LAYSAN ALBATROSS
"...a good south wind sprung up behind;
The Albatross did follow
And every day, for food or play,
Came to the mariners' hollo!"
-from the Rime of the Ancient Mariner
As
described in this famous poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, sailors have
long considered the albatross to be a good omen. Early ocean explorers
believed that sighting a bird meant land was nearby. There undoubtedly
were many disappointed, land-hungry sailors though, because the albatross
is a pelagic, or open-ocean, species that may not set foot on land for
many years at a time. Albatross have been described as "nomads
of the oceans".
Laysan albatross are very large birds. Their wingspan can reach to 13
feet (three meters) and they may weigh as much as 25 pounds (11 kilograms).
Its range extends to most of the north Pacific Ocean.
Albatross
live from forty to sixty years. They can stay out at sea for as long
as five years before returning to the same island on which they were
born. They have elaborate courtship dances, and once mated they tend
to remain faithful to their mate. In adulthood they rendezvous each
year with their partner at the same nest site. Nesting time is the only
time they spend on land, and each year the pair stays just long enough
to hatch and raise a single chick.
On
land, albatross are very awkward and often have difficulty taking off
and landing. This has gained them the nickname of "Goony Bird".
Although albatross are so awkward on land, they are graceful and impressive
in flight. An albatross in flight can be so perfectly attuned to wind
conditions that it may not flap its wings for hours, or even for days,
as it can sleep while flying. It takes advantage of the air currents
just above the ocean's waves to soar in perpetual graceful motion. Albatross
are so beautiful in the air that superstitious sailors believed they
were the reincarnated spirits of dead sailors who were searching the
oceans for their lost friends. Albatross can be seen nesting at Ka'ena
Point, by binoculars on a classic sailing vessel (we don't want to disturb
them!) during the winter months.
