TRIP GOALS The main goals were to survey the plants on Midway, as we had previously done in 1999 and 2008; look for native Hyposmocoma moths, which we've observed on Laysan, but have not been recorded from Midway; and get as much birding in as we could, since we happened to be living and working in one of the greatest concentrations of birds in the world.

AREA COVERED During surveys we got to virtually every part of Sand, Eastern, and Spit Islands. We didn't go on beaches closed for Monk Seals and Green Sea Turtles, and there were some areas where Bonin Petrel burrow density was so high in pure sand substrates that we just scanned the area with binoculars.

TIME We were on-island from March 24 - April 7, 2015. Birds were active all day and all night.

WEATHER Mostly comfortable, Midway was transitioning from Winter to Summer. Lows were in the 50's, highs in the 70's. Winds shifted around quite a bit as numerous small fronts pushed through. The sky was milky and cloudy much of the time, though the sun occasionally popped out and the classic Midway lagoon blue could be observed below small puffy clouds drifting by. Rain was frequent, though usually moved through quickly.

NUMBERS The numbers, which may at times be grossly inaccurate, include what we personally saw or heard and insights from on-island folks.

LAYSAN ALBATROSS How does one explain what 1,000,000 albatrosses looks like? Imagine a bird every square meter as far as the eye can see, and a sky abuzz with thousands more. The birds are sitting on nests, preening, dancing, looking for mischief, and otherwise going about their day. The sound is cacophonous, an indescribable chatter of shrills, claps, sighs, and myriad other sounds, going all day and all night. We have no idea how many Laysan Albatross we saw, but the winter nest count this year was 666,044, the highest on record, which results in over 1.5 million currently known to utilize Midway. During the time of our survey the chicks were still mostly all down and had just begun to wander from nests.

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS The Black-foots are the bigger, blacker, much less abundant, and meaner looking, albatrosses on Midway. They generally prefer to nest near the coast. Despite the grouchy appearance, the dance of the Black-foots almost seems more precise and involved than that of the Laysan Albatross. Their chicks were on nests in full down. 10's of thousands on Midway. Count this past winter was 28,610 nesting pairs.

LAYSAN X BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS (HYBRID) We didn't have much spare time for chasing down oddities while on Midway, but in the limited time we did have after finishing our plant survey, we tallied the birds we saw and noticed we hadn't seen any albatross hybrids. We asked folks who had seen them where they were observed, and after searching in vain to find hybrids in a half dozen locations (Cargo Pier, Sunset Seep, Midway House, Eastern Island,...), we finally persevered and despite the rain came across one at Rusty Bucket, on the NW corner of Sand Island. It was a good looking bird, and seemed to be associating most with the Laysan Albatrosses. Not surprisingly, all the locations folks reported hybrids from were at the intersections of Black-footed and Laysan nesting areas. At least a half dozen albatross hybrids on Midway. No idea if any were F2 hybrids.

SHORT-TAILED ALBATROSS Apparently none of the birds successfully nested this year and had all left Midway by the time we showed up. "They were just here last week". The only glimpses we got were of the social attraction decoys on the southeast tip of Eastern Island.

BONIN PETREL When does a bird become too abundant? The population explosion of this petrel on Midway from 32,000 in 1995 to 1,000,000+ 20 years later, after removal of rats, is the single greatest species recovery we have ever witnessed. The night sky at Midway is currently swarming with a haze of these birds and their calls. It is wondrous, and at the same time a burden. Many aspects of life on Midway are now affected by these petrels, that burrow into anything that isn't concrete. Whereas we could easily walk through most areas back in 1999, today it is nearly impossible to walk off main trails and roads without encountering a minefield of burrows. Even the albatrosses are having a harder time nesting and walking around with the unstable ground the petrel digging creates. No one has yet been able to figure out how to accurately count a colony this massive of nocturnal, burrow-nesting birds, so we'll go with the official count from one of the island folks, "way too many". As a side note, the Bonin Petrel chicks are perhaps one of the cutest creatures on Earth, an innocent little puff ball of gray and white. So dig out those burrows that you fall in. Birds were on eggs and with young chicks during our survey. They were practically everywhere on Midway, but were most abundant on Sand Island. We only saw limited burrows on Eastern Island, perhaps because it is mostly hard-packed runway and was more affected by the 2011 Japan tsunami. We don't recall seeing any burrows on Spit Island, it is mostly hard coral rubble and is regularly washed over.

BULWER'S PETREL Not observed. Visited the Ave Maria site we saw and heard them in 2008, when speakers would blare social attraction colony calls at night. Some of the equipment was still there, but it didn't appear to have been functional for a while. The nest boxes made out of washed up fishing floats were still there, but this time instead of Bulwer's Petrels, every one had a Bonin Petrel in it. It is possible the birds had not yet returned to breed for the season, but folks on island seemed to not know of any active Bulwer locations in recent years. Didn't see or hear any Tristram Storm-Petrels or Bryan's Shearwaters either.

