True love, albatross style
VulcanSpirit
Richard & Alison Brunstrom
Mon 7 May 2012 00:07
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For a few months each year remote Espanola
Island is used as a nesting site by the Waved Albatross Phoebastria
irrorata. This is the world's only tropical albatross and about 18 000
pairs nest there; it's not quite endemic as a few pairs nest on a small island
near the Ecuadorean coast. This is a big bird with a wingspan up to two and a
half metres; they pair for life but spend most of the year cruising on their
own, returning to Espanola to reunite with their other half each April. Their
homecoming ritual is one of the delights of nature. Here is an early bird,
waiting for its mate which it has not seen for months:
 These birds are masters of the air, but quite
ungainly on land. When walking they have a very comical rolling gait, reminding
me of Charlie Chaplin.
One bird inevitably arrives first and establishes a
nest site. When its mate returns he or she has to find their partner - easier if
you're an early arrival than when there are 9 000 potential mates littered
around - and then undergo a charming bonding ritual. Lots of billing and cooing,
and a wonderful formal 'dance' with gentle clacking together of respective
bills. This lasts for ages and can only really be scientifically explained as a
display of true affection, rare in birds. Here's a pair in action:
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