Happy World Albatross Day!
Oh, to be a Laysan Albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis), blissfully having a happy Buddha meditative snooze on your nest, amongst millions of your feathery brethren like noisy flowers in a field, on one of the most remarkable islands on Earth.
(This is probably one of my favourite photos I've ever taken...especially since I caught another alby to the left mid-over-the-wing doggie scratch!)
The first seabird I ever worked with, held/handled, took care of, & released was a Laysan Albatross chick in Hawai'i, many moons ago.
Fifteen years later, my love for seabirds as strong as ever, I had the amazing opportunity to be among millions of these incredible pelagic birds in the largest albatross colony in the world, on the culturally, ecologically, & historically significant Midway Atoll...plus, to also see Wisdom, the oldest known wild bird, with my own eyes.
To obesrve their life histories, their breeding biology, their dances, cacophony of calls, & personalities, but also directly witness the many threats they face...from mouse attacks, to massive amounts of plastic debris washing up, to entanglements, from various effects of climate change, to non-native plants overtaking their nesting grounds, and the plastic, fishing lures, & hooks in their regurgitations...as well as be a part of the range of projects to mitigate these issues & conserve albatrosses, additional seabirds, shorebirds, waterfowl, & other species that utilise the atoll...it was an absolute honour to have such a complete experience, centred around these wanderers of the seas!
