Seabird census shows 1.4 million birds at Midway Atoll
The number of seabirds nesting at Midway Atoll has hit a record high.
The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument said Friday volunteers counted more than 660,000 pairs of Laysan albatross at Midway this nesting season.
They also counted 28,610 pairs of black-footed albatross at the small atoll about 1,200 miles northwest of Honolulu.
The previous record for Laysan albatross was nearly 490,000 pairs in 2006. The record for black-footed albatross was 28,581 in 2011.
This year’s final count was for nearly 1.4 million individual birds.
An albatross sitting on an egg in a nest represents a breeding pair and was counted once. Birds present but not on an egg may be immature, unpaired or just resting. They weren’t counted.
Don't miss out on what's happening!
Stay in touch with top news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It's FREE!