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This somewhat ghastly/ghostly image of an adult Laysan Albatross floating in the Sand Island harbor lagoon was created with the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens, the 2X III teleconverter (hand held at 292mm), and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering at zero: 1/320 sec. at f/6.3. I wanted to create an image that showed at least a partial view of the bird’s bill and spent more than an hour trying. |
Tsunami Evidence on Midway
The tsunami took more than 100,000 Laysan Albatross chicks and about 1,000 adult birds. On the relatively tiny Spit Island virtually all was lost: 15,000 albatross chicks were swept away to their death. Only four, caught in the bushes, survived the four waves that washed completely over this low island. The losses on Eastern Island were great: about 1/4 of the total Midway nests each with a single chick were destroyed. Damage and loss on Sand Island, the only island of the three Midway islands now inhabited by humans, was minimal.
Though the tsunami flooded Midway just a bit more than a month ago, by mid-April, evidence of its passing was scant.
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This image of the primaries of a buried adult Laysan Albatross was created with the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens, the Canon EF 1.4X III TC (hand held at 280mm), and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera body. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/800 sec. at f/13. The key to the success of this image was getting flat on the beach; doing so reduced the photo to just the key element on a high key background. |
Amazing, there were very few albatross carcasses on the beaches; the ghost crabs buried and devoured them leaving only the wing tips protruding from the sand as evidence.
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This image of a fish carcass was created with the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens, the Canon EF 1.4X III TC (hand held at 98mm), and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera body. ISO 400. Evaluative metering at zero: 1/320 sec. at f/6.3 set manually. |
Those who searched the runways on Eastern Island with a bit of diligence found lots of flying fish and needlefish carcasses.
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This image was created with the (hand held at 27mm) and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera body. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/500 sec. at f/14. |
On my previous two-week visit in March, 2010, it was common to see dead chicks as chick mortality is always significant. But is was rare then to see dead adults.
Shopper’s Guide
Below is a list of the gear that I used to create the images above. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens. Man, I am loving this lens on my shoulder with the 2X III teleconverter. I also use it a lot–depending on the situation–with the 1.4X III TC.
Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L IS lens. I am not very good with this versatile wide angle zoom lens….
Canon EF 1.4X III TC. This new TC is designed to work best with the new Series II super-telephoto lenses.
2X III teleconverter. The new 2X III TC is sharper than the older 2X II version.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera body. The very best professional digital camera body that I have ever used.
And from the BAA On-line Store:
Gitzo GT3530LS Tripod. This one will last you a lifetime.
Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head. Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head.
Double Bubble Leve.l You will find one in my camera’s hot shoe whenever I am on a tripod and not using flash.
Delkin 32gb e-Film Pro Compact Flash Card. These high capacity cards are fast and dependable.
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I pack my 800 and tons of other gear in my ThinkTank Airport SecurityTM V2.0 rolling bag for all of my air travel and recommend the slightly smaller Airport InternationalTM V2.0 for most folks. These high capacity bags are well constructed and protect my gear when I have to gate check it on short-hops and puddle jumpers. Each will protect your gear just as well. By clicking on either link or the logo below, you will receive a free gear bag with each order over $50.
Thanks Andrew, I worked long and hard to get the first one…. There was a block of wood floating next to the bird’s head most of the time….
Great images to illustrate the aftermath, especially the first one!
Thanks Jim et al. Yes, a disaster of relatively minor proportions. Sadness is a choice; I prefer to chose to view it as a natural occurrence. Midway is located in the “plastic vortex;” we, the human race, are all the cause of it. And as we are part of nature, I choose to see it as a part of nature, albeit an unnatural part 🙂
A tsunami during the nesting season, what a disaster! :¬(
I saw a blog shortly after the tsunami hit that the Short Tailed chick survived. Did you get to see and photograph it? Did both Short tailed parents survive? Jacque and I missed being there with you this year.
Hi Ron, We saw it–it is HUGE. And dark. But it was bright sun and they kept us way too far away…. We did not see the adults but their video feed (it is not on line) shows the adults coming in to feed every few days. You would have loved it 🙂
Interesting to see where all the plastic garbage has landed after the tsunami’s … this is just a sad scene between the birds being fed plastic from the garbage and now this…
SO SAD…….
Thanks for sharing this reality of nature.