This post will be a little shorter- I am going to try to post more often, with shorter entries.
One of the highlights among the birds in the Galapagos is
the Waved Albatross (Phoebastria
irrorata), the largest bird
in the archipelago (though a relatively small albatross. They are generally only visible on and around
the island of Espanola (which is one of the older islands, to the east of the
archipelago). I did, however, get
extremely lucky and see one off San Cristobal (which is to the north of
Espanola)- this was my first albatross sighting of the trip, and, since no one
else saw it, a real treat:
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| An albatross away from its nesting site |
Normally, we see them
on Espanola, near Suarez point, which is one of the very few spots in the world
where the albies nest (all of the nesting sites are on Espanola). There, the adults return to do their famous
mating song and dance, and to mate, and lay an egg, which they roll around
regularly until it hatches. Then they
take turns feeding the rapidly growing chick until December-January, when the
babies fledge and head for the sea. This makes seeing them in January (when I bring students for Winter Term) a hit-or-miss proposition. I've always seen at least one, but it's sometimes a last remaining juvenile not yet willing to take the leap of faith.
As with so many young
animals, they go through a pretty awkward stage. Here, for example, is a young albatross who
appears to be fond of “Weird Al” Yancovic (or perhaps the Mona Lisa).
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| Nice 'do |
In the picture above, you
can also see the bird’s nostril, which, in addition to being handy for
breathing through, is the final output of the famous albatross nasal salt
glands. These are similar to the glands
in the marine iguana- salt is actively transported out of the blood in these
glands, resulting in a very salty secretion that resembles tears. These glands allow the birds (and some
reptiles) to rehydrate by drinking seawater, something any shipwreck movie fan
knows is a big no-no for humans (and most mammals). Our kidneys, which are the means by which we
regulate salt, are not up to the task- drinking seawater causes a person to dehydrate.
Here’s one more of these amazing birds:
