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| Black browed albatross return to their same nest each year |
Friday, November 3 - West Point Island
The black browed albatross is the most common species of albatross. Wikipedia says there are 600,000, and more than 400,000 of them nest on the Falkland Islands. The colonies are very noisy, as they bray to mark their territory. They feed on fish, squid and other crustaceans.
They normally nest on steep slopes covered with tussock grass. They annually lay one egg between September 20 and November 1. Incubation is the responsibility of both sexes and lasts about 70 days. After hatching, the chicks take about 120 days to fledge. The juveniles return to the colony after about two or three years, but they don't start breeding until around 10 years old. They are long lived birds - average lifespan is 50 years.
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| Multiple soaring albatross are seen on the horizon |
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| Cleaning feathers is an important part of courtship behavior |
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| This nest likely contains one egg that takes about 70 days to hatch |
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| Looks like two against one here |
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