Experiences of a Volunteer Bird Counter Crew Winter 2024/25 by Dan Rapp

In early December, Bird Counters arrived at Kuaihelani.Pihemanu.Midway Atoll as they do every year. They arrived on December 9, 2024 after dark which greatly minimizes albatross disturbance and especially the likely hood their small plane does not strike any of the hundreds of thousands of seabirds in the height of the nesting season at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. This year their manual count will be compared and tested against the ability of a drone to document accurately the number of albatross nests throughout three islands within the Atoll. A bird counter's time and energy working 48 hours a week for a month in December through mid-January contributes to one of the longest and most consistent monitoring seabird data sets in the world.

Experience the daily tasks and encounters during the past two weeks as a Volunteer Bird Counter on Kuaihelani-Pihemanu-Midway Atoll!

The 2024 Volunteer Bird Counter Crew arrives at night on December 9, 2024. Orientation began at day break the next day. Video by Dan Rapp

Precision and focus is critical and one must have the physical stamina, agility and ability to walk on uneven ground without harming or disturbing nesting albatross or collapsing Nunulu or Bonin petrel nests under a shifting sandy surface. Video by Dan Rapp

Each burrow shaped entrance or tunnel, that appears to run along the surface of the sand, is excavated by a nesting Bonin petrel pair who make their nest by digging a deep burrow that runs parallel to the surface before the burrow runs deeper to create a safe nest cavity. The weight of one human foot can easily collapse one of these burrows unless so-called burrow shoes distribute a person's weight evenly. The counter must also be constantly aware of where to carefully step next. Often times stepping next to the lower side of a burrow entrance is usually the safest bet for both birds and counters. Video by Dan Rapp.

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