The following was written by a former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Volunteer Kyle Richardson (K2) in 2024. Photos by USFWS Dan Rapp.
Since 2005, an annual team of volunteers on Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll) collects data on the reproductive habits of mōlī (Laysan) and ka‘upu (black-footed) albatross. These aspiring biologists spend a big chunk of their time and effort on this project. They, along with their supervisor, collect data on which birds nest where, which eggs hatch, and which chicks survive to fledging. All of their data is faithfully compiled, organized by the USFWS Volunteer Crew Leader, and shipped off to various universities and think tanks around the world.
One such project with data is called the Albatross Reproductive Success Monitoring Project (Repro), which is part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Albatross Demography Monitoring Project (ADMP). None of that is simple, nor should it be. The hard workers on Kuaihelani are trying to establish documentation of breeding patterns for hundreds of thousands of birds.
For the purposes of Repro work, Kuaihelani has been divided into several 20×20 meter plots. These sections in various locations on Sand and Eastern Islands have long been established as samples of the breeding populations at large. In early November, as the ka’upu (black-footed albatross) first begin building nests and laying eggs, the team sets out to investigate the state of these historic breeding plots. The plots cover a wide range of terrains, and they take a beating from the elements all year long. First a little team cleanup takes place. Barriers are re-established and then the team determines which nests belong inside the plot and which will be excluded from the data set. And that’s when it’s time to break out the little yellow books.
These beauties are the heart and soul of Repro data collection. Each line is a nest with the band numbers of the breeding parents recorded, along with the dates for egg laying, egg hatching, and eventually chick fledging. Along the way all sorts of mayhem ensues. We see documentation of nests with three parents, eggs getting swapped between breeding pairs, Laysan on black-footed eggs and vice versa…you name it. And of course, not every egg survives, but using these data biologists can follow all of these patterns meticulously. Volunteers also record data used to measure population trends, and, most importantly, reproductive success. It’s vital to know how well the albatross populations respond year to year, and across decades.
The rate at which mōlī and kaʻupu produce viable offspring is the main takeaway from Repro. Scientists want to know how well these albatross reproduce against a host of variables. Looking back over the years, they can determine if and how much local weather patterns, climate change, habitat deterioration, and local terrain impact the number of healthy chicks born to these intrepid seabirds. This information impacts future efforts to restore or maintain native habitats, as well as informing a wide range of cutting-edge scientific research.
A lot of moving parts have to come together to make Repro a successful part of the ADMP, and the logistics of volunteer life on Kuaihelani are not least among them. This project relies primarily on the volunteers, your donations and the support of the Friends of Midway Atoll (FOMA); without these resources, volunteering on the Refuge would be considerably more difficult. The materials and equipment that your donations to Friends of Midway Atoll provide help the USFWS staff and volunteers get the job done. Once again, these jobs require a village, and the Midway village is a beautiful thing.