November 24th The day before I returned from Hawaii Tanya decided it was time to see if the Layson albatrosses had returned. Before heading out she showed me a You-tube video of an albatross courting dance (see link below). Until then I had not known anything about these sea birds.
We drove to an area on Kauai which is near the sea bluffs, and entirely built over with homes. Strangely the albatross community decided that this was a good neighborhood to nest in, and a few years ago began showing up in relatively
small numbers to set up their nests and raise their single chick in front yards, along the streets, and other seemingly random spots throughout the neighborhood. And they are big birds, with a wingspan of 12’ feet and they sit very calmly and unafraid. Impressive and regal.
If you’ve watched the March of the Penguins you have an idea of the commitment of these birds. First the male arrives and goes to their nest site. He pulls a few leaves and twigs and sets up a very simple nest. The site can be anywhere, not necessarily private, in fact, seemingly very public and in the open. He calmly sits there, patiently
waiting for the female to arrive which can take several days. It is all the more unusual when you find out that they are a bird that does not touch lands for months, even years at a time, instead they fly the ocean air currents far at sea, landing only occasionally on water.
Within a few days the female arrives and the courtship begins. We were lucky to come upon a pair in the midst of their courtship and got a glimpse of the courtship dance which they performed after mating. It was quite a sight and Tanya said it was the first time she’d seen it. With one egg it is likely to be a fleeting event so
we felt lucky.
After the female lays her single egg, the male will sit on the egg while the female returns to the sea for food. After a week or so they switch places. This goes on until the egg hatches and while they raise this single chick until maturity. If one of the parents die the whole family perishes, as they are entirely dependent on each other for food.
The chick has feathers that are long and fluffy and make it appear larger than the parents. And it is adorable. Tanya says it is funny to watch the adults as they walk to the bluffs to fly away. They actually walk down the suburban roads very deliberately and unafraid, with big floppy feet, slapping the ground as they travel, until they get to the local park to gracefully fly away.
We drove to an area on Kauai which is near the sea bluffs, and entirely built over with homes. Strangely the albatross community decided that this was a good neighborhood to nest in, and a few years ago began showing up in relatively
small numbers to set up their nests and raise their single chick in front yards, along the streets, and other seemingly random spots throughout the neighborhood. And they are big birds, with a wingspan of 12’ feet and they sit very calmly and unafraid. Impressive and regal.If you’ve watched the March of the Penguins you have an idea of the commitment of these birds. First the male arrives and goes to their nest site. He pulls a few leaves and twigs and sets up a very simple nest. The site can be anywhere, not necessarily private, in fact, seemingly very public and in the open. He calmly sits there, patiently
waiting for the female to arrive which can take several days. It is all the more unusual when you find out that they are a bird that does not touch lands for months, even years at a time, instead they fly the ocean air currents far at sea, landing only occasionally on water. Within a few days the female arrives and the courtship begins. We were lucky to come upon a pair in the midst of their courtship and got a glimpse of the courtship dance which they performed after mating. It was quite a sight and Tanya said it was the first time she’d seen it. With one egg it is likely to be a fleeting event so
we felt lucky.After the female lays her single egg, the male will sit on the egg while the female returns to the sea for food. After a week or so they switch places. This goes on until the egg hatches and while they raise this single chick until maturity. If one of the parents die the whole family perishes, as they are entirely dependent on each other for food.
The chick has feathers that are long and fluffy and make it appear larger than the parents. And it is adorable. Tanya says it is funny to watch the adults as they walk to the bluffs to fly away. They actually walk down the suburban roads very deliberately and unafraid, with big floppy feet, slapping the ground as they travel, until they get to the local park to gracefully fly away.
We watched the mating pair above as they did their courtship dance, but my video is not as good as the one on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=albatross+dance&search_type=&aq=f
I had these birds on my mind for several days after, they are an impressive example of the adaptability of wildlife to our human culture.
Also, check out Tanya’s blog at www.Tanyahillblog.blogspot.com : She is an artist and naturalist living closely with the land on Kauai, Hawaii.
Some facts I've found:
Laysan Albatross is a beautiful seabird that loves the open sea. Albatross is an open-ocean species that may not set foot on land for many years at a time, a nomad of the ocean.The Laysan albatross has a wingspan of 13 feet and weigh as much as 25 pounds. Albatross live from forty to sixty years, often remaining out at sea for five years, then returning to the same island they were born on. They remain faithful to their mate, which they rendezvous with each year at the same nest. This is the only time they stay on land - to raise their one chick.An albatross can float on the air currents and not flap its wings for hours,
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=albatross+dance&search_type=&aq=f
I had these birds on my mind for several days after, they are an impressive example of the adaptability of wildlife to our human culture.
Also, check out Tanya’s blog at www.Tanyahillblog.blogspot.com : She is an artist and naturalist living closely with the land on Kauai, Hawaii.
Some facts I've found:
Laysan Albatross is a beautiful seabird that loves the open sea. Albatross is an open-ocean species that may not set foot on land for many years at a time, a nomad of the ocean.The Laysan albatross has a wingspan of 13 feet and weigh as much as 25 pounds. Albatross live from forty to sixty years, often remaining out at sea for five years, then returning to the same island they were born on. They remain faithful to their mate, which they rendezvous with each year at the same nest. This is the only time they stay on land - to raise their one chick.An albatross can float on the air currents and not flap its wings for hours,
