Midway Comes to The ABA

Almost all of Midway's birds can be seen performing bizarre, humorous, or elegant courtship displays at some point during the year. Terns are well-known for their graceful, synchronized courtship displays...in the sky. These Sooty Terns were doing synchronized dancing on the ground. I've never seen anything like it, before or since.

Midway Atoll is one of the most incredible places I've ever been, and a large part of that is due to the birds there. With Midway Atoll now within the friendly confines of the ABA Area, I just had a new piece on Midway's seabirds published in ABA's Birder's Guide to Travel. Click on the cover and flip to page 32 (you can access this whether you are an ABA member or not), or if you are an ABA member it should be mailed to you imminently if you don't have it already. I'm chuffed that the ABA wanted to put it out, take a look!

I've probably posted this White Tern photo at some point in the distant past. If not, I'm sorry it took so long.  Holy shit this image gives me the warm fuzzies...this was in my backyard on Midway.

News From Midway

Sad news today...U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologist Pete Leary, who blogs from Midway Atoll, has reported the demise of the volunteer program due to budget cuts for the refuge. Not only does this mean that Midway will be far less accessible to anyone looking to do field work there, it means it will be considerably more difficult to get things done at all, from Laysan Duck suveys to albatross banding to pulling invasive weeds. The volunteers carry out the bulk of Fish and Wildlife's biological field work out there...at least Pete will now have a lot more time out of the office.

I found myself spending a good chunk of 2009, as a volunteer, way out there in the Pacific. To say it was an epic experience would be a profound understatement. The islands are filled with great birds, like the celebrity pair of Short-tailed Albatross that have fledged chicks the last two years on Eastern Island. Hopefully funding will be reinstated soon...or else it will be much more difficult to plot my prophecied return!

Sooty Terns swarm over Eastern Island in spring and summer.

A juvenile Great Frigatebird surveys its facemelting domain.

A Hawaiian Monk Seal and Brown Noddies.

White Tern chick in back of the "duck house".

Grey-backed Terns look immaculate.

Life is good with Red-tailed Tropicbirds overhead (and underfoot).

Good ol' Rusty Bucket.

A Black-footed  X Laysan Albatross hybrid tries unsucessfully to flirt with some Laysan Albatrosses, while a Laysan chicks looks on in it's Chewbaccaesque plumage.

The front of the "float" that a Safely Anonymous Person and myself made for the Songkran (Thai New Year) parade. It was an amazing float.

Sand Island Soap Opera

Just another day at The Bike Rack. Or so it seems...

Hey nerds. In honor of my colleague Dan (of TPAD fame) finishing his stint on Midway last week, I am resurrecting an old blog post that I originally wrote in March of 2009. I doubt many of you saw it, so here it is again, new and improved and even more dramatic. By the way, the birding community is celebrating the fact that Dan Maxwell actually failed to topple The Great Ornithologist Felonious Jive from atop the Midway Atoll listing pedestal, and his rank in the Global Birder Ranking System slips yet again. But enough of that, may I now present, The Sand Island Soap Opera...

So Midway Atoll has been referred to as "America's Galapagos", due to the trusting nature of its wildlife. Unless you try to pick it up or run it over, many of the birds, seals and turtles dont really respond to people. This lets you get to know them pretty well. Even if you do try to pick things up or run them over (I do not recommend this), some of the birds will be too stubborn to move. Last night I picked up a Bonin Petrel that needed to be relocated (they seem to get drunk off bright lights), and it somehow got out of my hands and climbed up my arm, then sat on my shoulder like some sort of crazy sea-parrot. I really wish someone had a camera. It seemed to like it up there because when I tried to get it off it just clung to my back and climbed up onto my neck. Epic.

Anyways. Two of the commoner birds here are Laysan Albatross (most of the world's population breeds here) and Red-tailed Tropicbirds (largest nesting site in the Hawaiian Islands?). Laysans cover the islands and nest everywhere. They display a huge range of personalities and temperments, from the ones in my yard who will let you pet them to the ones on Eastern Island who will trample chicks to get away from you. They seem to experience things they are interested in by nibbling or biting them, so you can generally figure out their disposition by offering them your finger. My yardatross will delicately nibble, some will politely decline, a few others will try to rip your finger off, and others will treat you like some kind of Albatross-Antichrist and avoid you at all costs. In general, they are very affectionate and curious though, and they do all sorts of strange things.

