Albert Ross blows in

Press, 31 January 1986, Page 1

Albert Ross blows in

A wandering albatross, uninjured but tired and hungry, was found this week on Banks. Peninsula. Wandering albatross are rarely seen on the New Zealand mainland. The bird, about eight weeks old, was discovered by Mr Bill Hall on his Peraki Bay farm, said a senior wildlife officer, Mr Ron Nilsson, yesterday. The bird has been named Albert Ross. “We think the bird probably got caught by one of the recent vicious storms while it made its

first sortie from a nest in the Auckland or Antipodes Islands, about 320 kilometres south or south-east of Dunedin,” he said. The wandering albatross has a longer wing span, at nearly 3.6 metres, than any other bird. “It is very unusual to find a bird as young as this one in this area. When the fledgelings leave their nests they tend to travel around the southern oceans in the Antarctic region.” Orana Park staff have been caring for Albert

Ross over the last few days, giving him plenty of squid and fish to boost his strength. A Lyttelton fisherman has offered to take Albert out to sea and set him free tomorrow. Young wandering albatross do not return to their nests until they are aged about five, Mr Nilsson says. “They return then only to watch the mating and breeding behaviour of older birds. With these lessons under their wings they take off for about another five years, sometimes staying at sea all

that time, before finally deciding to return and give parenthood a go themselves. “The wandering albatross mate for life unless their breeding is unsuccessful. We think it is the male that divorces the female for their lack of chicks, because the male tends to be the more dominant of the partners. “When Albert Ross is released at sea he may well head for South America and perhaps even catch sight of the ' Whitbread Race competitors on choppy seas round Cape Horn.”