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Albatross/Toroa 2014/15 season

Albatross/Toroa 2014/15 season

We had a reduced number of expected breeding pairs this season, with three pairs that arrived and were expected to lay an egg but did not. In addition, only one partner from each of three other pairs arrived in and so there was no nesting by these birds either.

Of these 30 pairs that did produce an egg we have our two female-female pairs nesting again this season.

Each of these four females laid an egg and one female produced a fertile egg (she had mated with a male a few weeks earlier). Interestingly this was the same female whom had a fertile egg the last time these birds attempted to bred here two seasons ago.
In that season both female-female pairs fledged a chick each, one chick that was biologically related to one of its female parents and the other chick raised by the other female-female pair was a result of our management where that pair ended up raising a foster chick because of other issues going on at that chick’s natal nest site.

Nearly two and a half months have gone by since the first egg was laid in the beginning of November, today marks the start of the hatching phase as the first egg laid has pipped and it is due to fully hatch on the 19th.

It is this long hatching stage (and it can be as long as seven days from pip to fully hatched) that causes concern as it coincides with warmer weather leading to the potential for fly strike. Flies attracted to the nest at hatching time can deposit maggots on the hatching embryo. Maggots on the chick for more than a few hours are highly likely to lead to the death of the embryo or newly hatched chick via microbial infection.

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However, like previous seasons, the incubator set up in Port Otago’s signal station will be used for the hatching eggs during the day (when flies are active) and the eggs returned to their nest at night (when flies are roosting). Likewise copious amounts of peppermint essence will be used at the nest to deter flies (The newly hatched chicks can still be fly blown up until day 3).

The image attached is of our current oldest bird Blue-White-Yellow (BWY). He is 43 years old and this photo was taken yesterday by Albatross Encounters in the sea just south of Kaikoura. Breeding birds at this time of the year can be distinguished from non breeding birds by the pink coloured bill. For northern royals the white showing in among the black feathers is also a feature of the (generally) older birds.

Albatross Encounters are reporting more and more sightings of banded northern royal albatross that come from Pukekura/Taiaroa Head, and although that is a 1000 km minimum round trip for birds to travel between, it is within the normal range and distance for foraging birds from Taiaroa Head to travel during the incubation period.

Unfortunately what is outside the norm is the length of time BWY has been away. Generally foraging trips are around 7 days and we start to get a little concerned when the same bird has been on the nest for twice that.
BWY’s partner has now been sitting on their nest for 16 days and in order for us to keep this nest, egg and pair we have already moved their egg to a foster nest in case BWY’s partner is forced to desert and go to sea to forage.
She is currently sitting on a dummy egg and if BWY takes much longer she might need to be supplementary fed to help retain her on the nest for a few more days. Otherwise if she was to desert there is a high chance that although she will return to Taiaroa Head (after a week or so) she probably will not return to the nest to resume incubation.

After 20 days of the same breeder being on the nest, we tend to take the dummy egg away from such nests as it is likely the partner has perished at sea and by removing the dummy egg it ensures the survival of the one remaining bird (without the dummy egg it will leave the nest and go to sea and forage) and their egg which will be permanently fostered at another nest.

The other female-female pair without a fertile egg, would be used in this situation (but hopefully unlikely to happen with BWY and his mate given his sighting yesterday).

ENDS

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