, Lisianski Island, Laysan Island, and French Frigate Shoals.
At birth, the pup is jet black in color, approximately 3 feet long and weighs between 30 and 35 pounds. Newborn pups, feed only on mother’s milk from birth to about six weeks of age. Seal milk is very rich which allows pups to gain weight rapidly, more than quadrupling their initial weight before weaning. Nursing mothers are constantly at her pup’s side, and do not usually eat during this six-week period losing a tremendous amount of weight. A pup usually begins swimming with its mother from day one. After the six-week nursing period, the mother weans the pup abruptly, abandoning it to resume her own feeding. The weanling pup will generally remain at its birth beach for a month or two, and will slowly begin to range farther out to sea and eventually learn to feed on its own.
Eels, lobsters, octopi, and small reef and bottom fish are prey for the Hawaiian Monk Seal. Most of their feeding occurs at depths between 50 and 300 feet, with dive lengths averaging 10 to 15 minutes. The full lifespan of the Hawaiian Monk Seal is believed to be in the range of 25 to 30 years.
