Quack Patrol

photo by Cari

Come along with the Quack Patrol!

In the hot summer months the Quack Patrol conducts almost daily checks of every wetland on Sand Island for deadly bird botulism.  If we find a dead duck, we'll collect it carefully and put it in a ziploc bag with information about where and when we found it.  Then we put the bag in a freezer until a veterinarian can examine it to find out if botulism poison really did kill the duck. 

If we find a sick bird -- good news! -- we wrap it in clean towels and take it into the US Fish and Wildlife Service lab, where the duck is cared for.  You can read more about the care of botulism-sick ducks in the July 3 post "Laysan Ducks: Battling Botulism."

As you can see in the picture, I and my bicycle are loaded down with equipment.  My binoculars, with sunglasses hooked on, are strapped across me.  In my pocket is a pencil...and even a second one, in case I lose the first one.  I'll stuff the clipboard with its data table into the bike basket. The net (for scooping dead ducks out of the water) will be stuck through the basket's handle.  My metal water bottle is already in the bike basket, along with my backpack.  The pack contains clean towels for sick birds...and ziploc bags for dead birds, which I hope we don't find!  

We're ready to ride to the first wetland, called Ball Field Big; let's go!  After seeing the 5-minute video, perhaps you'd like to check out any of these 3 FOAM Activity Pages:  

• Laysan Ducks #1 -- Bands
• Laysan Ducks #2 -- Who's Who?
• Duck Project

Bike Ride to Laysan Ducks from Barb Mayer on Vimeo.

Katie: US Fish and Wildlife Service Volunteer

It was a lot of fun having high school senior Katie on island for a week!  She helped with her mom's Hawaiian Monk Seal beach surveys.  In addition, Katie worked as a volunteer in various wildlife management projects for Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.  She helped:

• observe and record the growth stage of young Laysan Albatross and Red-tailed Tropicbirds, 
• sort and measure marine debris, 
• pull up the alien invasive plant Verbesina, and
• gather and wrap albatross boluses (albatross barf!) for classroom dissections.  (Yes; that's a real bolus she's wrapping in the right-hand picture.)

But perhaps her favorite work was checking on the health of Laysan Ducks (LADU.)

photo by Kittipong Janthasang

For the weekly all-atoll wetlands survey, Katie got very good at using binoculars to see the ducks.  With the binocs, she could often read the code on colored bands that some individual ducks wear on their legs.  [Challenge yourself to read LADU bands in FOAM's "Activity: Laysan Ducks #1 -- Bands" and Activity: Laysan Ducks #2 -- Who's Who!"]  Then Katie entered the data into an Xcel spreadsheet in the Refuge's computer.  Every morning she also helped check each of the wetlands for any ducks affected by the disease, avian botulism.

Each of us needs to help take care of the living things around us.  Katie certainly is a good steward!  How can you volunteer for plants and animals in your community?

Answers for "ACTIVITY: Laysan Ducks #2 -- Who's Who"

Challenge yourself to identify the bands of some Laysan Ducks in the "ACTIVITY: Laysan Ducks #2 -- Who's Who," in FOAM's menu bar above, and then check the answers in this data table.

When I looked up these bands in Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge's data base, I found out two interesting pieces of information--

• The duck with the WF band is noted as having a "big puka left foot."  ("Puka" is the Hawaiian word for hole.  Perhaps WF got the puka in its foot pad when it stepped on a really sharp Nohu thorn!

• RC, the duck I couldn't tell whether it was a male or female, is a male.

Some of these bands were really hard to see.  The hardest one for me to see was BRT.  At first I thought it was BKT, but I couldn't find that code in the data base.  Next time I saw that duck, I looked more closely and realized it must be brown, not black.  When I looked for BRT in the data base, it was there!  If you got at least half of these bands correct, you're on your way to being a wildlife scientist!

Answers for "ACTIVITY: Laysan Ducks #1 -- Bands"

photo by Kittipong Janthasang

No peeking at these answers until you try the "ACTIVITY: Laysan Ducks #1 --  Bands" in FOAM's top menu bar.  It's fun!

21. O+                                31. GN/WG
22. Too worn to read!        32. Y4
23. GYJ                             33. GY1
24. GNX1                          34. GNY
25. WM6                           35. W/2MG
26. B/2WG                        36. BY$
27. GN/2WG                     37. YX>
28. O/BKG                        38. OU
29. BYR                            39. GYK
30. GNX7    

Some of these codes are hard; don't worry if you missed some.  In the next few days FOAM will have some pictures of Laysan Ducks with bands.  You can practice being a wildlife scientist by trying to read bands on real ducks!

Laysan Ducks: Battling Botulism

Adam holding sick Laysan Duck

Hi FOAM friends; this is Kahiko, and we Laysan Ducks are fighting a poisonous condition called botulism.  The sickness sometimes hits us when our seeps (ponds) get hot and low in oxygen in the summer.

