A Reminiscence of Albatross: 2021

By Hob Osterlund, Safina Center Fellow.

Another nesting season for the Laysan albatross (Mōlī in Hawaiian) has come to a close on Kauaʻi. From parents reuniting and mating, from egg-laying to chicks hatching, from fuzzy waddling to courageous fledging, the cycle has once again done a full spin on an axis of wind, squid and sheer perseverance. Successful parents will now spend about three months solo at sea. Fledged chicks will try to master the dual arts of flight and forage.

This yearʻs totals: 317 nests produced 218 chicks; of those, 148 chicks survived to fledge. Scientists measure results by “reproductive success” (RS) and express it in a percentage of how many nests resulted in how many fledges. This year the RS is about 47%, nearly identical to the average RS of the last seven years, and up from about 38% in 2020. Thankfully, wild pig and unleashed dog predation have decreased with better fencing, hunting and deterrents. Sadly, feral cat predation is a bigger problem; this year we lost a total of 23 chicks in several colonies.

During that time I have posted nearly 200 photos, videos and stories on social media. Here are a few of them.