Everything about the Laysan Albatross is superlative: they fly unbelievable distances, live longer than any other wild bird and are iconically devoted to their chicks. They spend about 90 percent of their lives airborne and most of that time is solitary. They are extraordinary wayfinders and are, in the words of one seabird biologist, “Corvid bright.”  Since all species of albatross nest on remote islands, however, it can be difficult to see them in person. The Hawaiian Island of Kauaʻi is an exception to that rule and is the only place in the world where albatross nest within a good-sized community of humans. Laysans likely nested there for millions of years but disappeared when people arrived about a thousand years ago. In the 1970s a few birds, likely from Midway Atoll, began visiting Kauaʻi again. In 1979 the first chick fledged from its shores in perhaps a millennium. Since then the population has grownand has given observers a chance to learn more about the brief amount of time they spend on terra firma.  Join us for a lively, entertaining and in-depth look at their lives, their strengths and their perils.

Hob Osterlund is the Safina Center Conservationist in Residence, the founder of Kauai Albatross Network (KAN), the author of Holy Mōli: Albatross and Other Ancestors (Oregon State University Press, 2016, 4th printing), the producer of a short documentary called “Kalamaʻs Journey,” and a bird guide on Kauaʻi. An advanced-practice nurse, Hob spent her career in the acute hospital setting. During those years, she was the Principal Investigator for the Comedy in Chemotherapy (COMIC) Study. She also performed a comedy character “Ivy Push, RN” for national audiences. She now devotes herself full time to the well-being of Hawaiiʻs native birds, with a special focus on the Laysan albatross.

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