They've arrived! At last! After three long months, the seas around the cliffs of Punta Suarez, Hood Island, are covered in waved albatrosses!
We knew that they'd be back any day now, after calmly enduring the long three months that they've been away. They fly to all parts of the Pacific Ocean from January to April and have even been found as far away as Japan during that time. Hood Island is the only place in the world that they nest and nesting is the only reason they land on dry ground and it's for that reason they've arrived this week.
We started our day with a 'drive-by' in the Polaris past several 'rafts' of albatrosses with up to fifty birds in each raft. It seems as though they gather at these 'meeting points' to socialize, as their poor abilities of maneuvering on land do seriously limit their rendezvous' on the island.
When walking by the cliff area of Punta Suarez we noticed that the albatrosses on land were sitting down individually. Few were in couples and one of our groups even witnessed the reunion of one mating pair. At this time of year, we expect the albatrosses to mate so that the single egg can be laid, incubated, hatch and raised to adulthood by the following January. It is a long and arduous task, which is why there should be no delay at the beginning.
The nesting marine iguanas whose digging activity seems to be growing every week complemented today's visit. A cool wind and clouds also helped make this mornings walk very comfortable.
