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[Lani]

Royal Albatross 8/30 9:10
Morning fun.
Besides keeping track of Manaaki and his neighbors it's nice to pause
and watch the interactions between the chicks especially this morning with Quarry chick 
displaying in front of Manaaki.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1696767810184339784



2 Highlight Videos to share
Chicks Flap Their Wings As Gulls Fly Overhead
https://youtube.com/watch?v=oar6PTonjdE

Royal Cam Chick Weighed By Rangers
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Gg62axh0uBQ

[Lani]

Royal Albatross 9/2
It's the weekend & we have a few links to share
What to expect in September/October
https://doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/birds/birds-a-z/albatrosses/royal-albatross-toroa/royal-cam/what-to-expect/#Sept-Oct

& when it starts to get a little quiet you can checkout the YT Royalcam playlist
https://youtube.com/watch?v=0VccrYCx9xw&list=PLXJZ8Lf9KIx6iS2ncZFMv_-8H5svLN97H

Quarry chick thought she could walk by Manaaki & his nest...  it's fun watching them!

https://twitter.com/i/status/1697870850438123743

9/2 
A good start to the weekend for Manaaki.
Mum L with brunch and Dad GLY with an early dinner.
Quarry chick dropped in to watch Mum and Manaaki. 

https://twitter.com/i/status/1697897466564419994

Manaaki's back to cam and Quarry Chick facing him and showing off his wings! Manaaki could care less!  
https://twitter.com/i/status/1696767810184339784

[Lani]

Royal Albatross - 9/6
Only lightweight chicks were weighed yesterday. Six chicks, including UQ (Upper Quarry) chick were supplementary fed.
Manaaki is 229 days old today. At 221 days old he weighed 10.4 kg.

Early evening quiet time, last night with Manaaki. 
Enjoy your day.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1699222064266355096

[Lani]

9/5 #RoyalCam 2 in 1

Wonder where they walked too.
NTF chick & Q chick returned  from a morning walk to be greeted by Manaaki & UQ chick

and yesterday. Run Parent Run   
A parent either arriving or leaving ran into 3 yapping chicks. Manaaki UQ & Q chicks

https://twitter.com/i/status/1698860641887662397

[Lani]

Royal Albatross cam 9/7

Yesterday's neighborly interactions.
Manaaki and his neighbors UQ chick and Q chick
Click the YT link to see what Manaaki does.

Manaaki doesn't seem pleased with the neighboring albatross chicks. I'll miss their antics! LOL!
Royal Albatross Chick "Manaaki" Claps Bill At Encroaching Neighbors
https://youtube.com/watch?v=emp6NRPy3GM&t=1s

Q Chick's under wing feather changes


Neighbor Quarry Chick has lost most of its baby fuzz


Manaaki's feathers are more defined now, and losing the baby fuzz, soon he will fledge. I'll miss him.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1699547382151835720

[Lani]

Royal Albatross - 9/9 This morning.
It's the weekend, time to catch up with the neighbor...or maybe not.

Manaaki (right) Q chick with brown spots(left), and UQ chick watching from the sideline. Have a great weekend everyone. LOL!! 
https://twitter.com/i/status/1700471777733054773

An afternoon X tra
Manaaki also had a parent come in to feed him. Look how quickly he moved up the hill. 
https://twitter.com/i/status/1700475118445875568

9/8 Friday catchup
Hovering was the order of the day, yesterday.
Manaaki first with a few practise jumps then Quarry chick hovering across the screen & Upper Quarry chick going straight up and down.

A quick note NTF chick has fledged
Bon voyage NTF chick!
https://twitter.com/i/status/1700043481375560054

I want to reach up and grab his talons. I don't want him to leave.   

[Lani]

Royal Albatross ~ PADDLES UP! UQ Practicing Hovering! Slycall By Manaaki & Dual Wingers ✈️ 😊 9.11.23

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZZBvDVyCX0

Manaaki has the sweetest calls! Keep watching he returns to his nest in the rain after practicing his flight wings. He's the one on the left. Thank you Lady Hawk

[Lani]

9/12
X tra news
A chick fledged in #RoyalCam view at 13:45 today. Confirmation is needed to whether it was Quarry chick or chick YD00. Both were in the UQ area and weighed this morning.
Slo-mo footage included, and thanks everyone.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1701561224214007909