Botulism (botch-uh-lih-zum) is a kind of food poisoning.  It's caused by a bacterium called Clostridium, and they love places with low oxygen, like old cans of green beans.  If you ever see a can of beans that's "outdated" (meaning: beyond the date marked on the can), DON'T EAT THE BEANS!  Clostridium bacteria make a poison that attaches to nerves.  Then the nerves can't control muscles, and people get sick.  Sometimes botulism attacks the nerves that connect to breathing muscles, and people die!

There's another species of Clostridium that causes botulism in Laysan Ducks.  Sick and even dead Ducks have been turning up on Midway.  Adam found the first sick duck at the Aviary seep.  (Click on the page for the Midway Map in FOAM's top menu bar.)  Look at the picture at the right.  Notice that the duck's eye is closed?  That's because the Clostridium is probably in the nerves for the eyelid muscles, and the duck just can't open its eye.  Adam brought the sick duck to the USFWS office where it was treated by Fish and Wildlife staff.

John Klavitter, wildlife scientist

First it was given a shot of "antitoxin," a medicine that will fight the botulism poison.  Next, John Klavitter gave the duck some food (Ensure, with lots of soy protein) and Pedialyte (electrolytes, or different kinds of salt.)  The duck was held in a small, clean towel while it was carried to the aviary, which is a cage or enclosure for birds.)  You can see  the duck peeking out of the towel with its left eye open; that's a good sign!

In the aviary, the towel became a bed for the sick duck.  Since the duck's nerves and muscles aren't healthy, the rolled towel propped up the duck's head.  Perhaps you can see the duck in its towel-nest under the "A-frame" within the aviary.  When the duck got healthy enough to eat on its own, there were bowls of water and food right next to it.

Add caption

After several days in the sick bay aviary, with daily care, the duck was healthy and ready to be released.  Ray Born carried the duck outdoors and put it into a special water area, which is more protected from sun and large albatross than the 20 wetland areas around Midway.  Good news; after several hours the duck had left the protected water area, free to travel anywhere on the island!  

(If you're interested in learning more about avian botulism, please visit the National Wildlife Health Center.)

Laysan Duck Trans-location to Midway

Laysan Atoll; aerial photo by Andy Collins

Hundreds of years ago we Laysan Ducks probably lived on all the Hawaiian Islands. After people came, we ended up living only on Laysan Atoll, 800 miles northwest of Honolulu. Notice the lake in the middle of the island; it's super-salty!

It's not good for a duck -- or any species -- to live in only one area! A tsunami or hurricane could wipe us Ducks out; we'd go EXTINCT!! To try and save us from extinction, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service brought some of us to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. Having Laysan Ducks in two places helps us survive.

But before the trans-location could take place, in 2004 and '05 USFWS removed the alien-invasive plant Verbesina from some areas on Midway. They used a big vehicle called a backhoe to dig about a dozen large holes in these areas. Freshwater from the surrounding sandy soil slowly seeped into the holes, so we now call these freshwater-filled holes "seeps." Many people helped to plant native Bunch Grass (Kawelu in Hawaiian, Eragrostis variabilis) around the seeps. The document "Examples of Successful Habitat Restoration (pdf)" has lots of pictures showing the creation of Monument Seep on Eastern island.

After the Kawelu had grown and when everything was ready for us, the Service trans-located some of us Ducks from Laysan to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. I, Kahiko Ladu, wasn't one of the original 2004 or '05 ducks, but my friend was. She came to Midway in 2005, and she now goes by the name "WT," since that's the bird band the biologists put on her right leg. "W" stands for the color of the band, white, and it has a black "T" on it. Barb surveyed Monument Seep today and took this picture of WT. It's a little hard to see, but WT's bill is pinkish; male ducks' bills are darker with a bluish color. (That's a Laysan Albatross chick in the background, and an albatross wing coming in on the right-side of the picture.)

Just Rolling Along

My friend Marty and I helped take out heavy-duty black plastic liner from an old fuel tank area.  After a chunk of the liner was cut, we rolled it up, tied it, and then put it in storage.

Not all the work in maintaining a wildlife refuge is with wildlife.  Sometimes the work means removing something that no longer belongs in a refuge.

Before Midway became the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, it was a military post.  The military needed huge tanks to store their jet fuel; you can see part of a tank in the upper left corner of this early morning picture.  The area around the tank, as well as the cement wall, were lined in a thick, black plastic; you can see some of the plastic in the picture.  The purpose of the enclosed area was to keep any accidentally spilled fuel in a contained area.

But the military is no longer here, the fuel tank is empty, and the plastic is not good for the wildlife.  Folds in the plastic trap Laysan Ducks, and the albatross chicks can't walk very well on the shiny, slippery plastic. 

So, Marty and I helped remove some of the plastic.  In the future, the whole cement wall will come down and be used as part of the seawall to protect the island, and the fuel tanks will be taken apart and shipped away.  The island is becoming a better and better refuge for wildlife!

