New 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: Usually the planes are required to land after dark because fewer birds are flying then. However, several times planes landed during the day. Prior to the landing, the fire department would drive down the runway trying to scar as many birds away as possible.

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Laysan Albatross

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Laysan Albatross: Albatrosses are part of the tubenose family. The family includes shearwaters, petrel, and storm petrels.

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

A pair of Laysan Albatrosses dancing

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

A pair of Laysan Albatrosses: After dancing, albatrosses would sit facing each other.

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

A pair of Laysan Albatrosses dancing

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Three Laysan Albatrosses dancing: The sounds made during dancing were irresistible to other un-matched albatrosses. The third albatross was sometimes welcomed and sometimes chased away.

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Laysan Albatross chick sitting on its nest: By this age nests were usually abandoned.

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Laysan Albatross chick

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

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

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

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

Double-crested Cormorant

Naples, FL

Immature Double-crested Cormorant with a fishhook in its neck

Naples, FL

Immature Double-crested Cormorant: this bird had an identical injury on both sides of its face.

Naples, FL

Immature Double-crested Cormorant

Naples, FL

Female Anhinga on the nest

Naples, FL

Female Anhinga

Naples, FL

Brown Pelican

Naples, FL

Diving Brown Pelican

Naples, FL

Feeding Brown Pelican

Naples, FL

Mottled Duck

Estero, FL

Redish Egret

Estero, FL

Redish Egret, rare white phase

Estero, FL

Tricolored Heron

Estero, FL

non-breeding Snowy Egret - I found this bird interesting because it had orange feet instead of yellow. Its left foot appeared to be injured.

Naples, FL

Snowy Egret

Naples, FL

display featheres of a Snowy Egret

Naples, FL

non-breeding Snowy Egret - I found this bird interesting because it had orange feet instead of yellow. Its left foot appeared to be injured.

Naples, FL

Snowy Egret

Naples, FL

Green Heron

Corkscrew Swamp, FL

Immature White Ibises

Naples, FL

Ospreys on the nest

Naples, FL

Whimbrel

Estero, FL

Wandering Tattler

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Willet in winter plumage

Naples, FL

Short-billed Dowitcher

Estero, FL

American Oystercatcher

Estero, FL

Wilson's Plover

Estero, FL

Snowy Plover

Estero, FL

Royal Tern in winter plumage

Naples, FL

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

Back