Two Black-footed Albatrosses (ka‘upu) court at sunset on Hōlanikū

Note.  It has been some time since a guest has written and illustrated an ACAP Monthly Missive.  Here is one by Isabelle Beaudoin, an aspiring seabird biologist who is currently on Kure Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.  Enjoy!

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I am on Hōlanikū (Kure Atoll) in the North Pacific as a habitat restoration and seabird conservation technician for seven months during the 2024/25 winter season, as part of a team of five.  I work for the Kure Atoll Conservancy, the State of Hawai’i Department of Land and Natural Resources, Forestry and Wildlife, and for Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge.

Hōlanikū’s main island, Green Island, is 78 hectares of sand and low vegetation, with a decommissioned runway from the US Coast Guard years in the 1960s to 1990s.  It is the oldest atoll in the northwestern Hawaiian Island chain, and the northernmost atoll in the world.  It also must be one of the most isolated field camps on earth.  It falls within the waters covered by the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.  The island is almost totally flat, a land of sky, wind, waves, and birds.  It took the five of us five days to sail here in late October 2024, and all that separates us from the massive, winter Pacific swells and storms is the ring of reef around the atoll and the sand-vegetated dunes around the island.  Green Island is a breeding ground for hundreds of thousands of seabirds, amongst whom are mōlī (Laysan Albatrosses Phoebastria immutabilis) and ka‘upu (Black-footed Albatrosses P. nigripes) – my main area of interest.

 
Laysan Albatrosses (mōlī) ride the wind over the Hōlanikū reef

A budding seabird scientist, I am undertaking an MSc on Procellariiformes at the University of Auckland in New Zealand but have taken a break to wait for my study species’ breeding period to commence.  I was looking for ways to fill that time productively with seabird conservation work which could also be used as career springboard into remote, sub-Antarctic seabird science and fieldwork positions in the future. I saw an advertisement on the Kure Atoll Conservancy Instagram page, loved it immediately, applied, was interviewed, and am now spending seven months in the middle of the ocean.  I have always dreamed of working with albatrosses.  Especially now, having been here for three months, I believe I have found my life’s work in albatross conservation science, and in communicating to the public about their plight.

Life on Hōlanikū is essentially being totally immersed in the lives of breeding albatrosses.  When I first arrived here and was getting to grips with the camp and its systems, none of the albatrosses had arrived.  Then a few ka‘upu began appearing, then four, eight, a few dozen, and suddenly there were hundreds lining the shores.  Soon there were also a few mōlī, and before I knew it, tens of thousands of them were filling the open fields, sprouting up like we were farming them, white heads bobbing; heads up to the sky screaming, mooing, dancing; and filling the skies with their graceful shapes.

A mōlī flies in front of a rainbow on Hōlanikū

I was excited and overwhelmed with awe at being able to live and work in this colony of albatrosses, as I still am.  I set about recording every aspect of it that I could, and sharing it via photographs, videos and a blog on the Kure Atoll Conservancy Facebook page in order to open human eyes to the beauty, complexity, intelligence and charisma of these birds, which are under acute threat by an unholy trifecta of long-line fishing, plastic pollution and loss of breeding habitat.  I shower with albatross, I hang up my laundry stepping around albatross, I use the latrine next to an albatross.  Albatross dance, court and nest outside my window. I work amongst albatross, I dream of albatross, write about albatross, think about albatross, smell them, hear them, see them.   My idea of heaven on earth.

Our purpose in being here is in the first instance to restore Hōlanikū seabird habitat to maximise the island’s potential as a seabird breeding ground.  This comes primarily in the form of invasive plant eradication.  Enemy number one is Verbesina encelioides, a plant introduced to Hōlanikū during the Coast Guard years and which can spread like wildfire.  It covers viable albatross breeding habitat by growing in tall, dense stands, creating a hot micro-climate which poses problems particularly to chicks during the hot summer.  It dies back in the winter, leaving the ground exposed to high winds. Its roots additionally do not result in good soil stabilisation, threatening both the integrity of the island itself and disallowing the presence of dense numbers of burrowing seabirds.  In 2002 the Kure Manager Cynthia Vanderlip started to rid the island of invasive plants such as Verbesina and in so doing to help the seabird population rebound.  Since then, crews have been coming out on expeditions to conduct habitat restoration as well as seabird monitoring activities. We also target other invasive plant species such as Cenchrus echinatus, Cassytha filiformis, Flaveria trinervia, Solanum americanum and Beach Heliotrope Tournefortia argentea.

