Frigates are usually seen gliding along the seaward reefs waiting for boobies and terns to return with full bellies to their nesting chicks on the islands. The frigates will harass the returning birds until they regurgitate their food, which the frigate will then catch in mid air or pick up from the surface of the water. The one in the first few photos had a red ribbon tied to its leg, indicating it was probably a pet, captured as a chick and raised, probably by Marshallese citizens or possibly by royalty, as the frigatebird in the Marshalls is considered a symbol of royalty.
The bird with the red tag was spotted flying low over the beach by the Kwaj "bomb crater" reef quarry. I zipped home to pick up some of the frozen squid we had been using to feed an abandoned reef heron we had raised and brought it back to the beach. The frigate was perfectly willing to dip down and pluck the squid chunks from my fingers.
A young frigatebird on Roi-Namur, still with its white downy feathers. Photo by Christina Sylvester.
Once a year, usually in winter, frigates would gather high in the trees on Mian Island, where they were probably nesting.
Created 25 January 2018
Updated 25 September 2020