The trees have been eliminated from Eastern Island. Invasive plants called Verbesina produce beautiful golden crowns but elevate humidity and create sweltering conditions for the ground-dwelling birds. Guests are invited to uproot the plants at every opportunity. Native naupaka shrubs, which provide the best habitat for albatrosses as well as red-tailed tropicbirds, are being restored. You can truly see the resiliency of nature at work.
Male albatrosses return to Midway before females to claim and defend their territories.
The birds normally nest within three feet of the spot they occupied the year before. They will continue returning to the same nesting site for life. Interlopers are warned with a sharp clap of the bill not to enter a defender's space. Their angry vocalizations need no interpretation. The albatross, which lives to age 40 or older, mates for life, or until a partner disappears.