Friends of Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge

Ducklings! The next generation of Laysan ducks have been hatching throughout Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge with the highest numbers at Brackish Seep, a pond habitat created for them at the east end of the runway. The broods of ducklings definitely mix together as the little birds move around between mothers while kicking up the mud in the shallows looking for food. Over 80 ducklings have been spotted at this seep alone! Endangered Laysan ducks, Koloa Phaka in Hawai...ian, exist solely in the wild on four small islands all within Papahnaumokukea Marine National Monument. Considered to be the rarest native waterfowl in the U.S., at least 600 are now thriving on Midway Atoll. This population has grown from just 42 individuals translocated from Laysan Island in 2004 and 2005. #MidwayAtoll #LADU #Laysanduck #ducklings #endangeredspecies #Koloapohaka #lastoftheirkind Papahnaumokukea Marine National Monument U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Kure Atoll Conservancy USFWS National Wildlife Refuge System Video Credit: Jon Brack

The 2021 short-tailed albatross chick on Midway Atoll within Papahnaumokukea Marine National Monument is now banded! Last week, FWS biologist Jon Plissner decided that it was time to band the chick because its leg was now big enough to handle the numbered metal and aux bands that it will wear when we expect it will be able to take flight out to sea in about a month. These bands will help this bird be identifiable as it matures to adulthood and hopefully has offspring of it...s own some day. The chick is already surprisingly huge, larger than an adult Laysan albatross and still mostly fluffy in its down plumage. Adult short-tailed albatrosses weigh about twice as much as an adult Laysan. Pronounced extinct in 1949, short-tailed albatrosses were rediscovered breeding on Torishima Island in Japan in 1950. Listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1973, they have been increasing in numbers thanks to global conservation and recovery efforts. Pacific Islands: U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceAgreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and PetrelsAmerican Bird ConservancyUSFWS Migratory BirdsUSFWS National Wildlife Refuge SystemEndangered Species Coalition #MidwayAtoll #STAL #albatross #endangeredspecies #shorttailed #migratoryseabird #goldengooney Photos by: Jon Brack

Wisdom's chick of this hatch year 2021 is alive and appears strong! Her estimated 39th offspring spends most of its time waiting patiently in the vicinity of their nest cup for Wisdom (the oldest known banded bird in the wild) or her mate Akeakamai to bring the next regurgitated meal. Otherwise the life of a Laysan albatross chick is mostly quiet and full of napping, grooming, stretching, and occasionally bickering over territory with a neighboring chick. Notice the #33 pou...ltry band that we've placed on its left leg. That's to differentiate it from the neighbors so we always know which chick is which. The number was selected as a homage to Wisdom's red and white "Z333" band. This poultry band is only temporary and expands as the chick grows. The chicks we track for reproduction success research will begin receiving their metal adult bands within the next couple of weeks. Neither Wisdom or Akeakamai have been seen in several months because their brief visits to Midway only last long enough to feed their chick. To minimize disturbance, Fish and Wildlife biologists only check the nest once a week. For more information about Wisdom check-out: https://www.audubon.org//seventy-never-looked-so-good-long and https://medium.com//worlds-oldest-known-banded-wild-bird-h #Wisdom #albatross #LAAL #70yearsyoung #HopeIsAlive Papahnaumokukea Marine National Monument Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels USFWS National Wildlife Refuge System USFWS Migratory Birds Video Credit: Jon Brack

A massive project orchestrated by the non-profit Papahnaumokukea Marine Debris Project returns home with over 47 tons hauling plastic that can no longer harm wIldlife. This working cruise within Papahnaumokukea Marine National Monument was made possible because of people like you! https://apnews.com//animals-oceans-hawaii-seals-pacific-oc

Happy #Earthday2021 from Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge! We all live on one planet, and Earth Day is an important reminder that we're all responsible for the air, water, and land that all life forms share with each other. Even on a tiny, isolated atoll in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the albatross, sea turtles, nudibranchs and coral reefs feel the effects of climate change, sea level rise, and plastic debris. Our daily choices matter to all creatures whether they ...live in your own backyard or an extraordinary atoll in the middle of sea. Your gift to https://friendsofmidway.org/ today will help ‘Mlama (to care for) Kauihelani-Pihemanu (Midway Atoll) as well bring timely up-close and personal visuals to your Facebook newsfeed! Images: by Jon Brack. Papahnaumokukea Marine National Monument USFWS National Wildlife Refuge System Association Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels American Battle Monuments Commission IMMF - International Midway Memorial Foundation Papahnaumokukea Marine Debris Project

