Category Archives: Uncategorized

Doc was next on the list to fledge. One late afternoon he was sitting around, the next afternoon he was gone.  A neighbor who was sharing his back yard with Doc said that in the early afternoon he saw the … Continue reading →

The second week of fledging it was Peg’s turn to leave.  I wrote about Peg on May 27th, she is the chick who was spending time sitting with her 4-year old sibling, Junior.  Three days before she fledged, her mother … Continue reading →

I collect albatross data almost every day, but occasionally the unfeathered part of my life intrudes and I have to spend time on the non-ornithological part of it.  The first week of fledging, there was a day when I was … Continue reading →

I have been asked when the chicks will be fledging.  I thought it would be interesting to see when they fledged in the last 8 years. year            first fledged             … Continue reading →

I have said before that nobody really knows if an albatross can recognize a relative.  They do have a very good sense of smell, something which is quite unusual for birds other than carrion eaters.  Is it possible that they … Continue reading →

As of today I have seen 13 of the 18 chicks who fledged in 2010.  This is my 9th year observing these birds, and I have never seen so many four year olds.  They must be a very healthy group … Continue reading →

March and April are the months when I am most likely to see albatrosses that fledged from Princeville and are returning for the first time.  The Class of 2010 has been the source of most of my new sightings this … Continue reading →

Sometimes when I have been checking albatross chicks and the non-nesters that are attracted to them it starts to feel like a routine, as though everything is proceeding smoothly according to the Master Plan of albatross activity in Princeville. Then … Continue reading →

This week I have been observing a most unusual nest.  It is long past nesting season for the albatrosses.  I have never seen a nest built past December, nor have I seen a fertile egg laid past the third week … Continue reading →

Among the chicks who fledged in 2008 was one named Valentine.  She was the third chick her parents had raised; they went on to raise numbers four, five and six, setting some kind of a record for most chicks raised … Continue reading →