Enlarging Pictures

You can see a larger version of any of the pictures on my blog simply by clicking on the picture you would like to enlarge.

Bad Day

This Black-footed Albatross chick did fine even after standing in the water until the puddle evaporated.

Great Frigatebird Gallery

Camera

My camera is not fancy. It is an older model Nikon CoolPix 4500. It can be used as an instant camera or I can control the settings which I do sometimes. The birds are so tame and photogenic it is hard to miss. I am happy to have the blog address spread around in hopes that it will further the cause of seabird conservation.

Hawaiian Monk Seal

The Hawaiian Monk Seal is one of the most critically endangered mammals on the planet. There are about 1,000 animals in the entire population. French Frigate Shoals, where Tern Island is located, is one of their most important breeding areas. They are common on the beaches of Tern Island. That's good for the seals but but not so good for the humans on the Island. We need to stay 100 meters away from any seal on the beach. We are also supposed to stay away from Green Sea Turtles which are common on the beaches. So between the seals and the turtles it means we have to stay off the beaches. The Monk seals produce good numbers of pups but the pups die for unknown reasons before reaching breeding age. Because there are so few new breeders being produced, the population continues to decline at a rapid rate.

Questions

I had someone send me questions that I will try to answer. I can take the bird pictures more easily here because seabirds in their nesting colonies have little fear of people. We have seen dozens of kinds of fish but I don't have a camera that will take pictures of fish. I don't know where the name Booby came from. I do know that I've been misspelling the plural. It should read Boobies. I don't know how many Boobies live on the island but I will look it up. It is in the thousands. Thanks for the questions.

Albatross Feeding Behavior

Laysan and Black-footed Albatross, the 2 nesting species on Tern Island, both feed by landing on the water and picking their food items from the surface or the top few inches of water. Squid and flying fish eggs, which float, are both important food sources for these birds. The Laysan feeds mostly during the day and the Black-footed feeds mostly at night, so they are not serious competitors. They both travel huge distances to find food for their fast growing chicks. These feeding journeys have been measured in excess of 4,000 of miles!