I am brandishing a large Tribulus cistoides plant.  Although native, they are removed from the runway as their spiky seedheads can puncture albatross feet on the hard surface. Photograph by Nadia Borg

Shoring up the islands upon which these birds breed is crucial in our world of accelerating change, one where albatrosses are plagued with threats everywhere and in all their life-history stages. I have seen many remnants of last year’s fledglings with their ribcages cupping a large handful of plastic.

My day normally starts with rising before dawn and bringing my coffee down to the beach and sitting with the ka‘upu by starlight.  My work is variable, but generally consists of treating invasives, transecting one of the 44 restoration areas into which the island is divided, and covering as much ground as possible while still being thorough.  Depending on the day and the weather, I could also be conducting my tracking work on ka‘upu, such as retrieving, programming, and deploying GLS tags. These long-duration leg tags will collect ka‘upu movements for one to two years and fill gaps about at-sea ranges and fishery overlap hotspots during the incubation, breeding and non-breeding periods.

My other work ranges from camp maintenance, upkeeping the infrastructure in place for the Critically Endangered koloa maoli (Laysan Duck Anas laysanensis) and conducting the annual albatross occupied nest count. Between the five of us, over 164 survey hours, we obtained totals of 37 914 mōlī nests and 3042 ka‘upu nests.  I then end my day down at the pier with the ka‘upu again, looking out to sea at the sunset.

A challenging reality of the work on the atoll are the seabird burrows. During my time on Hōlanikū, tens of thousands of nunulu (Bonin Petrels Pterodroma hypoleuca) will breed underground, along with a significant population of ‘ua‘u kani (Wedge-tailed Shearwaters Ardenna pacifica) and several hundred (we think) ‘akihike‘ehi‘ale (Tristram’s Storm Petrels Hydrobates tristrami).  When walking around, one must be on the constant lookout for burrows.  When one is crushed it must be dug out to ensure birds are not left buried.  I have often found myself shoulder deep in sand, digging it out as fast as it slides back in.

Clouds of nunulu darken the skies every night on Hōlanikū

Bushwhacking through thick naupaka, a native bush, whilst being bitten by breeding albatrosses (sometimes we need to get close to them to access a weed, or to dig out a burrow, but we always try to respect their space) and being stung by wasps, can be trying!  We work hard here, we take our jobs as custodians of the island seriously, but we are highly rewarded by the experience.  Although working on Hōlanikū has its challenges, and is not for the faint of heart, conducting the work is a huge privilege.  Few people, in the grand scheme of things, have ever been here, and certainly no one can come here anymore unless in a research or restoration capacity.

A pair of ka‘upu doing the ‘together-tippy-toes’ move

A highlight so far of the season for me has been in watching the albatrosses interact with one another, and with me. The ka‘upu courtship dance, for example, is truly remarkable in its energy, complexity and duration. My favourite is the ‘together-tippy-toes’ move where, after tucking a head under a wing for the ‘preen’ move, one bird shoots its head up, head pointing straight up towards the sky, chest round and puffed out, and stands on its utmost tip-toes. The other bird, within a split second, matches the first, reaching up on tiptoe with its bill to touch the first’s, their chests bumping together (sometimes they do this move so enthusiastically that the second bird nearly knocks the first one over). The day when the final plumage phase makalena (Short-tailed Albatross Phoebstria  albatrus) showed up was memorable too – watching this individual ‘rain-nibbling’ (drinking falling rain) was a gift, and to see its golden head feathers shimmer and shine in the early morning light.

