Albatross population
increases at Midway

Only couples count, so
bachelor birds might mean
even higher figures

---

Associated Press

The population of gooney birds at Midway Island has increased by more than half since 2001, federal wildlife officials said this month.

In the most recent survey, volunteers counted 441,178 nesting pairs of Laysan albatrosses, known as gooney birds, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which operates the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. That is 53.9 percent higher than the number counted in 2001.

Volunteers counted 20,393 black-footed albatross nests -- up 7.2 percent since 2001.

Since the male and female albatrosses take turns incubating their eggs, all active nests are counted, and the population count is stated in terms of the number of breeding pairs, the wildlife service said.

Nonbreeding individual birds are much more difficult to count and are not included, so actual albatross numbers on Midway could be far higher than reported.

Beth Flint, a wildlife biologist with the agency's Honolulu office, said the reported increase is encouraging "because overall declines had been observed over the last 10 years or so."

However, biologists said breeding can vary from year to year.

"We just don't know enough yet about albatross population dynamics to conclude that their total numbers are increasing," Flint said. "It could be that numbers have been down in recent years because of climate conditions, lack of available food, human impacts or any of a number of other reasons."

Biologists said the reported increase could be due to a variety of factors, including habitat improvements at Midway, more experienced breeders, favorable oceanographic conditions or other environmental factors.

The 2003 count was conducted in December by a team of 21 volunteers from Hawaii, California, Oregon, Tennessee and Fiji.

Midway has 75 percent of the world's breeding population of Laysan albatrosses and 35 percent of the world's black-footed albatross population. Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge also is nesting ground for 14 other species of migratory seabirds and the endangered Hawaiian monk seal.

The albatrosses were nicknamed gooney birds by sailors who observed their odd behavior that was the result of spending years at sea before returning to land to breed.

Midway, in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, is about 1,200 miles northwest of the main Hawaiian islands.