The tropicbirds are easily the sexiest birds here. Hands down. And like any gorgeous celebrities, they have awful tempers and raging egos. They don't have the standard celebrity-length legs though, so they arent very mobile when they are on the ground. They tend to be very reluctant to move at all, and rather than awkwardly waddle away they will fight just about anything that it is confronted with. I've had to rescue a baby albatross that was getting choked to death by one, and one of the first Christmas Shearwaters I saw was being attacked and choked by a tropicbird. I'm beginning to see a pattern here. Anyhow, here are a few pictures from a funny albatross-tropicbird interaction that I watched from a few feet away, with some bonus internal monologue. As a Scientist, I think it is extremely accurate.



Albatross: Ooooh!!! What do we have here?
Tropicbird: Ewww. Another lowly albatross. How I detest you.



Albatross: Good! Its not looking! I am going to preen the hell out of it! Ooh its so pretty and soft!
Tropicbird: I am so much better than these goddamn gooney birds. I would be extremely pissed if one ever tried to touch me.

Tropicbird: Why do I feel so dirty all of a sudden? I should take a look back here...Oh. My. God.
Albatross: Uh oh.



Albatross: I think it noticed me.
Tropicbird: *builds rage*



Tropicbird: WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!! THIS IS RAPE!!!! I AM GOING TO RIP YOUR STUPID GOONEY HEAD OFF AND DRINK YOUR FILTHY ALBABLOOD!!!!!!
Albatross: Oops, sorry.....



Albatross: So....um......how about letting me get some more preening action?
Tropicbird: I am going to peck out your eyes, eat them, then barf them up and feed them to your chick if you touch me again.

Albatross: Ok, I can take a hint...but you sure look like you could use some light nibbling.
Tropicbird: Stop it. Just stop.

In Desolation

A Brown Booby does its best dinosaur impression.

Ah, Midway Atoll. Out of the many, many places I've been on birding trips and field jobs, this is one of the best. Between the birds, the scenery, the isolation, the history and last but not least, the people there, it is hard to beat. Of course, the soft serve machine is sweet too...anyways, two years after my visit now I still have tons of (hella) photos that I like that I haven't been able to throw up on BB&B...so in the spirit of sharing, here you go!

Grey-backed Terns don't get much attention compared to Midways other seabirds, but they're one of my favorites. Classiest birds of the central Pacific!

This Laysan Albatross loved the rain. It looks like it's about to burst into tears...ALBATEARS.

White Terns ponder Liz, and vice versa.

Red-footed Booby. Look at it. LOOK AT IT. 

Rusty Bucket. One of the most scenic places to get Tetanus that I can think of...

Going to Midway is a fantastic, unique experience, particularly if you've never been to any of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands before (which is almost all of you). My first few hours there I can remember vividly as one of the most surreal times of my life (WHAT A NERD). The sheer numbers and cacophony of the Laysan Albatross and Bulwer's Petrels at night is unlike anything I've experienced before or since...just thinking about it brings Albatears of joy to my eyes. ALBATEARS OF JOY. On top of that, I went to a bar in the middle of all this, which is simply ridiculous. Anyways...if you ever have the opportunity to get out there as a volunteer, with a tour, for work or some other capacity, you owe it to yourself to do so. 

Pete Leary, Midway's current biologist with the infamous dry sense of humor, has a great blog that you can see here. Check in to see how things are going with the Short-tailed Albatross chick and other seabirds that survived the tsunami from earlier this winter.

Despite their ruthless reputations, frigatebirds are doting and diligent when it comes to the domestic life. Males spend a lot of time on the nest and can often be seen fussing with various twigs...one has to look good for the neighbors, I guess.

The Human Birdwatcher Project Presents: Birders As Art VI

Lizzzzzard, Felonious Jive and some flashy marine debris at Midway Atoll.

Chronic Infatuation

The phantomesque Christmas Shearwater.

Good Friday to ye, birder. How was your week? I thought I would resurrect some of the good times at Midway Atoll, specifically the two species of shearwaters that breed there, since they don't get as much attention from visitors as the albatross, tropicbirds, boobies, terns, etc.

Christmas Shearwaters arrive in March on Eastern Island (one of three islands there....they are probably on Sand and Spit as well but I did not see them there). Early in the morning you can see them taking low, circular flights over patches of vegetation that look like good nesting spots. Often they will do this in pairs, which I assume is some sort of courtship flight as well. They nest under naupaka and heliotrope bushes and are usually hard to find during most of the day....if not for the hilarious sounds they make. They sound like children pretending to be ghosts....except much cuter. Sometimes they will do this during their courtship flights, and its hard not to smile when a fluttering shearwater goes by saying "wooo...hoooooooo....WOOOOOOOOOO!". Despite their drab, unicolored appearance, they are some of the most endearing birds out there.

