Laysan Ducks on Midway

This morning I spent nearly 4 hours with Dr. Michelle Reynolds, the scientist working on the newly introduced population of Laysan Ducks here on Midway. The duck was introduced here to give them a better chance of survival, as the only population had been on Laysan Island south and east of here. With 2 separate populations the bird has a better chance to survive a catastrophic storm or a disease outbreak. The first birds were trans located here in 2004 and have done well even with a major disease outbreak. The total world population of this duck is probably still less than 1,000 birds and this small number plus its very restricted range have placed it on the Federal Endangered Species list. We successfully captured and banded 3 unbanded birds this morning. Banding a large part of the population allows scientists to develop an index that will make it possible to accurately estimate the size of the population. It was exciting to hold a bird this rare and to make the very small contribution of a morning's work toward its survival. The pictures that accompany this post show several views of the Laysan Duck population and me holding one in preparation for its release.