19 July 2024
Halfway Atoll hosts the biggest Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) nesting colony on this planet the place greater than 600,000 pairs elevate younger every year. The birds are absent in September however return to courtroom in November, lay eggs in December, and hatch in February.
There are such a lot of birds that it’s laborious to depend.
After the eggs hatch the chicks start to wander in March whereas their dad and mom hunt at sea. By Could the chicks begin to develop grownup feathers however it would take two extra months earlier than they’re able to fledge in July. Throughout this era they’re all over the place …
In open areas …
… close to buildings …
… underneath bushes and on the roads.
On the Fourth of July a rain bathe prompted the chicks to flap their wings, proven in two movies under. You may hear the raindrops on the audio tracks.
Hundreds of younger Laysan albatross simulate flying by flapping their wings throughout a rain bathe at Halfway Atoll Nationwide Wildlife Refuge, July 4, 2024. (video by USFWS volunteer Dan Rapp)
Almost prepared for takeoff!
As quickly as they fly, Laysan albatross kids depart Halfway for a life at sea. USFWS Pacific says they’re “prone to transfer in the direction of Japan or Alaska, however their recognized vary extends to Mexico, too.” They received’t return to Halfway Atoll till they’re three years previous. They don’t breed till age seven or eight.
