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Antarctic arrivals
In April this year Wild Art News reported the forthcoming arrival of two adult albatrosses - Wandering, and Grey-headed - destined to hang on display at the British Antarctic Suvey (BAS) headquarters in Cambridge. The photograph alongside shows a young adult male similar in size but darker-plumaged than that which was brought into the workshop this week (estimated at 40 years plus, and almost wholly white). The total world population of the Wandering, or Snowy Albatross comprises some 14,000 pairs which breed on islands scattered across the Southern Ocean.
On South Georgia, the eggs are laid in late December and hatch in late March. The chicks are reared by both parents during the harsh southern ocean winter and finally fledge the following summer. Wandering Albatrosses nest on flat open ground, affording plenty of room to take off on windless days.
The diet consists principally of squid and fish. Studies conducted by BAS on Bird Island, South Georgia have shown that breeding Wandering Albatrosses regularly undertake feeding runs to the seas off Brazil to obtain food for the chick. Such a journey of over 3750 miles (6000 km) can take about 8 days and typically yield a 1-2 kg meal for the chick.
29th October 2002
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Wandering Albatross
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