The first egg was laid on 31 October and we now have 21 albatross eggs in total this season. That means at least 42 doting parents flying in and out of Taiaroa Head regularly. All up however, 67 different birds have been seen so far.
Parent albatross are at the beginning of a very long incubation process - 79-80 days on average!! A parent needs to remain on the nest at all times, so albatross take turns incubating the egg. One bird will sit constantly on the nest, while the other is out at sea feeding. The bird at sea can be gone for several days before returning to the headland and changing over shifts with their partner.
- Royal Albatross Centre
- Dunedin, Taiaroa Head, New Zealand
- Just a 50min scenic drive along Dunedin's Otago Peninsula.....Home to the WORLDS ONLY mainland colony of Northern Royal Albatross! www.albatross.org.nz
Thursday, December 17, 2009
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