9/12
Sharyn Broni Ranger
Kia ora koutou
In preparation for the start of the new Toroa season for 2023/2024 the Dunedin City Council has produced a video about the tradition of the bell ringing for the arrival of the first toroa for the next season
Sep 11, 2023 #dunedinnz #dunnerstunner
We’re not sure why or when it started, but for the last few decades, when the northern royal albatross return to Pukekura/Taiaroa Head after a year at sea, it’s been a Dunedin NZ tradition to ring in the return of the wandering toroa for the breeding season. Find out more about the wildlife capital of NZ: www.dunedinnz.com/wildlife

https://youtube.com/watch?v=uanfnBN6OPI

We expect that the first Toroa will arrive in the next couple of weeks. We will notify everyone when that happens, in the meantime get your bells ready and Take 3 for the Sea https://take3.org
Ngā mihi nui (thanks so much)
Stay tuned for fledging update this afternoon.

Manaaki 


Royal Albatross - 9/12
Weigh day
Today Manaaki is 235 days old & weighed 9.2 kg.
He was fed up top by a parent on the 9th & 11th

Fledging news
9 chicks from the 33 have fledged, but numbers could have changed by this afternoon, with the strong winds.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1701555500884857325

Manaaki 

[Lani]

Read about the Royal Albatross-Toroa
https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/birds/birds-a-z/albatrosses/royal-albatross-toroa/

Migration and foraging trips
Renowned ocean wanderers, royal albatross travel vast distances from their breeding grounds to feed – as much as 190,000 km a year. Royal albatross range throughout the Southern Ocean and are most commonly seen in New Zealand coastal waters during winter.

Birds have been banded on Campbell Island since the early 1940s. Returned bands show young birds and nonbreeders migrate to southern South American waters and back to New Zealand.

In other work, satellite transmitter packages developed by French, British and Australian researchers were used to track the birds’ flight paths. Signals were monitored by satellite and the information used to learn more about the birds while at sea. One bird travelled 13,000 kilometres during a two-week foraging trip.

The following map shows GPS tracks of three adult breeding birds during their foraging trips from Taiaroa Head. They were tracked between February and May 2012.

[Lani]

Manaaki and his friend are still there! 

9/14
2 yapping chicks and some gastronomical seafare.

Yesterday Mum L arrived to feed Manaaki...Please click the link to continue watching. Thank you
https://youtube.com/watch?v=qct76UEeyDY&t=1s
http://AllABoutBirds.org/Albatross

https://twitter.com/i/status/1702140670700658954

9/14
Manaaki expelled a bolus very early yesterday morning.
Julia is collecting the pieces under Manaaki's supervision.  He had scattered some of it around his nest.
An update will follow of its contents soon, as the Rangers are very busy.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1702147297805848803

[Lani]

9/15   2 Albatross chicks needed rescuing.

Sharyn Broni Ranger, DOC Kia ora koutou (hello everyone)
Yesterday 2 chicks were on the harbour after a failed fledge attempt. Cont'd below

Manaaki and UQ chick this morning.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1702475781556109633


9/15
A very big thank you to the Rangers and the Rescue team, retrieving the 2 chicks from the harbor, too try again.   https://porttoport.co.nz

Thank you Sharyn for the update and the latest fledging news too. Please click to read the full update.

[Lani]

Royal Albatross - 9/17
The winds & the seas called, and Manaaki responded. He has fledged.

I was watching this on the Live cam, his neighbor UQ chick is watching 
This is Lady Hawk's video -   Royal Albatross ~ MANAAKI FLEDGES! Floats Down The Hill & Out Of View 💗 Congratulations! 9.16.23
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9ArgVuAv98&t=38s

Wishing Manaaki the South Plateau #RoyalCam chick 
all the very best as he navigates his way across the South Pacific Ocean.

Please read Sharyn's full update below. Thank you!






9/17
...and something a little more worrisome, plastic pieces found its way into Manaaki's diet.

Thank you everyone for taking the time to read Sharyn's update and thank you for all your comments, and thoughts for Manaaki today.



I will continue watching UQuarry chick.

[Lani]

UQ was lonely with everyone gone and hungry too. His parents haven't been seen for a few days. Manaaki's mom L comes to feed Manaaki, but he has fledged, she refuses to feed UQ.


