Albatross fledgling season is underway! Here’s another field blog from Dwight.
With this being my second field season on Hōlanikū, it’s the first time I’ve been here in June. From Christmas Shearwater chicks to albatross chicks finally fledging, Hōlanikū always presents new moments to witness and remember. The ka’upu (Black-footed albatross) have begun to fledge, and the remaining are honing their skills a little longer before they leave. With most of their downy feathers gone, they sport a variety of hairdos, with my favorite being the mohawks. Many of the mōlī (Laysan albatross) still have downy feathers along their head and neck while the rest of their bodies sport more of their definitive plumage (thank you, Nick, for the proper terminology), but a few of the older mōlī chicks have little to no down left. I was a little thrown off when I witnessed an adult-looking mōlī chirping and begging for food from its parent.
Brief summer squalls encourage the thousand albatross chicks in the field across from camp to spread their wings, and ’ewa’ewa (Sooty tern) chicks are old enough to run around and tuck themselves into the kawelu and naupaka.
Our team is acclimating well and finding a groove out in the field and during our time in camp. Evenings are spent playing board games, card games, or watching movies. We spent the evening of the Summer Solstice at the pier for sunset and enjoyed the sights of ka’upu (black-footed albatross) chicks practicing their flight skills in the lagoon.
Kayla’s birthday passed as well and Nick prepared a delicious cake from scratch for the occasion. Jordan baked several dozen peanut butter cookies that only lasted for a mere day and a half.
The days here are far warmer than they were during my last season, winter 2021/spring 2022. The lagoon offers us small opportunities to cool off as long as seals are absent from the area around the pier.
As summer has just started, I’m excited to see what more this season will bring, and I’m especially ecstatic to see more albatrosses continue to fledge. I’d like to think that one particular ka’upu I’ve been keeping an eye on has fledged already. This ka’upu is leucistic, with white patches on its body, white wingtips, and pink toes. I’d seen this little fella perform some short flights in the lagoon before swimming back to shore each time. After several consecutive days of checking on ‘em in the evenings, eventually it was nowhere to be found.
Mahalo,
Dwight
