A field of Albatrosses: They are mostly chicks and unpaired Laysan and Black-footed Albatrosses. The parents spend most of the time fishing for food for the chicks. They can be out for more than a week at a time. When they arrive they take about fifteen minutes to feed the chick and then they go out again. The adults without chicks spend much of their time looking for a mate. Mating goes on during the entire fledging period and consists primarily of dancing. Albatrosses that successfully pair will split up just before fledging finishes and meet again for mating season. The unpaired adults consist of newly mature birds, ones whose mate died, and ones who were unsuccessful in raising a chick for several consecutive years. Unsuccessful couples split up to repair in case the other bird has a defect of some kind.
Sand Island, Midway Atoll
5/6/01
Canon 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 lens, EOS 1V, Velvia
Code: 2001025s09