Wisdom, the Midway Albatross is Back!
In 2012, I wrote the story of the oldest bird in the world and how she survived the 2011 Japanese tsunami. At that time, she was almost 60 years old and had lived far beyond the 25 years expected of Laysan albatrosses. Each November/December, when the albatrosses return to Midway, I hold my breath. Did she survive another year or not?
These birds are known to take a sabbatical every four or five years, to lay out a year from having chicks. Wisdom has been continuously laying eggs since at least 2006, so she’s overdue for a year off. If she doesn’t return, it may simply be that she’s vacationing instead of being lost to the wild.
So, it’s exciting to hear that she’s back! On December 4, the staff at Midway Island spotted her with a new egg. Here’s a short video of Wisdom incubating the egg. When they sit on the nest, they will not budge for anything. I’ve been told that if you drove a truck toward them, a nesting bird would be run over rather than move out of the way.
If you can’t see this video, click here
Photo by Kristina McOmber/Kupu Conservation Leadership Program & USFWS
The eggs usually hatch somewhere in late January to early February. We’ll be watching to see if Wisdom and her mate, Akeakamai (a Hawaiian word that means a love of wisdom, seeker after knowledge, philosopher, scientist, scholar), can raise a new chick.
There’s something inspiring about this brave old lady. She’s a seabird, soaring over the north Pacific for much of her life. And she’s survived another year to lay an egg and raise a new chick. The survival is almost against all odds–which gives me a shaky sort of awe for her.
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