Tiaki, a chick, is broadcast live 24 hours a day from the world's rare albatross habitat on the Otago Peninsula in the South Island. This broadcast started in 2016, and one chick is selected every year, and you can watch its growth live.
In addition to Tiaki, there are 30 other chicks in this habitat, and the chicks close to Tiaki are often caught on camera. In the past two months, Tiaki and her neighbor, SSTrig, have often been seen fighting.
We also saw them spreading their now fully grown wings and practicing flying. At first, they could barely walk a few steps from the nest, but their range of movement has grown to over 100m, and sometimes the chicks were not even visible on camera.
The chicks grew up healthily under the watchful eye of their parents and nature conservation officers. On September 6th, more than eight months after hatching, the first chick was finally confirmed to have left the nest.
SSTrig's departure on film
Unfortunately, the first chick to leave the nest was not captured on film, and a report was posted on the Albatross Center's social media the following day. However, the departure of SSTrig, who was in the nest next to Tiaki, was clearly captured on film.
It slowly floated in the air at the bottom right of the screen, then flew off in one go. Once it flies off, it will not return to its nest, so it will practice foraging in the ocean west of New Zealand before heading to Chile. Even so, it's strange how animals have such instincts, even though they don't have someone to teach them how to hunt or where to go.
Tiaki, equipped with GPS
Now, Tiaki, the main character of this live broadcast, has not yet flown away as of September 19th. In addition to Tiaki, 17 other albatrosses are waiting to leave the nest.
Tiaki is the first albatross chick to be fitted with a GPS on its wings, so you can track where it is flying on a website.
▶ Royal Cam Parents – Wildlife Computers Portal
The blue line is Tiaki (apparently the accuracy will not improve unless he flies), and the red line is Tiaki's dad, LGK's GPS. Tiaki's mom, LGL, also had one, but it broke during this season.
Tiaki weighs about 9kg, but the GPS weighs only 20g. Also, because it is attached to the feathers on its back, it will fall off in about a year when the feathers change, but until then, it will be possible to track where Tiaki is flying.
Theo, a nature conservation officer, attached a GPS to Tiaki. You can get a good idea of the size of the albatross from this!
The first albatross of the season returns home
Spring is just around the corner in New Zealand. The first albatross of the 2021-2022 season has returned to its habitat!
This albatross is commonly known as YL (because it has yellow and lime colored identification bands on its legs), and had not been seen in its native habitat for the past four years.
Albatrosses usually return to their birthplace about 3 to 5 years after leaving the nest, so this is believed to be their first return. Albatrosses are long-lived seabirds that can live up to 40 years, so 4 years old is still young, and breeding usually begins at about 8 years old.
At the Albatross Centre in the habitat, it is traditional to ring a bell to celebrate the first albatross of the season returning home.
Albatrosses are expected to return to their habitat one after another from now on. Pairs of albatrosses, which breed every two years, lay eggs from November to December, and the male and female take turns incubating them. In January, the chicks that will be live-streamed next season will be selected.
Tiaki was born on September 20th, 239 days ago.
9/19 12:23
— RoyalAlbatrossCam (@RoyAlbatrossCam) September 19, 2021
Tiaki at the Top Track. #RoyalCam chick was briefly back in her spot, following RLK. He returned, perhaps for a rest, but never quiet with Tiaki around.
Quite the chatty chick, & she is good with her sky calls too.
Grown up now. https://t.co/9A481yiiom pic.twitter.com/YMJTemr0KA
It wouldn't be a surprise if the chick flew away at any moment! The chick from last year's stream walked off the screen one day and was never seen again, so I hope that Tiaki's flight will be captured on video.