WEDGE-TAILED SHEARWATER This is the main seabird we see in the Main Hawaiian Islands, yet they are relatively rare on Midway. Not sure why Bonin Petrels have exploded in abundance yet wedgies have not, but such is the case. The colony behind the Midway Mall is still active and quite vocal at night. Saw birds utilizing many of the old bunkers and pill-boxes on both Sand and Eastern Islands. Not sure how many birds we heard, perhaps hundreds. Only saw a couple dozen. There are perhaps a few thousand wedgies on Midway. They appeared to just be starting the breeding season, with birds often sitting in pairs, with no eggs or chicks observed.

CHRISTMAS SHEARWATER One observed along the northwest coast of Eastern Island, sitting in front of a naupaka thicket. As any good rare bird would do, it flushed just as we pulled up our camera to get a shot. Apparently numbering in the hundreds at Midway.

GREAT FRIGATEBIRD A few hundred perhaps. Breeding season was just starting and the males had their gular sacs inflated and on display. It was funny to watch them fly with the deflated sacs flapping around, they seemed off balance, but the ladies must like it. A few dozen Frigates were observed near Frigate Point on Sand Island, where they roost in ironwood trees but do not nest. A couple more observed skimming the water at the Catchment Pond. The bulk of the frigates are on Eastern Island, where they roost and nest in naupaka and Tournefortia shrubs, mostly on the northeast corner of the island.

MASKED BOOBY Two lone birds were observed on Eastern Island on woven nests made of vegetation on the ground. Both were on young chicks. One of the Masked Boobies had an orange-ish bill, reminiscent of Nazca Booby, but it could have just been the lighting.

BROWN BOOBY One observed on a nest made of woven vegetation, especially Tribulus, near the base of a naupaka thicket on the northwest coast of Eastern Island. Two observed on buoy in main channel entrance to the Harbor, and two observed on abandoned pier pilings on West Beach, Sand Island.

RED-FOOTED BOOBY Most abundant on Eastern Island, where hundreds were observed nesting in the naupaka, Tournefortia, and sea grape. Found along the coast, with the frigates, but also inland. A few dozen also nesting on Spit Island. A few more dozen on Sand Island, especially near Bulky Dump, probably just roosting. These birds build nests of vegetation in shrubs and small trees, often using native nohu (Tribulus), but many of the birds on Spit Island were also utilizing the rare native popolo (Solanum nelsonii) as nesting material.

RED-TAILED TROPICBIRD If you're feeling at ease, this bird can change that in an instant. Raucous and often hidden, these birds love to lurch out at and scold anything that walks within its zone, including humans. On Midway they prefer to nest at the bases of trees or shrubs, most often naupaka and ironwood. Saw and heard perhaps hundreds, likely many more.

WHITE-TAILED TROPICBIRD More common in the Main Hawaiian Islands. During our brief time to follow up on rarities, we got location information for one and were able to find its nest in the crotch of a large ironwood tree near the Midway Gym. Single bird in a very nice vegetation lined nest where a natural crevice exists in an ironwood tree. Didn't notice an egg or chick, but only got glances from a distance.

WHITE TERN There aren't too many things cuter or more angelic than White Terns. Chronically nappy, and occasionally showing attitude group mob style, these birds remain abundant on Midway, especially on Sand Island, where they attempt to nest on almost anything they can, especially ironwood trees. We encountered thousands, many of which flew right up to us and flapped in our faces, to show us who is boss, and pose for pictures.

SOOTY TERN Large flocks of Sooties were starting to fill the sky, flying about, yipping, and just starting to set down on Eastern Island. Only saw a few thousand, later in the season there should be a lot more. Heard a few on Sand Island.

GRAY-BACKED TERN On ground, paired up, and close to laying eggs. Most abundant on Spit and Eastern Islands. We saw perhaps dozens on Spit Island, mostly on coral rubble near the vegetation line, and a similar amount on Eastern Island, usually hunkered near vegetation on the runway.

LEAST/LITTLE TERN Not observed. In 2008 we saw six in the Catchment Pond.

BLACK NODDY Saw a few hundred, mostly on Sand Island in ironwood and naupaka. Frigate Point and West Beach seemed hot spots, as did the trees by the Clipper House. We watched one going back and forth from the ground to a tree, gathering material to build a nest.

BROWN NODDY Only saw a few dozen, roosting on the naupaka at Frigate Point on Sand Island. They were hanging out with Black Noddies. Didn't see any in their regular breeding spot next to the runway when we did sand bur (Cenchrus) sweeps in that area, guess it is a little early in the year still.

WANDERING TATTLER Observed a few lone birds on Sand Island, at the Catchment Pond foraging in shallow water and loafing on the shoreline, at Rusty bucket on the large rocks near the coast, and at the Cargo Pier foraging along the surf line.

PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER Choke. High count of 1,300 on Mar. 31, in two large groups on the taxiway near the NAF Hangar on Sand Island. A few dozen regularly present at the Catchment Pond, as were lone birds in many of the lawn type areas on Sand Island.

