On New Zealand's South Island, the Northern Royal Albatross Cam
ushered in the 2022-23 season at the South Plateau nest site. The albatrosses (female "L" and male "GLY") chose a scenic view from which to raise
their single egg at the breeding colony within Pukekura/Taiaroa Head.
During the incubation period, the adults tag-teamed shifts at the nest site.
While one bird kept the egg safe and warm, the other refueled at sea.
After two and a half months, the egg started hatching, and rangers from the
New Zealand Department of Conservation delivered it to an incubator. A dummy egg was placed in the nest to keep the adults
incubating during the multi-day hatching process. Albatross chicks are transported to an incubator during hatching to remove
any risk of infestation by fly larvae, known as "fly strike," which can be fatal.
A few days later, the downy chick was ready
to reunite with its parent in the nest. After settling in, the chick was fed its first meal of regurgitated stomach oil.
Adults reserve enough food for several meals in between foraging bouts. The little nestling spent its first weeks of life nuzzled
in the nest bowl with its parent standing guard. Sometimes the neighboring young adults and
non-breeders would stop by to put on a show.
The parents continued to split duties between
watching their chick and searching for food at sea. After dad arrived for his turn to care for the chick,
mom departed in search of squid and other tasty seafare.
At 4-6 weeks old, the chick grew large enough to spend time alone
at the nest while the adults focused their efforts on full-time foraging. DNA testing revealed that the chick nesting at South Plateau was a male,
and he was named "Manaaki" by the community on World Albatross Day.
Rangers kept tabs on Manaaki's growth throughout
the breeding season with regularly scheduled weigh-ins. The adults would drop in every few days for
short feeding visits with their youngster. And as Manaaki grew larger,
so did the size of his meals. By five months old, the young
albatross was starting to look
more and more like his parents. And he certainly didn't shy away
from meeting the neighbors.
Blustering winds gave Manaaki a chance to test his
giant wings and build his all-important flight muscles. Manaaki's flight training soon evolved from short bouts of
hovering to practice flights down the slope of the headland. At 239 days post-hatch, Manaaki embarked on his first ocean
voyage after he flew out of frame on September 16. The young albatross will spend the next 4-10 years at sea before
returning to the headland to find a mate. Bon voyage, Manaaki!
Thanks for watching and learning about one of the world's largest
seabirds. We hope you join us again for the 2023-24 season!
8 сен 2024
