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An adult Short-tailed Albatross “rain nibbles” on Kure Atoll, 21 December 2024, photograph by Isabelle Beaudoin
Midway Atoll is not the only USA island in the North Pacific Ocean that might in time harbour a colony of Vulnerable Short-Albatrosses Phoebastria albatrus, as recently reported in ACAP Latest News. Eighty-nine kilometres to the west within the Northwestern Hawaiian Island chain lies Kure Atoll, which has also been getting visits by Makalena (the Hawaiian name for the bird) in the last couple of months.
Isabelle Beaudoin of Peaks to Petrels Photography who is currently a volunteer on the island for the Kure Atoll Conservancy writes of the above photograph:
This is probably my favourite photograph that I've ever taken. I currently live in the middle of a colony of 30 000+ pairs of Laysan and Black-footed Albatrosses. Since these guys can turn up whenever, wherever, there is a certain degree of luck (and sharp observation) involved in spotting [a Short-tailed Albatross]. They are visitors to the atoll, and currently do not breed here. At first, I was disappointed when it started to rain as I watched this magnificent bird. The flat light wasn't very exciting. But then I saw it as an opportunity, and quickly set my settings to capture the rain drops in the air, along with the Laysans in the background whilst still keeping the Short-tailed Albatross as the focus, and also trying to capture its great size to compare to the other birds. Then, just as the sun peeked ever so slightly from behind the clouds, the albatross began engaging in one of my favourite behaviours to watch - what I've dubbed 'rain nibbling'. This is when they 'nibble' the rain gently straight out of the air to drink it. Watching this majestic individual, who is likely much older than me, behaving like this in such a setting was really one of the highlights of my season on Kure Atoll so far” [edited].
The adult Short-tailed Albatross on Kure Atoll, 21 December 2024; much larger than the Laysan Albatrosses behind it, photograph by Isabelle Beaudoin
The Kure Atoll Conservancy reports on Instagram that the adult bird is the third Short-tailed Albatross seen this season, having seen one sub-adult last month and another one earlier in December. “The sub-adults were both observed only in the Black-foot-Laysan heavy areas, both trying to interact/dance with Black-footed Albatrosses. The adult however was in a Laysan Albatross heavy area, but showed no interest in the other birds”.
Although no Short-tailed Albatrosses currently breed on Hōlanikū {Hawaiian name for Kure Atoll], a female-female pair laid infertile eggs over 2010 to 2018; the placement of decoys in the island earlier this year could help the establishment of breeding once more, hopefully with the laying of fertile eggs (click here).
John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 27 December 2024
"Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.