By Judy Maness Jones
I remember English Literature at Chester County High School because it was one of my favorite subjects. Mrs. Johnson taught the class. I do not even remember her first name, but I remember reading “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The albatross piqued my interest; it was the first time I had ever heard of that great sea bird. The albatross was considered historically as a symbol of good luck. They are also a gentle bird and are no threat to people, except when they land on runways at the airport. In January of 1973, my husband, Jerry Jones, who was serving in the Navy on Midway Island, got the approval for my son and myself to join him on Midway. I was excited to be going someplace I had never been. I did not know I would be meeting an albatross for the first time. On Midway, they were everywhere. My two-year-old son, Little Jerry, was also fascinated by these birds. He would join in there elaborate mating dance when he had the chance. I was afraid he would get hurt, but he never did. I always ran and scooped him up every time I saw him dancing with the albatrosses. At two, he was almost the same height as the albatrosses on Midway, so he seemed to fit right in. I knew the parents of the baby albatrosses would be upset if my son accidently sat or fell on one of the hatchlings; I did my best to keep them away from the albatrosses, which are called goonies by the people on Midway Island. We arrived on Midway Island in February when the albatrosses were everywhere. The birds even had a nest in our front year. Between November and September, it was almost impossible to sleep late. The Laysan albatrosses in the front yard were up at the crack of dawn making a variety of whining, squeaking, grunting and moaning calls, as well as clacking their beaks.
I had never learned how to ride a bike until I was 23 years old and had arrived on Midway Island. It was the only mode of transportation unless you had a job driving a Navy vehicle. My husband bought a used bike from the neighbor next door for me to ride. It was avocado green, freshly painted with saddle baskets and a seat from my two-year-old son to ride in. It was the only way to get anywhere besides walking. The birds made learning to ride a bike a little scarier for me. The Laysan albatross is a great sea bird that is very graceful in the air. The seabird can travel 10,000 miles in a single journey, circumnavigate the globe in 46 days and fly without expending almost any energy, but on the ground, they are sometimes clumsy and have trouble landing. I was afraid they would land in my path and knock me off my bike, but this never happened. I kept on the lookout for landing gooney birds. I often had groceries and other things in the baskets, so if I had an accident, it would not be good.
I enjoyed the laid-back life on Midway Island, going to the beach almost every day, not having to buy gas, other things I did not enjoy. There was only one television station and one radio station AFRTS, the American Forces Radio and Television Services. My husband even got to be a volunteer DJ for a while. We all enjoyed the beach and the mild weather on Midway; the highest temperature was in the 90s and the lowest temperature was in the 50s. I knew the Laysan Albatross and the other birds there were what life on Midway was about, even though one of the most important battles of World War II was fought there. The battle of Midway was the turning point of that war. The goonies were there long before the discovery of the island, and there was never any natives that lived on Midway. The island belongs to the bird of midway, and this is their home. I was just passing through.
At the same time I was living on Midway Island, there was a bird named Wisdom already living there. She is the oldest known banded bird in the wild, and she is a female Laysan albatross that nests and raises her chicks there. She must have been there at the same time as my family because the Laysan albatross come back to Midway every year to reconnect with their mates. The albatross mates for life but will find a new mate if their partner dies. Wisdom is at least 70 years old and raised another chick in 2021 according to https://www.npr.org/. Wisdom may have been one of the bird nesting in our front yard, one of the birds I avoided while trying to learn how to ride a bicycle, or one of the birds my son tried to dance with. Wisdom is now a world-renowned symbol of hope for all species that depend upon the health of the ocean to survive. Wisdom is also a symbol of any human who is aging. A person can have a good life and be successful no matter how old they are.
I will never forget my time on Midway Island, even though it was short. I will always be fascinated by the albatrosses on Midway and their elaborate mating dance as well as their devotion to their mates and the way they take care of their young. They also are the best-flying birds in the world and can fly for days without landing. I will always remember English Literature at Chester County High School and reading “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and be thankful for my time on Midway with the albatrosses.
