Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge - Sand Island Lagoon Live Camera

Welcome to the Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll) live cam. This live cam is brought to you by the Friends of Midway Atoll (FOMA), which is a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in their management of the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and Battle of Midway National Memorial. As such, FOMA established this live camera to "bring the place to the people," which is one of the refuge's goals. FOMA members and donors made this live cam possible, which is located near the center of Sand Island facing N/NE toward the lagoon.

Please consider becoming a member or donating to FOMA to keep this camera broadcasting and to support conservation of wildlife on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge:
https://friendsofmidway.org/YouTube-donation-membership

FOMA's Online Store:
https://friendsofmidway.org/shop-2/

Curious about the birds you're seeing and hearing? Check out FOMA's full list:
https://friendsofmidway.org/explore/

Enjoy Kuaihelani through the eyes of volunteer Greg Joder, who filmed this 30-minute video while riding his bicycle in January 2025. This video captures what words can't fully convey - thousands of mōlī nesting, resting, and moving across the landscape—completely at home:
https://youtu.be/L50XlGILTGQ?si=UBzt-7OrNWb8G1Az

You will now be able to enjoy the full breeding cycle of the world's largest breeding colony of mōlī (Laysan albatross) and ka'upu (black-footed albatross). Starting in late October or early November, adult albatross will begin returning to Kuaihelani to reunite with their life-long mates. During this time, courtship will abound with mates reuniting after their absence from the island for several months and soon thereafter copulating and building a nest for their single egg. Mated pairs will soon settle into the exhausting effort of egg laying, incubation and then feeding their growing chicks until their eventual dispersal (fledging) to sea from late June to early August. Soon after the mated pairs arrive and begin nesting, single, mostly younger birds arrive and spend months dancing and courting others in hopes of finding their forever mate. Most of these birds return to the same vicinity where they were raised and will spend their lives breeding in the same neighborhood as their parents. You will see mōlī across the view shed and in the distance you will see scattered black-footed albatross, but you may also see at any time the endangered koloa pōhaka (Laysan duck), manu-o-Kū (white tern), and kōlea.

This camera offers an intimate window into one of the world's most important seabird sanctuaries, capturing the dramatic life cycles of albatross and other native Hawaiian birds throughout the year. Watch thousands of birds interact, nest, and raise their young in their remote Pacific island home.