The final-stage makalena (Short-tailed Albatross) in the golden-hour light

I am truly privileged to live and work in the midst of an albatross colony, amongst birds who are not afraid of me, and instead gaze at me with mild curiosity. In the field of seabird conservation, it is important not to lose one’s sense of wonder amidst all the serious work and science. Stopping to appreciate the beauty of what we still have, and treasuring that – a wingtip trailing a wave, a hard tack into the wind, an eye sparkling with morning light, a parent’s soft calls to its newly hatched chick. These moments, these memories, are our fuel in the fight to protect the albatrosses of the world.

I am deeply thankful to the Kure Atoll Conservancy and to Oikonos for the chance to do the work I am doing, and to my crewmates.  Sand in my hair, dirt under my fingernails, seabird poop in my pockets, petrel-musk on my clothes, wave-sound in my ears.  There is no better way to live and may we all know such happiness at least once in our lives.  Mahalo and fair winds!

Isabelle Beaudoin, Peaks to Petrels Photography, Kure Atoll, 11 February 2025

Flinders Island, South Australia

Flinders Island is a 3642-ha privately owned island located some 30 km offshore from the mainland coast of South Australia.  It is is surrounded by the Investigator Group Marine Park protected area.  Previously farmed, it is managed as a natural area allowing tourism.  It is intended to eradicate the island’s introduced feral cats, Black Rats and House Mice, commencing in May this year (click here).  The rodents are to be eradicated by the aerial dispersion of rodenticide-laced cereal bait by helicopter and the “up to 200” cats by application of Eradicat baits together with a follow-up phase consisting of intensive ground-based operations to locate and remove all the remaining cats.  Drones with thermal vision will also be used to locate cats.

According to Wikipedia, the island supports breeding populations of two burrowing procellariiform seabirds: Short-tailed Shearwater Ardenna tenuirostris and White-faced Storm Petrels Pelagodroma marina.  It seems possible these populations, if confirmed, will increase following the removal of especially the cats and rats.

Once the island has been certified free of its introduced pests it is intended to introduce several species of threatened Australian mammals, including bandicoots and wallabies.

The eradication effort is being funded by both the Federal and State governments, with support from the landowner.

Read more about the planned eradication here and here.

With thanks to Keith Springer.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 10 February 2025

 
“Reverse the Red” is a global movement that ignites strategic cooperation and action to ensure the survival of wild species and ecosystems and reverse the negative trend of biodiversity loss.  Through a strategic initiative, Reverse the Red brings together a diverse coalition of leading scientists, advocates, and partners committed to using a data-driven and science-based approach to assess, plan, and act for species conservation.  Reverse the Red provides the tools and expertise to empower governments, partners, and local communities to set and reach biodiversity conservation targets and celebrates and amplifies successful achievements for species.”

Grey-headed Albatross, photograph by Trevor Hardaker

Reverse the Red Day, held on 7 February, is an annual celebration of all the conservation work our collective community is doing to reverse trends of biodiversity loss - those shown through negative slides on the Red List of Threatened Species.The movement welcomes Species Pledges which are designed to showcase and understand which organisations are committed to strategic recovery actions for species in specific countries.  The UK’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is submitting Species Pledges for this year’s Reverse the Red Day for some of its priority species/species groups. One of these is for “Albatrosses at Sea”, including all 15 of the threatened albatross species. It concentrates on the Endangered Grey-headed Albatross Thalassarche chrysostoma as a species that represents the major impact bycatch can have on seabird populations and the collaborative global efforts to tackle the threat.

ACAP has now registered via the RSPB as a "critical partner to successful species recovery" for the Grey-headed Albatross,

Click here to access the ACAP Species Infographic for the Grey-headed Albatross in three languages.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 07 February 2025

1900 birdwatchers gather on the MSC Musica in support of the Mouse-Free Marion Project, photograph by Cassie Carstens

The Emeritus ACAP Information Officer spent last week at sea helping fund raise over three and a half million Rands by way of silent and live auctions and by sponsoring hectares for the Mouse-Free Marion Project that aims to eradicate the island’s introduced House Mice that have turned to attacking and killing albatrosses and burrowing petrels. The following edited media release by BirdLife South Africa gives an idea of what transpired on the Flock to Marion AGAIN! 2025 voyage into the Southern Ocean aboard a luxury cruise liner.

