Midway Atoll

Midway Atoll is the second to last group of islands in the Hawaiian chain. It is a little over 1000 miles northwest of Hawaii. Midway is where The Battle of Midway was fought during WWII and until 1996 had a Naval Air Station. In 1996 it was handed over to the Fish and Wildlife service to become a Nation Wildlife Refuge. For more information on Midway see The Fish and Wildlife Service’s Midway homepage.

In May of 2001 I visited Midway to photograph birds. Below are some of my favorite pictures.

A field of Albatrosses: They are mostly chicks and unpaired Laysan and Black-footed Albatrosses. The parents spend most of the time fishing for food for the chicks. They can be out for more than a week at a time. When they arrive they take about fifteen minutes to feed the chick and then they go out again. The adults without chicks spend much of their time looking for a mate. Mating goes on during the entire fledging period and consists primarily of dancing. Albatrosses that successfully pair will split up just before fledging finishes and meet again for mating season. The unpaired adults consist of newly mature birds, ones whose mate died, and ones who were unsuccessful in raising a chick for several consecutive years. Unsuccessful couples split up to repair in case the other bird has a defect of some kind.

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

A plane landing amid a swarm of Albatrosses

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Laysan Albatross

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

A pair of Laysan Albatrosses dancing

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

A pair of Laysan Albatrosses

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

A pair of Laysan Albatrosses dancing

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Three Laysan Albatrosses dancing

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Video: Dancing Laysan Albatrosses: These are Teenagers, widows, widowers, or divorcees. Teenagers in that they have not paired yet, widows or widowers in that their mates have died, or divorcees in that after several unsuccessful attempts to have offspring, they split assuming the problem is with the other. The un-paired birds spend much of their time during about a six month period dancing. If the paring works well they will mate next season.

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Laysan Albatross chick

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Video: Feeding Laysan and Black-footed Albatross chicks

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Laysan Albatross taking off: They run as fast as they can and flap their wings to take off.

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Video: Laysan Albatrosses taking off on the beach: This is literally a runway. The albatrosses run as fast as they can to help get into the air.

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Laysan Albatross in flight

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

A possible Laysan x Black-footed Albatross hybrid: There were several of these birds and all the ones whose mitochondrial DNA was tested had Laysan mothers.

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Video: Hybrid Laysan/Black-footed Albatross trying to dance with Laysan Albatrosses: This bird looks closer to a Laysan but dances closer to a Black-footed. In any case it can't find a mate.

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

A semi-albino Laysan Albatross chick: Several of them are born every year. They usually fledge but they never return. It may be that the lack of pigment prevents them from fishing effectively in the open ocean with all the sun light reflecting off the water.

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

An unusually Albatross chick, possibly a Laysan

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

A pair of Black-footed Albatrosses

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

A pair of Black-footed Albatrosses dancing

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Video: Dancing Black-footed Albatrosses: These are Teenagers, widows, widowers, or divorcees. Teenagers in that they have not paired yet, widows or widowers in that their mates have died, or divorcees in that after several unsuccessful attempts to have offspring, they split assuming the problem is with the other. The un-paired birds spend much of their time during about a six month period dancing. If the paring works well they will mate next season.

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Black-footed Albatross

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Black-footed Albatross chick at sunset

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Black-footed Albatross semi-albino chick. Several of them are born every year. They usually fledge but they never return. It may be that the lack of pigment prevents them from fishing effectively in the open ocean with all the sun light reflecting off the water.

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Black-footed Albatross in flight

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Bonin Petrel

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

A pair of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Red-tailed Tropicbird

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Red-tailed Tropicbird chick

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Red-tailed Tropicbird in flight

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Red-tailed Tropicbird in flight: As part of their mating displays they fly backwards.

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Red-tailed Tropicbird in flight

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Red-footed Booby

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Red-footed Booby

Eastern Island, Midway Atoll

Wandering Tattler

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Sooty Terns flying over nesting ground

Eastern Island, Midway Atoll

Brown Noddy

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Brown Noddy calling

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

A pair of Brown Noddies in flight

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

White Tern

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

A pair of White Terns

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

a pair of White Terns

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Curious White Tern

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

White Tern chick: Notice that with its eyes closed it looks as if they are open. This may be for protection. Other chicks did not have the spots around the eyes.

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

White Tern chick

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

White Tern parent feeding its chick

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

White Tern chick after being fed by its parent

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Common Myna

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

A female Monk Seal lounging on the beach

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

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