This Christmas Shearwater sports some fashionable USFWS jewelry.

Praise the bird gods when Christmas Shearwaters land out in the open. 

Wedge-tailed Shearwaters are most active at night, hobbling around looking for mates and burrows.

Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, rare visitors off the California coast, arrive later in the spring and are quite a bit more common than Christmas Shearwaters, also being widespread over Sand Island, which is where everybody out there lives. They are not quite as inconspicuous as their dark relatives, and somehow manage to be even louder. Wedgie calls, however, sound substantially more evil, and have a lot of range. My favorite Wedgie call is the "crying baby". The nonbirding population of Sand Island are not infrequently creeped out by the Wedge-taileds, as they generally vocalize after dark where there aren't a lot of people around. With all the ghost stories Midway has, this isn't surprising.

Wedge-tailed Shearwater, aka Muttonbird in some circles. Who would want to eat something with a face like this?

Wedgie Love.

A typical scene on Sand Island in February. Yes, that's a lot of Laysan Albatross.

You Can Fly With Us, Or Hang On To The Walls

A Laysan Albatross over Midway's lagoon.

It's nesting season for albatross out in the North Pacific, and since I attempted (unsuccessfully) to go back to Midway this year, I thought it would be best to revisit them. For those who don't know, I spent 3 and a half months on Midway Atoll last year as a volunteer for the Fish and Wildlife Service. They were 3 and a half months of hell.

Kidding!

To call the place "epic" would be a gross understatement. They have an incredible number of seabirds nesting there, which now include all 3 North Pacific albatross...Laysan, Black-footed....and Short-tailed Albatross, which are one of the world's rarest seabirds.

The Shorties did not attempt breeding last year, but I did get to spend a fair amount of time with them. They are huge beasts that effortlessly make the bold and ornery Black-footed Albatross run for their lives. Truly imposing beings. Of course, there are many other signature birds out there...terns, boobies, noddies, tropicbirds, frigatebirds, shearwaters, curlews, etc....but its the albatross that seem to really set the tone of the place.

This is the famous pair of Short-tailed Albatross that, of late, have been stoking the birding community. When this photo was taken they were obviously an item but I don't think the female was, er, ready yet, although The Golden Gooney was probably down. Thankfully they're taking turns sitting on an egg this winter, and everyone is quite excited for them. Note the decoys in the background.

Black-footed Albatross.

Meet the third Short-tailed Albatross that was at Midway Atoll last year. When on-island (they can spend weeks at sea on fishing trips) it lived a few feet from a bike path. While watching this bird, sometimes from a golf cart, I frequently thought of the millions of rabid birders who would kill for an opportunity like this and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

This Laysan Albatross chickie had a grisly hang out. That's a pile of dead albatross it's sitting on.

The seabird community out there is amazing....everything seems big, loud, flamboyant and eye-catching, and almost every little thing you did was like some out-of-control birder fantasy. Let's take going to dinner for example. You walk outside to your bike, which entails stepping around and over several Laysan Albatross and their chicks. As you ride away you glance into the naupaka bush in your yard and see a Red-tailed Tropicbird lurking beneath it. On your bike ride you are briefly accompanied by a couple White Terns, and a few Ruddy Turnstones and Pacific Golden-Plovers calmly step out of your way. Black Noddies fly overhead with nesting material. Everywhere you look are albatross. You park your bike between a couple of attendant albatross chicks and gorge yourself (it's always all-you-can-eat at the Clipper House). At dinner you discuss playing cards later that night and who you liked and didn't like in the last tour group that came through. You then share your review on the state of the soft-serve ice cream that evening. On your bike ride home the air is warm (but not hot) and a touch humid (but not like a sauna), and you are in no rush, because stress and anxiety seem to evaporate just a bit faster out there than anyplace else. When you look up there are thousands of Bonin Petrels in the sky, just coming back from sea. You call this place home and can't help feeling a little smug.

Albatross can be quite friendly. It's nice when the Black-footeds don't hate you, as they generally don't have the pleasant disposition of Laysans. To answer your questions, no this is not a mated pair, no that is not their egg, and yes I love albatross.

Allelujah!!!

Red-footed Boobies looking good for each other. The male is in back; he has more of a sea-foam green tone on his face than the female, and thats his display posture.

