At Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge Laysan albatross, black-footed albatross, Bonin petrels, red-tailed and white-tailed tropicbirds, boobies, great frigatebirds, green sea turtles, monk seals and spinner dolphins along with many other birds and marine life thrive on Sand Island, Eastern Island and Spit Island and the adjacent atoll.
These once volcanic islands emerged from the sea some 28 million years ago and subsequent to that time a chain of islands formed in this Pacific plate to become Midway Islands.
The Gooney Bird
Midway was a Naval and Air Force base and is now a wildlife sanctuary.
Laysan Albatross, Diomedea immutabilis
Popularly called the Gooney bird, pairs mate for life and can build elaborate
mound-like nests to which they return each year. The typical bird stands about
18" tall, weighs about 5½ pounds and has about a 7 foot wing span.
Courtship means dancing
The bird on the left is emitting a cowlike moo while the one on the right clacks
its beak rapidly. These activities plus a few others and much bobbing up and
down and strutting around go on for several weeks prior to mating.
The Gooneys on the air strip
A Laysan Albatross chick, approximately one month old, is covered with big downy feathers. The birds get really silly looking when the down begins to fall off as the mature.
In Flight
Awkward on land, the Gooney is truly graceful in flight. They glide on the wind
effortlessly and can fly great distances. Transported to Whidby Island,
Washington, a bird made the 3200 mile return trip in 10 days.
The Flight plan of the Gooneys
Fairy Tern, Gygis alba
Fairy Terns lay one egg, often in precarious locations such as this one.
Red-footed Booby, Sula sula
There really is a Booby Bird and it does have red feet.
Male and Female
A male (left) Frigatebird shows off near a female. An immature female (right)
just sits there looking sinister.
Red-tailed Tropicbird, Phaethon rubricauda
Extremely ungainly on and but agile in the air. It can fly backwards! I saw an
airborne Tropicbird steal a fish from another flying bird by frightening the
bird into dropping its fish and then catching the fish before it hit the ground.
Great Frigate Bird
Feeding the young
Click on the Chevy