RUDDY TURNSTONE High count of 500 on Apr. 2, when four flocks of 100-150 birds were observed anxiously zigging and zagging around Eastern Island. It looked like they didn't know who was following who, and would circle around seemingly aimlessly until they somehow decided to settle down in a new spot for a while. A few dozen were also regularly present at the Catchment Pond on Sand Island.

BRISTLE-THIGHED CURLEW Observed dozens on Sand Island, singly and in small groups. They were especially abundant near the Midway Mall, Cargo Pier, and West Beach. They would occasionally circle us, especially if we mimicked its whistle call. Checked our images for Whimbrels, but they all had cinnamon coloration and bristly thighs. Didn't see any with bands.

CATTLE EGRET Saw 40 in the naupaka/Tournefortia shrubs on the northeast corner of Eastern Island. Also observed one in the Water Catchment Pond on Sand Island. They were much more flighty than the seabirds. FWS is working to reduce their numbers.

COMMON MYNA Speaking of flighty, even on Midway the Mynas are conspicuously flighty, especially compared to the bulk of the seabirds on Midway that have virtually no fear of man. High count was a dozen at the smoldering dump, with about as many at the Water Catchment Pond. Many pairs foraging in the lawns of Sand Island. The large Ficus tree they used to communally roost in had been removed since our last visit, not sure where they are currently roosting at night.

COMMON/ISLAND CANARY Conspicuous in many parts of Sand Island, saw perhaps a few hundred total, no more than a couple dozen at once. There was a banded canary that would regularly stand and sing on the railing at the Clipper House. The song is melodious, contrasting sharply with the seabird sounds. Came across a canary nest about a meter off the ground in a grass clump. The nest was constructed of wiry plant roots woven into a cup, that was lined with downy feathers, in which three small eggs were laid. Many flowers and plants are damaged on Midway by the canaries, we watched the flowers of a coral tree (Erythrina) trying in vain to emerge as the canaries chomped down on them, similar to what the Laysan Finches do on Laysan.

LAYSAN DUCK A few hundred, the numbers wavering in relation to botulism outbreaks. Locally common near wetlands and in lawns, on Sand and Eastern Islands. When we were on Midway back in 2008, the ducks had recently been translocated from Laysan and many new duck seeps had been dug for them. Most of these seeps turned out to create botulism conditions, and have since been filled in. Botulism still occurs in the remaining wetlands, taking up considerable resources to look for dead and dying birds and rehab sick ones. The ducks were just pairing up in preparation for the breeding season.

NORTHERN PINTAIL Male and female at the Catchment Pond and Enlisted Housing Seep by Radar Hill. Usually in the deeper water, often sticking pointy tails in the air while foraging head down in the water. Lone females also observed at West Beach on Sand Island and Sunset Seep on Eastern Island.

GREEN-WINGED TEAL 3 males and 4 females regularly at Catchment Pond on Sand Island. Mostly hanging out in water, foraging and preening. The males appeared to be one each of the Eurasian subspecies, the American subspecies, and an intergrade / hybrid between the two subspecies.

RED-BREASTED MERGANSER Lone bird, resting on the coral rubble near the shore on the eastern tip of Spit Island on Apr. 2.

DUNLIN One hanging out with the koleas and ruddies in the shallow water at the Catchment Pond on Apr. 6.

LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER One lone Dowitcher foraging in the shallow water in Brackish/Dump Pond on Mar. 31. Word on the island was that it was a long-billed.

MONK SEALS Saw lots of seals along the coasts of all the islands. Apparently the population is around 35-40.

GREEN SEA TURTLES A dozen or so taking turns basking on Turtle Beach. Lone individuals observed around the Piers and Harbor. Midway population estimated at around 75.

SPINNER DOLPHINS Only had one encounter with the dolphins this trip, they briefly checked us out as we were drifting in the main channel trying to restart an engine. 200 or so at Midway.

MICE Apparently still present on Sand Island, but not on Eastern or Spit Islands. Didn't see any this time, though folks were mentioning they were still around.

HYPOSMOCOMA MOTHS Looked in the same sort of habitats we found these cryptic native moths on Laysan and elsewhere, but didn't find any.

DIAMONDBACK MOTHS At night were hundreds of little moths on the windows of the Barracks. Looking closely it became apparent they were practically all Diamondback Moths (Plutella xylostella). A bit more sleuthing and we realized they were eating the numerous Brassicaceous plants on Midway, such as sweet alyssum (Lobularia) and mustard (Brassica), that were riddled with moth damage.

EMERALD BEETLES The large emerald green Scarabid beetles (Protaetia pryeri) had not yet emerged for the year, though we did uncover some giant larvae in the soil while looking for Hyposmocoma moths, and old iridescent green carapaces were occasionally observed.

ANTS A number of ant species were observed, the most dominant ant currently on Midway appears to be the Big-headed Ant (Pheidole megacephala), though for some reason they never achieved the massive densities as they did on nearby Kure Atoll, where they were apparently recently eradicated.

PAU In summary, Midway is still an incredible place. We hope this has given you an enjoyable glimpse into the current status of life on the Gooney Isle.