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Pair
of long-distance
lovers, Laysan Albatrosses
or "Gooney
birds" at bird
center in Cordelia,
CA. Photo: Karen
Benzel
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Ten years
ago, Jay Holcomb banded a Laysan Albatross that ended
up at International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC).
Five years later he banded another wayward bird that
also ended up at the Bay area based center. Both birds
were taken out to sea and released. The chance that
these two birds, would become lovebirds and end up
at his center again, many years later, is akin to
winning the lottery. Especially since their breeding
grounds are a few tiny islands 2,800 miles west of
San Francisco.
"We suspect they're a mated pair
because of the displaying and brood patch on the female's
breast. And we know their history because of their
federal bands. But how do you explain the fate of
the two of them ending up at our center, together.
Again?" asked Holcomb, director of IBRRC.
The birds are getting
some R&R and waterproofing before
their release, which will occur
out at sea. The center, which specializes
in the rehabilitation of sea birds
and waterfowl, found the birds in
good health, but not totally waterproof.
"This is probably due to the fact
they were on a barge, which they most likely mistook
for an island," Holcomb speculates. "We
want to make sure their feathers are in perfect condition
before we release them."
IBRRC's experience with Laysan Albatross
is rather extraordinary. Back in March of 1979, a
Laysan Albatross, whose wing feathers had been cut
off, was found wandering the streets of San Francisco.
The bird, named "Munch"
because of its extremely aggressive behavior, made
rehabilitation history by being the first known albatross
to have its feathers replaced, a process known as
imping. Munch was flown to Midway Island, the major
breeding place of Laysans, and released.
Nine years later, a seabird biologist
studying a new breeding colony of about a dozen pairs
of albatross on Isla Guadalupe, a group of small islands
off of Baja California, noticed that one had a federal
band. It was Munch. A week later, a photo of Munch,
sitting on an egg, arrived in the mail. The discovery
that Munch was alive, and a parent as well, was a
dream come true for the rehabilitators at the center.
Laysan Albatross, which have a wingspan
of over seven feet, are known to travel thousands
of miles in search of food. Although millions were
killed for their feathers in early 1900, the species
is not considered endangered. However, many chicks
die due to the ingestion of plastics. Long-lines also
take a terrible toll on the birds.
The population of approximately 600,000
breeding pairs spends their lives at sea, only coming
on land to lay a single egg, every year or every other
year. They don't begin breeding until eight years
of age and then courtship lasts two years. Mates meet
up to lay a single soda-can size egg, which they take
turns incubating, sitting for as long as three weeks
while the other feeds at sea.
Once hatched, which can take as long as
six days of pipping, chicks can wait for two weeks
for their parent to return with a meal. Once fledged,
they fly out to sea and may never touch land again
for years. Everything about them is long, their wings,
their courtship, their breeding seasons, the distances
they cover and their lives, which if they are lucky,
can last five decades or longer.
Note: This pair came into the center on
February 10, 2002 from a raptor center in Oregon.
They were released February 23, 2002.
More info:
Audubon
Magazine story on albatrosses
Long
Lines, Short lives – article on bird deaths
from long line fishing.
Remembering
Munch – IBRRC's most famous Albatross and
bird rehab project
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