Sooty Albatrosses, photograph by Miles Cluff

“A voyage organised by BirdLife South Africa in association with the Mouse-Free Marion Project and hosted by MSC Cruises departed Durban Harbour, South Africa on 24 January, bound for the waters around South Africa’s sub-Antarctic Prince Edward Islands, with 1900 passionate birders and conservationists aboard, and returned on 31 January.  Primarily a fundraising and awareness campaign, the voyage raised over R9 000 000 [for BirdLife South Africa and for the Mouse-Free Marion Project] through various sources for conservation causes, a staggering sum and testament to the importance of the Mouse-Free Marion Project, and the generosity of our passengers.

This voyage offered birders of all ages and experience levels a unique opportunity to appreciate the wide variety of seabirds that live in the Southern Ocean, many of which breed on Prince Edward and Marion Island, located 1900 kilometres from Durban, or roughly halfway to Antarctica. The islands are in a band of latitude long known by sailors as the ’Roaring Forties,’ due to the area’s fierce winds

The focus of the trip was to highlight the unfortunate plight that these seabirds face, namely predation by invasive house mice. The voyage also raised funds for the Mouse-Free Marion Project, a conservation campaign dedicated to restoring Marion Island’s ecosystem to a pristine state.  Introduced inadvertently to Marion Island by sealers in the early-1800s, eradicating the invasive mice is the eponymous goal of the Mouse-Free Marion Project.

Prince Edward Island from outside territorial waters, photograph by Ken Findlay

Stationed around the ship were seabird and marine mammal experts, who facilitated the spotting and identification of seabirds, whales, and other mammals for the enthusiastic and excited passengers, for some of whom this was their first time birding at sea.    Many of our passengers spent hours at a time on the outer decks of the ship, hoping to spot the seabirds that are only found with regularity in these remote waters to which no other commercial vessels usually travel. One would normally have to travel to this remote part of the Southern Ocean aboard the S.A. Agulhas II, South Africa’s polar research vessel. Luckily, the MSC Musica was more comfortable than a research vessel, with amenities like coffee, tea, and pastry stations found regularly throughout the ship.

Among the 1900 passengers aboard the MSC Musica were such luminaries of the scientific and ornithological communities as Peter Harrison MBE, who has spent his life studying seabirds and is the first Patron of the Mouse-Free Marion Project, and Professor Peter Ryan, Emeritus Professor of the University of Cape Town and former director of the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, among many other experts on various topics including seabird ecology, island restoration, and sub-Antarctic research.

Peter Harrison MBE, Mouse-Free Marion Project Patron, lectures on albatrosses aboard the MSC Musica, photograph by Mark Anderson

When birders were not gazing with wonder at the many species of seabirds from the decks of the ship, (species seen included Wandering, Sooty, Grey-headed and Indian Yellow-nosed Albatrosses, Macaroni and King Penguins, Southern and Northern Giant Petrels, Salvin’s Prion, and Blue and Kerguelen Petrels), they were able to visit the high-tech lecture venues on the MSC Musica, and learn from the experts on various topics, such as the ecology of Marion Island, the life cycle of the Wandering Albatross, and the logistics of eradicating mice from Marion Island.

Wandering Albatross from the MSC Musica, photograph by Trevor Hardaker

A voyage of this popularity and scale is a largely unprecedented undertaking by a conservation organisation; but in fact, this was the fourth trip of its kind hosted by BirdLife South Africa.  Known as “Flocks at Sea”, the first of which took place in 2013, and continued in 2017, and in 2022 with the first “Flock to Marion”, these events have earned a reputation for being unique voyages, which attract attendance by people from all around the world and of all ages.  Thanks to the dedication of our organising committee and the eager support of our passengers, we are very grateful to be able to add another successful trip to that list.”

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 06 February 2025