Short-tailed Albatross

We had another big newsworthy event this week.  Our Short-tailed albatross chick fledged.  This was only the second time one has been raised outside of Japan in recorded history, so we're glad that our rare pair of albatrosses were successful at raising another chick.  Here's a link to the news release and a couple of photos and videos that John Klavitter took.  http://www.fws.gov/midway/whatsnew.html

We're just about back to normal after the 70th Battle of Midway Commemoration.  All of our extra visitors and volunteers have gone back home.  Thanks to everyone who came to make it a great event, especially Col. John F. Miniclier and Sgt. Ed Fox. Thanks to Dallas Nagata White for passing along a link to her photos and writeup of her visit that day. It's very good and worth taking the time to see her great photos.    http://dallasnagata.com/2012/06/midway-70th/

One interesting project going on here right now is a Google project.  They've been taking a lot of photos so soon you'll be able to get a street view on Google maps and be able to see our historic sites. Even Eastern and Spit Islands will be online.  I'll let you know when I hear that the project is done.

Here's one of John Klavitter's photos of the Short-tailed albatross chick on the last day that it was seen on Eastern Island.

 I'm posting a couple more photos from the Battle of Midway Commemoration.  Here is Sgt. Fox getting thanked by some of our Navy visitors.  Note the albatross chick at the bottom of the picture holding a plumeria flower.  I wish I had noticed that when I was taking the photos.

Admiral Cecil Haney visits with Col. Miniclier at the Canon Memorial.  Col. Miniclier is wearing the helmet he wore during the Battle of Midway, which he left with us for our Visitor Center.

Col. Miniclier tells the story of being in the tower as the Japanese planes attacked (see last week's post).

This is a view of Spit Island out toward the old water barge wreck on the horizon.  Since very few people get to visit Spit Island, it will be nice to be able to see it on Google maps.

 Gray-backed Terns like to nest on Spit Island. 

 This is a Red-tailed tropicbird chick.  As I was taking this picture, one of the parents showed up to feed it.

 The chick was really wobbly and could barely keep upright enough to get its food.

 There are still thousands of White terns on eggs.

 The volunteers: Ryan, Jennifer, and Liz are sorting through plastic collected from their marine debris plot on Eastern Island.

This is a Spotted boxfish (female).  I like these little fish.  They can't bend their bodies, so they just move their fins and tail really fast to swim.  The males are very colorful, but they hide more than the females do, and I almost never see them.