Mark Your Calendar to Meet up with Albatross on Earth Day, April 22! Join the Earth Honoree for the year for an online event sponsored by the Pacific Beach Coalition that is all about the majestic albatross on Midway Atoll! Talk with Caren Loebel-Fried, Author, Artist, Albatross Enthusiast! Caren will be sharing photos and videos from her recent 2 month stay on Midway Atoll, where she was counting nests and observing albatross chicks! Please sign up today and feel free to sh...are this event! https://www.crowdcast.io/e/PBC-An-Albatross-Earth-Day (use the same link to show a replay if the timing does not work for your timezone or schedule!) Want to help albatross thrive on Midway Atoll? Consider joining or donating to Friends of Midway Atoll at https://friendsofmidway.org/donation-and-membership/ Papahnaumokukea Marine National Monument Pacific Beach Coalition

Though it now seems normal for albatross to cover almost all of Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, just a month ago fields were empty and the air was quiet. Experience the return of Laysan albtross in this interactive, 360-degree time lapse captured on the Parade Grounds over two weeks of November. Each day is featured in 4-second increments, so they go by quickly. Keep an eye out for flags around the Midway Memorial on Veterans Day and a rare foggy morning before the s...unrise burned it off. #MidwayAtoll #Laysanalbatross #LAAL #timelapse #VR #360video Papahnaumokukea Marine National Monument Pacific Islands: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Video credit: Jon Brack/FWS

Last Day to Order in Time for Christmas! Support Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge during this holiday season by shopping our new online store at https://friendsofmidway.org/foma-store/ featuring hoodies, hip packs, buffs, shirts, socks, mugs, shopping totes, face masks, and more! Purchases help wildlife thrive and assure we can continue to share Midway with you! Last year, the Friends of Midway Atoll (FOMA) funded major conservation items, including an aviary for threatened and endangered species (which will be used in the upcoming Seabird Protection Project) and a new roof for the native plant nursery. Help FOMA continue these type of major projects! Join today: https://friendsofmidway.org/donation-and-membership/.

Three More Days and Counting to Receive Your Order by Christmas! Enjoy the warmth and feel the hope when you wrap yourself and your loved ones in these long-sleeved tees and hoodies while sipping on your favorite tea! Check-out our new online store at: https://friendsofmidway.org/foma-store/! Your purchase helps maintain habitat for #WisdomtheAlbatross, at least 69 years-old and a renowned symbol of hope for all species, that just returned to find her mate and lay an egg within the world's largest albatross colony.

Did You Know? On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked so too was Midway Atoll. The following excerpt from World War II Researcher Bill Bigel's Blog accounts the ultimate sacrifice made by Commander of Battery H of the Sixth Defense Battalion, George H. Cannon while attending to his duties that night. ... "His command post at the power plant was hit by heavy fire from a Japanese cruiser and destroyer, firing at very close range on a moonlit night with excellent visibility. At about 9:35 p.m. the mortar came screaming in through the air vent and exploded inside the station. Lieutenant Cannon was struck by shell fragments, crushing his pelvis, severing his femoral artery, and braking both the tibia and fibula in his left leg. Cannon was among the first to be wounded in the attack, but refused to be evacuated, instead overseeing the evacuation of his wounded men, re-establishing command of his post in the face of his imminent death, and ensuring that communications were restored at the station, while the attack on the power station continued. Finally, he was forcibly removed and given medical attention. But because of the length of time he remained at his post with such severe arterial bleeding, he bled to death at about 10:15 p.m., about 40 minutes after the attack." He was the first U.S. Marine in World War II to be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Often the moment of death for a war hero can define them. However, perhaps we should honor his living as well today. For more information go to: https://www.ww2research.com/george-h-cannon-moh/ Papahnaumokukea Marine National Monument Pacific Islands: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service #december7th1941

Sunday Morning with Jon Brack on Midway Atoll While Wisdom is foraging out at sea, Wisdom's mate, Akeakamai (meaning "s. Ake, desire, and akamai, skill. A lover of wisdom; epithet of a philosopher. Oih. 17:18") incubates their egg. World War II era Officer's Quarters stand in the background while the young of the Laysan albatross practice their mating dance as the elders go about their business assuring there is a next generation of ocean voyagers. For more information go to...: https://medium.com//a-reason-for-hope-wisdom-worlds-oldest #hope #FOMASundayMorning #CBS #Pihemanu #MidwayAtoll #Wisdomthealbatross #Wisdom2020 #Laysanalbatross USFWS Migratory Birds National Wildlife Refuge Association Papahnaumokukea Marine National Monument Pacific Islands: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The waters of Papahnaumokukea Marine National Monument is a gift that will keep on giving because of the human fortitude and foresight to protect an untouchable sacredness and physical lifeblood of Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. Enjoy this amazing presentation created to honor the 20th Anniversary of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve. Pacific Islands: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Papahnaumokukea Marine National Monument Conservation International Kure Atoll Conservancy Friends of Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge