REFLECTIONS ON MIDWAY

Friday January 13

            We have been home a week and in seven days the laundry got done, the bills and paperwork and phone calls taken care of.  The yard is raked and trimmed, a few weeds pulled; the beautiful wild chickens, or moa, are roaming all around. 

Moa (Polynesian jungle fowl) scampering through our back yard

One of many color combos - in the Foodland parking lot 

          We thawed out Christmas cookies and have eaten most of them.  The limited decorations we had put up are all back in the attic.  We read our Christmas cards in bed last weekend and got glitter all over the sheets.  I got used to not cooking for three weeks, no meal planning or grocery shopping!  Now the fridge and cupboards are stocked again.

          We both feel more settled into our normal routine since we went out to paddle with the outrigger club this morning.  We’ve been riding our bikes around the hood a little, checking up on our local moli and other feathered characters. There are 36 Laysan albatross nests in Princeville this year according to our birder friend Tom who has several juveniles courting regularly in his back yard. 

 Holy Moli - nesting under the hala on a Princeville golf course

Nene or native Hawaiian goose on a Princeville golf course, disregarding the sign

                                      Two adult Nene with goslings                                   

Some of the healthy population back from the brink of extinction 

            We’ve had lots of questions directed to us about Midway.  For those who followed the blog different questions arise than for those who did not. 

Why did you go or What made you want to do that?

            Ever since we learned of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands and the wildlife there, I wanted to go, to experience it. 

Gil & I were invited to a party aboard the Greenpeace Esperanza when it was planning to dock in Honolulu in 2006 during an ocean awareness tour.  With the announcement that the NW islands were designated as a National monument, Greenpeace turned their stopover into an open-arm celebration.  In addition to Greenpeace staff, we met representatives from Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Hawaii Nature Conservancy, even Cynthia, the monk seal maven from Kure Atoll, and others who were doing research and/or contributing to conservation.  

Greenpeace ship: The Esperanza, in Honolulu, 2006

Defending Our Oceans

          This invite was another example of Gil & I being blessed; certainly our meager contributions to all of these organizations over the past many years did not account for our invitation to the party, yet there we were, the only members from Kauai!          

          Much of our reading made us realize that the only way to actually visit the NW islands was to volunteer and the volunteer positions were 5-6 months long.  We were both still working and had no research skills with which to seek grants.  Once I started volunteering with FWS at the refuge in Kilauea, I met Beth Flint and learned there was a volunteer program for three weeks – we signed up! That put the wheels in motion that resulted in us going. (see start of blog)

Isn’t Midway a military base?

            No, the Navy left in 1996.  The atoll remains a US Territory and is managed by the Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS).  The airstrip is maintained to serve the residents and visitors of the refuge and also for emergency landings for trans-Pacific flights.
           There was an unfortunate factor that kept the transition from then to now being perfect.  A private company wanting to make Midway a commercial resort got in the mix and expected leniency on the wildlife protection side of the page so profits could be made.  They were called Midway Phoenix and when they left, they left buildings standing that have no business in a refuge.  There is no budget for either maintenance or demolition and remains a huge sore spot for management as the dilapidated buildings are a menace. (see Midway: Gov't Island at top)

 How many birds did you count?

            Midway is the only location where all three albatrosses of the Northern hemisphere nest.  So, the volunteers counted nests, not birds.  Combining all three little islets of Midway, we counted 388,017 Laysan Albatross nests (LAAL).  We also counted 25,510 Black Foot Albatross nests (BFAL) and one Short Tail albatross nest (STAL) for a total of 413,528 nests! 

Keep in mind that for every nest there are two alternating adults so double the nest number, once the chicks hatch, triple it!  And remember that fledged birds return at age 3-4 to court and socialize – they fly, sit, sleep, dance, talk, walk, and visit throughout the day and night.  They continue to visit each year until they are 8-9 years old and at that time become nesters themselves.  Since we have no count on the non-nesters, all we can say is that there are well over a million albatrosses at Midway Atoll during the count. 

Non-nesters and nesters at Midway - all serious work

Were there other birds besides the albatrosses?

            We were familiar with the Laysan Albatross, or moli, from Kauai (see Sharon’s birds and Gil’s birds at top of blog).  The Black Foot was new to us and really fascinating.  The Short Tail albatross, formerly called the Golden Albatross is also featured in the blog.  We got to see two short tails, one visiting juvenile and one on a nest.  

            We saw the endangered Laysan Ducks, trying to make a comeback.  Also new to us were other shorebirds and seabirds: the Bristle-thigh Curlew, the Ruddy Turnstone and the now familiar Bonin Petrels.  One resident family set free a dozen pet canaries when they left and the canaries have reproduced very well.  There are owls and one peregrine falcon, large predators likely blown in on rogue winds.  Cattle egrets are a nemesis to both chicks and eggs and arrived after their introduction to the main Hawaiian Islands. 

Midway is for the birds! Yes!  We even spotted Flat Blue, the refuge mascot  from Hawaii (you can tell because he wears a yellow ilima lei).

Hawaii's own Flat Blue visits Midway

It sounded like hard work – I want to go!

            We have friends that really want to experience what we did.  I am taking that as positive feedback on the blog.  Thanks for reading it!

It sounded like hard work – I don’t want anything to do with it! 

Aren’t you exhausted?

            I did not feel exhausted until I got home. The birds produce such a thrilling positive energy that I operated from it without huge amounts of sleep.  I was missing their sweetness, tolerance, patience, and lovely behavior days before we left.  Obviously it was an emotional letdown and I crashed for about 24 hours. 

What was the best or your favorite thing about it?

            The birds, of course.  All of the above plus their sounds.  Beyond the birds?  The color and light.  It was another world.  It was sort of like being in a snow globe when it is still, that had white sand instead of snow, surreal.

What was the weirdest thing?

(Beth Flint asked this at 1:30 in the morning in transit to our hotel at Honolulu airport)

            I said the weirdest thing was the one bloody albatross we saw on a nest.  It had clearly been in a defensive fight while it sat on it’s egg.  Nearby we saw the other bird standing, with blood spatter over it’s chest, presumably a juvenile.  We will never know the story, we all stood there stunned.  We had seen some active exchanges between birds that were very excited in their courting.  Someone said if an albatross' tongue gets cut it bleeds profusely, hopefully it was as simple as that.  We saw a lot of tragedy, fallen trees on birds as they sat on their nest, birds that hit buildings or landed too hard on the runways causing broken wings (which means they will die) or damaged legs with fates unknown.  But of the million plus birds we were around 24/7 this was the only incidence of any violence; it is so rare, none of our group, including folks that study these guys for a living, had ever seen anything like it.  Too weird.

It could have been a brief beak battle with this one getting a bad cut - we'll never know

This juvenile on the sidelines may have tried to dance with the nester, 
 who knows what caused the bloodshed

So what else was weird, Beth asked?

            On a lighter note, someone said the weirdest thing we saw was three grown men in tights on Christmas Eve.  I wish I had thought of that myself, it was late and good to laugh.

                                                                                     courtesy of Darlene Holst

What was the strongest experience on Midway?

            Gil jumps on this answer.  He was absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of plastic trash in the world.  He keeps saying, Lost at sea? Nothing is lost at sea; it all ends up on a beach somewhere.  We have been recycling for decades.  We see now, it is not enough: STOP BUYING AND USING PLASTIC!  If you buy it, re-use it.  I have a Fiji water bottle that has over 16,000 miles on it!  You can take empty bottles in your luggage,  just not the water.

            Aside from that issue, I was able to observe first hand how the US government has such diverse agendas: on one very large hand, the military/defense mind with its bottomless budgets and on the other, taking responsibility for the protection of our natural resources with ever dwindling budgets.  However, both branches have a long history for us and thanks to foresight in previous generations there is a legacy that led step by step to the National Park and Wildlife Refuge Systems and Papahanaumakuakea Marine National Monument.  Midway is for the birds!  I came away with hope that our ability to steward what is precious can survive our own primitive instincts to fight.

Gil's photo depicts vibrant new life in the shadow of the decaying old paradigm
2012 represents a new way of life, right?

                           

Did you sleep in a tent?

            No, part of the story of transition from a military base with housing and infrastructure for 5000 people to a population of, at most, 200 means we had nice rooms.  Gil & I had a two room suite.  If you expect rugged, it is posh.  If you expect posh, it isn’t – it is basic and nice.  Firm bed, lights to read by, and internet in the room that works a little faster at midnight.  I would love for someone to donate good pillows to replace the foam ones - is there any way to recycle that old foam?

How was the food?

            Like many National Parks, the refuge outsources operations and logistics – from handling the runways, water systems and generators, to accommodations and food.  Chugach is a company from Alaska that employs about 65, and 55 of them are men from Thailand.

Some, if not all of the young Thai men on the kitchen staff have worked on cruise ships.  The food was served buffet style three times a day.  If we were meat eaters the selection would have more than doubled but there were vegetables, poultry and seafood nearly every meal as well as a fresh salad bar at lunch and dinner with many of the ingredients grown on island.  There were fun foods like fish & chips or burgers and fries that contributed to the overall feel that this was a great summer (or winter) camp. There were also soups daily and Thai curries often.   I liked to experiment, especially with the fresh peppery condiments.  I had a noodle soup topped with fresh cooked greens, scrambled eggs and hot sauce one morning while Gil made himself a fresh waffle or two.  I did eat cereal when they served runny fried eggs. 

It was common for the workers to make a second meal from the buffet so they could eat lunch in the field.  The FWS staff often came in and made take-out packages so they could eat dinner in the privacy of their own homes.  We sometimes made our lunch at breakfast (they provided sandwich goods) particularly if we were going to Eastern for the day.  We occasionally made our plates up and carried them over to the pub so we could have wine or beer with our dinner.  Deserts were always available – cakes, pies, cheesecake, soft serve ice cream and never ending cookies.  Charlie barracks had an industrial coffee machine in the lobby so we could have a cuppa and read a little at 5:30 am before heading out in the dark to eat breakfast at 6:30.

          Clearly I was pondering my own questions during the last few days on Midway and since being home we have been processing what it all meant to us. 

What is the experiential difference between Kauai and Midway?

The first obvious thing is that an atoll has virtually no elevation and Kauai’s soul is her mountains.  We are so fortunate to live between two refuges so we have a lot of bird life all the time.  Frigate birds, both red-tail and white-tail tropic birds, red-footed boobies, and several wetland endangered birds are common to us.  We sometimes see monk seals hauled out and while it is not common to see green sea turtles on the beach, swimming with them is normal.  The turtles on Kauai live and feed here but the females leave to nest at French Frigate shoals, 800 miles away.  They are nearly off the endangered list - it helped to take them off menus and put a moratorium on taking them for any reason, by anyone.  They eat algae off the reef at the base of the cliffs where we snorkel and we could say we go turtling.

Gil's film clip shows a turtle eating algae in the surge on the reef in Princeville last fall.    
  

There are heavy laws against taking or bothering Monk seals, however, they are not likely to make it - they are very close to extinction.  Some years ago a few were brought to the main islands to see if their numbers could stabilize and they do pup here.   When monk seals are reported on the beaches of Kauai, a response team comes within minutes and sets up a perimeter of yellow caution tape. Tourists and residents alike can easily view these rare creatures, just not closer than a few feet.    

What made it so different on Midway is the serious requirement to stay more than 150 feet of away from both monk seals and turtles on the beaches, honoring their endangered status.  It is meant to eliminate any disturbance so that the animals will feel safe enough to reproduce.  The turtles did swim with us when we snorkeled at Cargo Pier and when they hauled out, they were safe to go sleep on a beach reserved for them.  Since reproduction is crucial, we all kept our distance.  Any team counting anywhere near a restricted beach was on lookout for monk seals that sometimes hauled up into the naupaka bushes.  They were not disturbed in any way and the count of that area could be postponed until later - the priority was the monk!

            We were very fortunate on Midway to have people we truly enjoyed being around. It would be difficult with so few people if they were not compatible.  Having the same heart about nature and conservation is a huge starting place, common ground.  Kauai is like that to a degree as most of our friends did not grow up here but made a conscious choice to be close to the ocean and mountains because they love it.  But we do rely on cars on Kauai and I really enjoyed using the bikes for transportation on the atoll (which is flat).  In that regard, we only had a couple days of high winds that were hard to peddle against, and virtually no rain, so maybe the biking would have been less enjoyable in other weather.

What is the difference in the albatross community between Midway and Kauai? 

           I brought this up with several Midway residents who do not get to experience the birds as individuals.  Because of the tiny numbers on Kauai it has been our privilege to do so (see Sharon’s birds and Gil’s birds).  Residents and visitors know the population as a whole on Midway and each bird is one of many.  The many was novel for us, too, but I noticed that often, my concern was for the one among them:  I was concerned with any bird that started to walk into the road as I biked, for instance.  I was extremely careful to not startle that bird in that moment.  I was also aware, walking among them when the nests barely gave us foot space, that each bird was likely experiencing humans for the first time in their life.  I was keen to see their unique responses toward us – some stood up and presented their egg, some squawked and /or snapped and some were placid while others tracked us with seeming curiousity.  This is all about the human in relation to the albatross.

The other difference is the relationship between the birds themselves.  For the few that nest on Kauai or Oahu’s Keana point, there is much less colony life.  All albatrosses typically nest where they were born, particularly the females.  During the juvenile stage of coming back to meet a future partner, to display and court, these fewer numbers mean fewer potential mates on the main islands – they don’t have thousands to choose from.  Is it like the difference between growing up in New York rather than in rural farm country?  We don’t know for sure; it is a different lifestyle.

Midway colony provides lots of choices

The largest single colony of Kauai  
Albatross Hill at Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge

An even smaller community on private property

It is a geological fact that the atolls will disappear under the ocean’s surface, perhaps not in our lifetime but relatively soon.  Whether global warming speeds that up or not, it will occur.  Calling Kauai Noah’s Ark is common among moli advocates.  And the birds nesting on these higher main islands are called pioneers for good reason.  Looking at all those birds on Midway I had to ask not so much where will you go? but will enough of you shift to higher ground in time? 

Three pioneers at the sock hop

They have met here on a windy cliff about 250' high 
in the residential neighborhood of Princeville, Kauai

What’s next for the Donnellys?

Coming up the last Saturday of Jan, Feb and March 2012 we have the Whale count (ocean count).  Unlike Midway, we don't get to see that data after it is extrapolated.  But we sit on the cliffs or shoreline at designated sites around the island intensely watching the ocean surface to record whale behavior we can see, whether it is Blow!, Pect slap! Tail slap! Dive! or Breach!  It is an exciting four hours when they are active, switching off with a partner who scans or writes.  Since we also record squalls, wind direction, cloud cover, seabird sightings, etc. it is now called Ocean Count.

One of the north shore Ocean Count locations has limited space on a high platform

Crater Hill, National Wildlife Refuge, Kauai

Home now, I can continue the book I am writing for which Midway served as research.  I have written about the development of the islands geologically and culturally and will now work on the plant, bird and reef sections.  It is meant to be a primer for anyone new to the islands and/or a resource guide for new residents to delve more deeply into any one of the topics.  I plan to continue doing reef surveys as soon as the winter waves calm enough for me to snorkel again. 
Gil will resume teaching Aikido as students return from their holiday excursions.  Paddle season opens in a couple weeks and he is off to holoholo with them again.   Midway is very close to our hearts as we imagine on what to focus our remaining active years.  Like one of our teammates on Midway said, after all, we are senior citizens!