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Bird Observations on Wake Atoll

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Bird Observations on Wake Atoll WESTERN BIRDS Volume 26, Number 2, 1995 BIRD OBSERVATIONS ON WAKE ATOLL H. LEE JONES, 6108 Wildwood Road, Lake Isabella,California 93240 Wake Atoll, at 19 ø 18' N, 166 ø 38' E, is one of the earth's most isolated landmasses. It is 1700 mi. (2700 km)from Japanand 2000 mi. (3100 km) from Honolulu. The nearest point of land is tiny Taongi Atoll in the northern MarshallIslands, 350 mi (550 km) to the southeast.As this island is seldomvisited by ornithologists,its avifaunais littleknown. Wake Atoll, usuallyreferred to as WakeIsland, consists of threeislets, only one of which is correctlycalled Wake Island. The atollis V-shaped with itsapex projecting southeast.Its total land massis only 3 miz. Each arm of the "V" is approximately4.5 mi. (7.0 km) longand averagesabout 0.3 mi. (0.5 km) across,with a shallowlagoon between the arms.Both arms are brokennear their distal end. Wilkes Island, at the tip of the south arm, was once separatedfrom the main islandby about 300 feet (100 m) but is now connectedby a causeway.At the tip of the northarm isslightly larger Peale Island,separated by a 400-foot (125-m) channeltraversed by a narrow bridge. Seabirdcolonies are almost restrictedto these two islands.Most human activityand virtuallyall permanentbuildings are confinedto the main island. The birdsof WakeAtoll are knownfrom only a few accounts:Vaughn (1945), Bailey (1951), Bryan (1959), Rice and Kenyon (1962), Casey (1966), Fosberg(1966), Johnstonand McFarlane(1967), Rowland(1990), and Sutterfield(1990), plus unpublishedreports and field notes of the Pacific Ocean BiologicalSurvey Program in the National Museumof Natural History, Washington,D.C. Pratt et al. (1987) summarizedthe known avifaunathrough about 1985. I visitedthe islandfrom 24 March until1 April 1993 as the ornithologistfor a biologicalsurvey conducted for an "environmentalassessment for long-termactivities at Wake Atoll" (U.S. ArmySpace and Strategic Defense Command). I found most of the species reportedby previousinvestigators. The Red-tailedTropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda),Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster),Red-looted Booby (Sula sula), Sooty Tern (Sternafuscata), and Brown Noddy (Anousstolidus) were breedingat the time of my visit. Three other speciespresent but WesternBirds 26:65-75, 1995 65 BIRDS OF WAKE ATOLL apparentlynot breedingat the time of my visit were the White-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethor• lepturus), Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra), and Great Frigatebird(Fregata m/nor). SPECIES ACCOUNTS The followingspecies accounts include, in additionto my observations, accountsof the birdsobserved and photographedby Lou Hitchcock,a civilianAir Forceemployee and 20-yearresident of the island.Hitchcock is not an ornithologistand hashad no accessto fieldguides or experts,but he has documentedmuch of what he has observedof the plantsand wildlife over the yearswith an excellentseries of photographsthat I examined. Historically,no land-dependentbirds other than shorebirds,ducks, and the now-extinct Wake Rail (Railus wakensis) were documented from this remote atoll. LaysanAlbatross Diomedea immutabilis. This species breeds in the northwestern HawaiianIslands and the Ogasawara(Bonin) Islands south of Japan, and may be establishingsmall colonies on GuadalupeIsland and San BenedictoIsland off the west coastof Mexico(Harrison 1990). It rangesat sea throughoutthe northernPacific Ocean(Sanger 1974). It wasformerly more commonand widespreadand may have bredon WakeAtoll. In Hawaiiit nestsduring the winter(Harrison 1990), butin what seasonit has nestedor attemptedto nest on Wake Atoll is not clear. Hitchcockfrequently has seen up to four or fivebirds at a time on the island.He reportsthat theystay for a few weeksat a time but nevernest successfully. They keep to the closelycropped grassy areas adjacent to the runway,where they lay their eggs. Hitchcockhas neverseen young and believesthe feral cats,and possiblyrats, may destroythe hatchlings.He has excellentphotographs of paired birdsin courtship (Figure1). I did not seethis species during my visit. Titian Peale, artist and naturaliston the United StatesExploring Expedition in 1841, found "short-tailedalbatrosses" here, whichmay havebeen this species,as well as the Black-looted(Rice and Kenyon 1962). Peale referredto them as D. brachyura,believing the differentplumages were differentage classesof the Short- tailed Albatross.The one specimenfrom this expeditionin the U. S. National Museumis nigripes,but an eggcollected appears to be that of immutabilis(Rice and Kenyon 1962). Rice and Kenyon(1962) alsoreported Alexander Wetmore's recollections from his 1923 TanagerExpedition to WakeAtoll. Wetmore told them of greatdestruction of