Blue KP027 stretches her wings....

Today the first albatrosses returned to Princeville.  The first ones that I saw were on the Makai Lakes golf course.  I saw one I know as Mr. Pastry Bird, KP731.  We once found a Danish pastry sitting next to his nest, hence his nickname.  And no, albatrosses are not big fans of baked goods.

The other bird I saw was one with a blue auxiliary band with KP027 on it.  This one is waiting for KP458, a bird whose last mate was hit by a car. KP458 and blue KP027 have been together since 2007.

My neighbor, Bob Waid, saw KP467 arrive and depart today.  KP467 is a female.  She and her mate raised a chick in 2003-04, skipped 2004-05, then raised chicks in the next 5 seasons.  Last yearKP 467 laid an egg in front of Bob Waid’s house, but no nest was built; the egg just sat on the ground and the couple abandoned it.  It may have been that raising five chicks in a row meant that it was time for a break, which nesters need periodically.  At any rate, I would much rather have a couple abandon an egg than abandon a chick.