This was apparently the last juvenile Waved Albatross left on the island, the other juveniles having already departed. There were still a few adult pairs flying about. Around 12,000 pairs nest on Española, the bird’s sole nesting location in the world. Once juveniles leave the island, the remain at sea for four to six years until they reach sexual maturity, whereupon they return to Española in the spring, select a life-long mate, and breed. The elaborate courtship ritual that bonds a pair is performed by juveniles and returning adults in late March to early April with egg laying between mid-April and late June. Incubation lasts for 60 days and the young fledge 170 days after hatching. Albatrosses feed on small fish and squid in open ocean well south of the Galápagos and range eastward to the coasts of Ecuador and Peru. They are highly efficient fliers, soaring on air currents, but becoming airborne in the first place can be a struggle, especially from land where they require a cliff from which to jump into flight.

We felt lucky to see any of the Waved Albatross. Our guide told us that the week before there were still several thousand in the breeding area, but that many years all are gone by the first week in January.

Image # 29320