Yesterday I officially applied to go back to Midway Atoll for the spring.  I'm not going to lie, its a pretty exciting prospect.  I loved Midway (yes, more than Buldir) and all its wildlife....and people, of course.  It's like a frakkin' Garden Of Eden out there,  sans all the marine debris problems and the horrific sex ratio.  So we'll see how that all pans out.

A flock of uberendangered Laysan Ducks mingle in a wetland.

For the time being, I really don't have much to do except hang out with friends, see some rad bands...oh and take a short trip to Vegas next week.  That said, I am officially going to make November The Month Of The Blog here at BB&B, and attempt more blog entries than I've ever done before in any given month. That means at least 18 blog entries this month people, so check back on the regular.  It's about to get really, really nerdy in here. Oh yeah, all these shots are from Eastern Island at Midway Atoll.

People seem to think that most animals are completely driven by instinct and lack any capacity for fun. Most people have not seen a frigatebird with a stick.  They go batshit crazy for sticks, let me tell ya. Not impressed? Take your kid's toys away and see what they end up picking up.  The adult male Great Frigatebird (top bird) seemed pretty stoked on the big leafy "bough" that the smug-looking immature was proudly soaring around with.

I'm Full Of Pills And Smoke And Booze...

A Black-footed Albatross glides in from someplace far, far away.

I've almost finished reading Carl Safina's "Eye Of The Albatross", and as a result I can't help but fixate on my time at Midway Atoll last year.  What a fucking awesome place.  There's no other way to describe it.  Some of the activity in the book took place there, and practically all the wildlife mentioned (aside from the epic Southern Hemisphere albatross species) is what is found on Midway.  I posted a lot of pictures here on BB&B while I was out there, but that was only a small fraction of some of the shots that I really like.  So here's a few pictures from back in Y2K9 that bear viewing today....

A Brown Booby beckons.

The book, on the whole, is pretty much on the money.  Carl lofts some vague, insightful-sounding yet dubious generalizations into what various birds are thinking and feeling at any given time.....but hey, you and I are in no better position to do this accurately, so why not?  I did not expect the book to focus so heavily on the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, (he spent time at French Frigate Shoals, Laysan Island and Midway), nor did I expect large portions of the book to be dedicated to monk seals, tiger sharks, sea turtles, and an Alaskan fishing trip......but I gotta say, it's a pretty good book.  I can see why so many people who run in the Northwestern Hawaiian circle have asked me if I've read it.  I have to give him credit for teaching me a lot about species I spent months working and living with in close quarters.

What appears to be a nuclear Laysan Albatross family together at Bulky Dump, Sand Island.

My list of books I've read recently is a bet eclectic......Eye Of The Albatross, Breakfast of Champions (Vonnegut), Travels With Charley (Steinbeck), and the still yet-to-be-finished The Family (regarding the history and influence of an exceptionally powerful group of Neo-Christian politicians and businessman).  I'm going to have to score some new material soon for Buldir.....

A Bonin Petrel ponders the irony of being dwarfed by a baby......albatross.

Last year's Sangkrahn (Thai New Year) parade, which is generally the only parade going on anywhere in that part of the world.  Lots of Laysan Albatross provide quality spectators.  Photo courtesy of Scott Allen.

Jesus.  Books???  Who wants to read about that?  So much for that shit.  By Friday morning I will be rolling in to Puerto Penasco, Mexico, and I'm pretty stoked.  Blue-footed Booby is one of my nemesis birds (for you nonbirders, a species I've never seen, even though I should have by now, despite repeated attempts) and I will once again going to to blue toe with this beast, which has done a remarkable job at evacuating the area whenever I am nearby.  And if Sula nebouxii doesnt want to dance, there should be plenty of frigatebirds and tequila nearby.

Liberty Is A Glorious Beast

I'm still in San Francisco, taking in the social scene, great food and questionable people that the city offers. Ive taken a much-needed Haightcation in the last couple days, and things are starting to feel Right again. I no longer am stricken with a sense of Fear and Loathing whenever I encounter large groups of people, although uberhipsters and ultrabros are still a bummer to be sure.

The big news is that I was offered a job with Bat Conservation International in Pennsylvania, which I accepted yesterday. So I will be Eastbound And Down in a few weeks, but until then I can float around in California.....indeed, some sort of human debris in America's Great Western Human Garbage Patch, waiting to be eaten up and fed to the next generation of Americans. A dubious fate to be sure.

Here is another crop of pictures from my last couple weeks at Midway......enjoy!