Albatrossity
The birds of the oceans around New Zealand have not been nearly as impacted by humans as the land birds, although that is changing rapidly as humans begin to impact the oceans more and more. It is still possible to see lots of seabirds, shorebirds, and waterfowl there, and some of them are unique to that country. Since I live in a part of the country that hasn’t had beachfront property for the past 70 million years, I really enjoy seeing seabirds when I get the chance. And New Zealand offers you lots of chances, so this post and tomorrow’s post will feature just a few of those.
Map here.
There are 22 species of albatross in the world, and 16 of these have been seen in New Zealand waters. I’ve seen six of them there, so obviously I have some work to do. One of the most spectacular is the Northern Royal Albatross (Diomedea sanfordi), a New Zealand endemic species. The Maori name for this species, and for all the other species of albatrosses, is toroa. When one of these approaches the boat, that 3 m (10 ft) wingspan gets your attention. This one was near Stewart Island, in the company of these two White-capped Albatrosses (aka Shy Albatross depending on which taxonomic authority you subscribe to), which have a wingspan of 8 ft, but obviously are much smaller than their huge Wandering companion.
On The Road – Albatrossity – New Zealand #4Post + Comments (19)