I last wrote about 531, his former mate, A378 and his current mate, K407. He relieved K407 on their nest on December 25th and spent about 2 weeks incubating their egg. A378 sat about 2 feet away from him for part of that time. I never saw them interact when 531 was sitting on his egg.

Then A378 left for 5 or 6 days. When she returned, K407 was on the nest.

A378 has spent most of her time here since then sitting about 8 to 12 feet away from K407. Occasionally she walks a bit too close to the nest for K407’s taste, and gets severely clacked at. She always retreats a bit further from the nest, but stays in the same backyard. Is she waiting for 531 to return? One time she walked about half a block away, but when another albatross tried to engage her in a display, she turned away and walked down the street.

It is not her fault, it is not her mate’s fault, it is not anyone’s fault. Her close relationship with her mate was totally upended and neither one had anything to do with it. Will she still stay near his nest as he raises his chick with K407 in the months to come? Will K407’s former long-time mate find someone new to nest with? She has been mingling with other singles on the golf course lately.

And the Big Question: Will 531 return to A378 next season?