birdsby the Japanesein the yearsprior to hisvisit from 27 Julyto 7 August1923. He found evidenceof a recentlyoperated skinning plant, indicativeof extensive plumehunting on the island,that contained piles of bonesfrom frigatebirds, boobies, and terns,but no albatrosses.He surmisedthat the lackof albatrossbones suggested that they no longerbred on the islandby 1923 and perhapslong before. Rice and Kenyonalso stated, "Information supplied by severalobservers who were on Wake from 1935 until the Japaneseoccupation in 1942 confirmed the absenceof albatrosseson the islandduring this period." Rowland(1990), however,mentioned a 1936 photographof the old Pan Ameri- can hotel in the Wake Island Museumthat showsan adult Laysan Albatrossand severaldowny chicks on the lawn. He alsomentioned a possibleLaysan Albatross nest in 1988 reportedto him by islandresidents in 1989. Furthermore,Bailey (1951) alsosuggested that somespecies of albatrossbred on the islandduring the periodof Japaneseoccupation in WorldWar II. An Americanblock•ade of the island hadall butcut off the'Japanese from their supply lines, resulting in the starvationof BIRDS OF WAKE ATOLL manyof the troopsduring the lastfew monthsof their occupation.He quotesfrom the diaryof a Japaneseofficer stationed on the islandat that time: "An orderhas just come out forbiddingus to catchgooney birds [albatrosses] lest they be wipedout." It appearsfrom theseaccounts that LaysanAlbatrosses have bred or attemptedto breedperiodically on Wake Atoll sincethe earliestvisits by ornithologistsin the last century.Unfortunately, little concreteevidence exists to supportthese observations. Black-lootedAlbatross Diornedea nigripes. I sawtwo flyingtogether about 2 km off PeacockPoint on 25 March and observedone flyinglow over the airstripon 31 March. Gary Lumia,an Air Forcemaintenance techniciam described to me six large albdark"gooney birds" he had seen regularlyat PeacockPoint for a period of time until about "four weeksago." He thoughtthey might be nestingbecause of their courtshipactivities but never saweggs or young.Black-looted Albatrosses have bred on Taongi Atoll (Pratt et al. 1987), the land nearest Wake, but have not been definitelyobserved breeding at Wake Atoll sincePeale's visit in 1841. White-tailedTropicbird Phaethon lepturus. I brieflysaw one adultin flight near the rain catchmentbasins between the personnelhousing area and the air terminal on 25 March.Hitchcock sees them everyyear and believesthat a few breed.Fosberg (1966) reportedone near FlipperPoint in September1961 and two on WilkesIsland on 8 March 1963. Casey(1966) reportedtwo adultswith one chickin the rubbleof an old Japaneseblockhouse on the islandduring her visitin 1966 (specificdate not given).This speciesbreeds primarily on high islands,in trees in the interior or in shadedrock crevices along coastal headlands, but alsonests in smallnumbers on low- lyingatolls such as at MidwayIsland (Harrison 1990). Figure1. LaysanAlbatross courting, Wake Atoll. Photo by Lou Hitchcock 67 BIRDS OF WAKE ATOLL Red-tailedTropicbird Phaethon rubricauda. Unlike the White-tailedTropicbird, this speciesbreeds primarily on atolls and other low-lying islands(Figure 2). Its numbersincreased noticeably during the eight daysI was on the atoll, suggestingthat it was in the earlieststages of its breedingcycle. In all, I foundten birdson nestsand observedcourtship activity in severalother areas, suggestingadditional unseen or not-yet-establishednest sites. Nesting and courtingbirds were in six more or less distinctareas on Peale Islandand Wake Islandproper northwest of the air terminal, but not on the southern arm of the atoll. Of three attended nests examined, one containedan egg and two were empty. Accordingto Gouldet al. (1974), thisspecies breedsmainly from March throughJuly or Auguston Wake Island. MaskedBooby Sula dactylatra. I sawthree adultsin the Brown Boobycolony and theseor other individualson nearbyoffshore rocks at the westend of WilkesIsland. No nests.eggs. or young were observed.These birds may have been in the early stagesof breeding(before egg laying).Apparently, this species breeds on Wake only in smallnumbers. Other accountshave reported fewer than sixpairs. Fosberg (1966) saw only a very few on Peale Islandon 22 and 23 October 1953. Casey (1966) statedthat it is "rarelyseen." Rowland(1990) saw only two activenests, both with chicks,on WilkesIsland in 1989. Sutterfield(1990) sawtwo MaskedBoobies on eggs in late October 1989. Brown Booby Sula leucogaster.I locatedtwo adjacentcolonies of approximately 30 and 26 nestson the outer perimeter of the Wilkes IslandSooty Tern colony. Youngwere in all stagesof growthfrom recentlyhatched to nearlyfull-sized downy with moderatelydeveloped flight feathers. No nestcontained more than two young. and all nestswith well-developedyoung had only one. i saw no eggs, but several Figure2. NestlingRed-tailed
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