Manitoba Falcon Cam Forum
News, Videos & Other Webcams => Other Wildlife Cams => Waterfowl, Seabirds & Penguins => Topic started by: The Peregrine Chick on February 09, 2014, 20:08
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Laysan Albatross
Kauai, Hawaii
(http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/PHOTO/LARGE/laysan_albatross_1.jpg)
Nest is located at a private residence on the north shore of Kauai, near the town of Kilauea, Hawaii. This albatross family includes: Kaluahine, the mother; Kaluakane, the father; and Kaloakulua, the chick. What do their names mean? Kaluakane and Kaluahine are the names given to the male and female albatross, respectively, by Sabra Kauka, a native Hawaiian kumu, or teacher. Ms. Kauka said she chose the names carefully to reflect the place where the birds chose to nest, as place seems to be such an important aspect to these long-lived birds. The nest site is in an area called Waiakalua, which means “fresh water of two streams.” In Hawaiian, the two streams (“kalua”) also signify two paths or two parts, she said. The endings “kane” and “hine” mean boy and girl, or male and female, respectively. Ms. Kauka named the chick "Kaloakulua," after the phase of the moon under which it hatched.
webcam link: http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/41/Laysan_Albatross/
Laysan Albatrosses are very large seabirds, though they are actually fairly small for an albatross. They are about 2.5 feet long with a wingspan of nearly 7 feet. They can weigh up to 10 pounds. Laysan Albatrosses eat mostly squid that they catch by plunging their heads underwater as they sit on the surface. They also eat fish eggs, floating carrion, and sometimes discards from fishing boats. Adults digest food in their stomachs and then feed their chicks large amounts of nutritious stomach oil. How far do they travel to find food? The farthest-known single foraging trip for a Laysan Albatross feeding its chick was 1,600 miles (straight-line distance). Albatrosses belong to a group of birds known as tubenoses; the group also includes petrels, shearwaters, fulmars, storm-petrels, and diving-petrels. They have a special salt gland in their head that extracts excess salt from their blood and excretes it through a pair of bony tubes in the bill. This remarkable adaptation allows tubenoses to drink seawater without becoming dehydrated.
Laysan Albatrosses form very long-lasting pair bonds. A pair that has nested successfully at least once is very likely to remain together unless one member of the pair dies. Although they are banded, we don’t know exactly how old Kaluakane and Kaluahine are because they were banded as adults. They are at least nine years old. They have been together for at least two years, although their nest last year was not successful. Raising a chick takes almost nine months from laying to fledging. Raising a chick is so demanding that there’s a real benefit to a pair to having reliable timing and foraging success. Their elaborate courtship dances help to establish and maintain these very long and strong pair bonds. Laysan Albatrosses take a long time to begin breeding. Young birds first return to a breeding colony when they are 3-5 years old. Over the next few years they’ll learn how to court, look for a mate, and begin nesting. Typically, they are not successful until they are 8 (males) or 9 (females) years old.
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(also posted on the Birds in the News board)
SHE'S BAAAAAACK
HONOLULU, Hawaii - Federal wildlife officials say the world's oldest known seabird has returned to Midway Atoll.The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Wednesday the Laysan Albatross named Wisdom was spotted at the remote island on Nov. 19
Check out the full story at - https://shar.es/1cGa8O
Wisdom isn't one of the Cornell cam Laysans but I thought it was worth noting here anyway - beginning of the nesting season and all that.
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:) Thanks for sharing this, TPC! I have saved the Cornell link for viewing.
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(http://www.pbase.com/speciesatrisk/image/162584205/medium.jpg)
The Laysan chicks have started hatching and the cams look great this year.
If you need a break from winter, I would recommend spending some time with the Laysans in Hawaii ... ;)
And they have a twitter feed running now too - https://twitter.com/AlbatrossCam
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I've been watching this cam for a couple of weeks now and loving it. Provides a great background of tropical green and birdsong. These are lovely, gentle birds and seeing the interactions between parents and chicks, between parents and neighbours, chicks and neighbours. Beautiful.
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They are back at it in Hawaii!!
Laysan Albatross Cam - http://tinyurl.com/y7knesah - courtesy of the folks at Cornell.
January 25 - 2018 Laysan Albatross Cam Season Is Live!
The Kauai Laysan Albatross cam is back for a new season with three nests featuring all-new breeding pairs for 2018. Take a trip to the north shore of Kauai and watch along as all three nesting pairs wrap up their 2-month incubation and prepare for hatching before the end of January! Visit the Laysan Albatross FAQ page for information on this year's nesting pairs. The first egg is likely to begin hatching tomorrow, Friday, January 26. Tune in now to experience the hatching of these magnificent seabirds live on camera!
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A brand new little chick! Welcome to the world, little one. The little chick is already enthusiastic about being fed.
(https://picload.org/image/ddpogiwi/laysan-jan-28-3a.jpg) (https://picload.org/image/ddpogiww/laysan-jan-28-5a.jpg)
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Well caught Alison ;D
You're on peregrine hatch patrol this spring ;)