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Oldest known bird to nest in U.S. survives tsunami

In this Febuary 2011 photo provided by the US Geological Survey, a Laysan albatross, roughly 60-years-old, named Wisdom is seen with a chick at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge near Hawaii. The oldest known wild bird in the U.S. has returned to a remote atoll northwest of the main Hawaiian islands after surviving the March 11, 2011 tsunami resulting from an earthquake in Japan. Officials at the Hawaiian and Pacific Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which includes Midway Atoll, said they are thrilled at Wisdom's return.  (US Geological Survey)
In this Febuary 2011 photo provided by the US Geological Survey, a Laysan albatross, roughly 60-years-old, named Wisdom is seen with a chick at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge near Hawaii. The oldest known wild bird in the U.S. has returned to a remote atoll northwest of the main Hawaiian islands after surviving the March 11, 2011 tsunami resulting from an earthquake in Japan. Officials at the Hawaiian and Pacific Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which includes Midway Atoll, said they are thrilled at Wisdom's return. (US Geological Survey)

WILDLIFE WATCHING -- There's a sense of relief this week among fish and wildlife biologists who manage the specks of National Wildlife Refuge islands west of Hawaii.

Wisdom is back.

In this Febuary 2011 photo provided by the US Geological Survey, a Laysan albatross, roughly 60-years-old, named Wisdom is seen with a chick at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge near Hawaii.

The oldest known wild bird in the U.S. has returned to a remote atoll northwest of the main Hawaiian islands after surviving this month's tsunami, which swepted over the low-lying islands and killed perhaps 25 percent of this year's albatross chicks.

Officials at the Hawaiian and Pacific Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which includes Midway Atoll, said Monday they are thrilled the Laysan albatross survived. The bird has become like family.

For more information on the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, see here.

 



Rich Landers
Rich Landers joined The Spokesman-Review in 1977. He is the Outdoors editor for the Sports Department writing and photographing stories about hiking, hunting, fishing, boating, conservation, nature and wildlife and related topics.

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