LGK and BOK (below pic in grass)
Royal Albatross update 1/8 Sharyn candled BOK (on nest) & WYL's egg yesterday
At day 54 (Sunday 7th Jan) showed that the embryo is still healthy.
This egg is a week younger than LGK & LGL’s egg.
Even though inexperienced with chick raising WYL & BOK are good at egg incubation
Video of Ranger Sharyn candled BOK & WYL's egghttps://twitter.com/i/status/1744138436502843869We are now 10 days away from visual checks of LGK and LGL’s egg at Top Flat. When hatching begins the developing embryo moves into the air cell of the egg. Sometimes, sounds like scrunching can be heard as the membranes are broken through. There may even be a chick call. When the shell has a crack or pip in it for the beginning of hatching, we will remove it to the incubator. We hold the parents on the nest with a dummy egg until the chick has hatched. The nest will be sprayed with Avian Insect Liquidator* to ensure that flies are not living in the nest when the chick is returned.
The toroa colony at Pukekura is so tiny (just 1% of the entire world population of Northern Royal Albatross) that every chick matters. The incidence of often fatal fly strike** on this headland is too high to leave the hatching eggs at the nest.
The parents are happy to incubate the dummy egg and receive the chick quite readily when it has hatched.
LGK and LGL have raised 2 chicks that have hatched in the incubator with no incidence.
Although in-experienced with chick raising WYL and BOK are good at egg incubation. A candling*** of the egg at day 54 (Sunday 7th January) showed that the embryo is still healthy. This egg is a week younger that LGK and LGL’s egg.
*Avian Insect Liquidator is a bird-safe liquidator that repels flies. It is necessary to use a bird-safe repellent only as the respiratory system, being evolved for flight, is much for efficient than that of mammals.
**Fly strike and why is it an issue. Fly strike is caused by flies laying eggs in the flesh of the hatching chick and the resulting maggots quickly devouring the flesh they find themselves on. It is an issue at this site due to introduced flies that hatch out maggots supper fast and introduced grasses that hold the heat on the volcanic soils in this area. Fly strike only became an issue in the 1970’s and has become increasingly severe with the hotter, drier summers which are a result of climate change.
**Candling: shining a light at an egg in a dark space so that the inside is revealed. At this later stage of incubation, the egg is dark with a clear air cell like in the following picture.
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Topic: Northern Royal Albatross New Zealand South Island Cornell Labs (Read 59990 times)