Death of a Laysan Duck

In the post right before this one I explained that last week a Laysan Duck had been seen swimming with a plastic ring around its neck in Monument Seep on Eastern Island.  I am sorry to have to tell you that the duck was found dead this morning.  The picture on the left shows the ring...but notice that the right-hand close-up shows the band is actually cut open.  Therefore, before you throw a plastic ring away in your trash, please cut it COMPLETELY in half, meaning: into 2 pieces.  We've learned from this duck's death that even a ring which has been cut open can still kill wildlife!

But let me tell you some good news: ever since some of us Laysan Ducks were moved from Laysan Atoll to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in 2004 and again in '05, most of us have been doing very, very well.  Each sunrise brings the promise of positive changes for wildlife.

Marine Debris...in Freshwater

I spotted this Laysan Duck at Monument Seep on Eastern Island last week.  It has a plastic ring going around the back of its neck and through its mouth.  The ring could make it impossible for the duck to eat.  How did the ring get onto the duck? 

The ring was probably a piece of marine debris.  Marine debris is trash put into the ocean, either accidentally or on purpose, by people.  The `ōpala can be carried to Midway either by ocean currents or in the stomach of an albatross.  If the bird is lucky, it'll cough up the marine debris in a bolus.  (More about boluses later!)  Sometimes, if the bird is not so lucky, the albatross dies, and then the marine debris that the bird swallowed while alive is left on the ground after the bird rots.

However the plastic ring got here, once it was on Midway, it probably was blown or washed by rain into one of our freshwater ponds, called seeps (more about seeps later, too!)  Perhaps the ring floated over the duck's head as the bird surfaced from an underwater swim.

You probably have noticed that when you unscrew the cap from a plastic gallon milk jug, a ring is left around the neck of the jug.  That's the kind of ring I think this Laysan Duck has around his neck.

Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge is surveying the marine debris problem (that's ANOTHER topic that we'll do a FOAM post on later!) 

But can you please help, too?  Next time you open a container with a cap like that,  please cut the ring open! That way, if the ring does get in the ocean somehow, it won't wind up around a Laysan Duck's neck in far away Midway Atoll.  Mahalo for taking care of us!

"Make Way For Ducklings"

I hope lots of you FOAM readers know the classic book Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey.  In that make-believe story, policeman Michael stopped Boston traffic to allow Mrs. Mallard and her ducklings (Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack) to cross a busy street safely into Boston Public Garden to meet Mr. Mallard.

Today Adam, Greg and I cleared algae from one of the Midway ponds to "make way for ducklings;" we want them to be able to swim freely in the pond.  Nothing is controlling the limu (algae); it's very thick, from the bottom of the pond to the top.  We think that all this limu could trap ducklings, causing them to drown.  When the limu rots, it could cause an outbreak of botulism, which could cause many ducks to die.  The picture on the right shows me in waders just starting to remove algae.  Look how much there is!

Now take a look at the last picture; it shows what one of the ponds looked like right after our work.  Isn't the surface clear; didn't we "make way for ducklings?!"

And you know what?!  Just as we finished, a Laysan Duck flew in and landed right in the water.  It seemed to like the open surface; I think it had a smile on its face, but I couldn't be sure....

Welcome to Midway Atoll!

Barb: Aloha kakahiaka! It was so good to meet you face-to-face yesterday morning at Sunrise (see the S10 on our FOAM's Midway map page!)

I had just taken my new ducklings out for a swim and food forage...and there you were, together with the other 2 volunteers, Gary and Adam. So nice to meet all of you. I'll look forward to your occasional visits, as you gather data about our health.

I know you'll be pono (on good behavior) when you come to visit us: please walk up to our pond slowly and quietly, crouching low; you don't want to scare us, causing us to go into the water before we want to, or hide in the plants growing at the pond's edge.
I hope you enjoy this picture of me and 4 of my 7 ducklings from this year. Gary has a couple of nice close-ups of my kids on his blog entry for today. Again: welcome to Midway Atoll!

What's your food? --brine flies?

Btw, Happy Mothers Day everybody! My ducklings let me sleep a little longer than usual this morning.
I'd like to see lots of photos and videos in our blog. This video shows some of my relatives eating flies. It might take a bit of time to load, but I think BBC Arkive's video "Laysan Ducks feeding on swarms of flies at Laysan Atoll" is really funny!

Decoding FOAM authors' names

I thought what Auntie Moana and Edward said about their last names representing their bird species was interesting...
Auntie Moana Laal = Laysan Albatross
Edward Bfal = Black-footed Albatross
...so I guess Kahiko Ladu = Laysan Duck

I'm curious to know what "Moana," "Ulua" and "Kahiko" mean??

E komo mai! (Welcome!)

I'm going to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge!!...which is part of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, located about 1200 miles northwest of Honolulu, Hawai`i.  From its name you can understand that it's in about the middle of the North Pacific Ocean!  I'll be working as a volunteer there for about 3 months, doing all kinds of wildlife management work.  My friends and I are going to author this blog about Midway together.  Let's introduce ourselves.