Royal Cam Sets Sights On New Breeding Pair
"We are happy to announce the new nesting site for the 2022–23 Northern Royal Albatross cam season! Male "GLY" (named for his colored leg bands: Green/Lime/Yellow) and female "L" (Lime) will be featured this season at the South Plateau nesting site located within the Taiaroa Head Nature Reserve on New Zealand's South Island. Their single egg was laid on November 4, and the parents have been switching off incubation duties ever since! Watch live.
Royal Family History: After spending their early years at sea, L and GLY returned as unpaired youngsters in 2014 and 2015, respectively, and then hung around the colony from 2016-2018 as nonbreeders looking for mates. They paired up in 2019 and have fledged two young since then, a male in 2019 and a female chick in 2021. This year marks their third breeding attempt.
Splitting Time: Royal Albatross parents contribute evenly to incubation duties, switching between bouts on the egg and foraging at sea. After a few changeovers, you'll see the parents extend their foraging trips. Once the albatross start taking longer trips, they're usually at sea for 7–14 days but can be longer.
Sit And Wait: The incubation period of the Northern Royal Albatross lasts around 11 weeks and is one of the longest of any bird species. During this time, rangers from the New Zealand Department of Conservation will conduct regular nest checks to inspect the egg and monitor the embryo's growth in preparation for the chick's arrival in late January. Learn what to expect to see on cam through the end of the year."
Here's the link to the live web cam.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/roya ... -306637205