Royal Albatross ~ Mum Lime Returns Two Times Looking For Manaaki 💗 UQ Comes Running Over 9.17.23 video by Lady Hawk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jyvqQBSAag&t=86s

Sep 16, 2023
Ranger Sharyn reported this morning that our sweet Prince Manaaki has fledged at 240 days old. UQ chick has been looking all day for his friends as one by one they have left and he is alone now on the track. First it was Miss Sassypants NTF - full of attitude and owning the hill. She was the first one to give UQ a clack & display! Then Miss Quarry chick - who was very close to UQ and spent most of her time sitting, talking and displaying to him! Now his albie bro Manaaki has left and joined his cohorts flying over the sea - leaving UQ all alone. ♥

Mama Lime arrives back to the nest and she does not know that Manaaki fledged. UQ chick sees a parent come in and rushes over wheeing & hoping for a meal. But Mama Lime is here for only Manaaki and she clacks at UQ. L goes to her nest and sniffs for Manaaki's scent. The nostrils of the albatross are highly sensitive and she is trying to determine if his scent is still fresh or not. Mama Lime waits for ten minutes for her sweet boy - she came back with perhaps another mother load of squid for him and wants to feed him but finally she flies off.

But L returns a half hour later and looks for Manaaki again. It is time to get those tissues out....she is really missing her baby. Mama Lime waits for him at the nest - she does not know where he is but her instincts told her to come back to the nest for him. She sniffs the nest again for Manaaki's scent. Bless her heart - a Mother's love knows no bounds, UQ is hopeful he can get a feeding too but realizes she is only here for Manaaki. (UQ chick had a good feeding this morning from the rangers)

Mama Lime will fly off in a beautiful departure over the sea. Maybe this time she will not look back, knowing her work has has been accomplished and it is time for her to fly back to South America to renew and rest. GLY does not know that Manaaki has fledged so he will probably return looking for him as well.

It is always a sad time to see a parent come in and not see their chick that they have been caring for 7.5 months suddenly not here! The parents will head across the Pacific Ocean to feed in the waters around South America now. GLY and L will live separate lives until they once again return to breed. They will not breed during the 2023/2024 season but with good fortune, they both will come back in October 2024 to breed again for the 2024/2025 season.

Farewell sweet Mama Lime - you have done an excellent job ♥ Godspeed and stay safe. Thank you for watching!

Video captured & edited by Lady Hawk

[Lani]

Royal Albatross ~ GLY dad Is BACK Looking & Waiting For Manaaki 💗 UQ Does More Amazing Hovering 9.18.23

Sep 17, 2023
UQ chick decides to do some wing exercises and hovering early this morning! He flaps his wings and then goes straight up in the air with his paddles hanging down lol wheeee! He is getting really good at these moves! He then spots a parent coming in and landing at Top Flat and he rushed over there wheeing hopeful for a feeding. It is our dear GLY who has come home after a long fishing trip at sea (nine days) to feed his Manaaki. But Manaaki had fledged and he missed out on both parents L and GLY coming in to give him one last feeding.

GLY clacks at UQ as he makes his way towards his nest to look and wait for Manaaki. GLY waited a long time in the grass hoping to see his big boy come paddling home wheeing like he has every single time. But there was silence at the empty nest...

GLY then goes towards UQ chick who begs a couple of times...GLY then turns around and goes back toward the nest - all the while looking for his chick before he departs. UQ chick will go up in some amazing hovering as he continues to practice his flying skills.

Now that both GLY and L (who came in two times yesterday) have seen that Manaaki is no longer here on the headland, they will head back to South America and take the next year off to renew their energy reserves, regain some weight and molt their feathers after having successfully raised their chick to fledging! His Royal Roundness will be a legacy for GLY and L and for all future generations to come! Good job  & Farewell GLY ♥ Thank you for watching!

Video captured & edited by Lady Hawk

[Lani]

Royal Albatross ~ Dedicated Super Dad GLY Returns A 2nd Time Looking For His Manaaki 💗💞💗 9.18.23
Sep 17, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J1NQgMOCz8

Just like Mama Lime, GLY has also returned two times looking for Manaaki not knowing that their big boy has fledged. UQ chick is so hopeful the parent is for him but alas it is not. GLY comes to his nest and lies down in it and sniffs it for Manaaki's scent. The albatross have a very keen sense of smell and he is searching to see if Manaaki had been here recently. GLY is a very dedicated Dad - just like Mama Lime - they are both two outstanding parents.

I have to say this second visit did get to me seeing that they do everything in their power to make sure their chick is fed and cared for. It is sad to see the empty place where our Prince Manaaki spent 7.5 months lovingly tending to his nest! It is more than just instinctual - they are emotionally connected to their chick. They must see how empty the colony is by now and know that the time is drawing near for their own departure to South America. Thank you GLY for an outstanding year of devotion you have displayed to your mate and to your big boy Manaaki. Stay safe and godspeed GLY. Till we meet again...💗💞💗 Thank you for watching!

Video captured & edited by Lady Hawk