NZ fact of the day: the only land mammals that are native to NZ are bats -- everything else has been imported or inadvertently brought over (and they are viewed as pests)
Didn't feel too well today --- so a pretty low-key day (plus the weather was total crap).
I drove out the Otago Peninsula to visit the Royal Albatross Centre. The drive out there is interesting -- on a road that hugs the Otago Harbor -- no guardrails -- and for a good part of the drive -- no significant shoulder -- I was sure I was going to end up in the bay!
The Royal Albatross Centre was definitely worth a visit. It's the only place in the world where albatross breed on the mainland -- typically they breed on uninhabited islands. As I think I mentioned before, there are 20+ albatross species -- 3 are in the Northern Hemisphere -- all the rest in the Southern Hemisphere. They are big birds -- their wing span is almost 10 feet. They live on land for the first 8 months -- and then spend the next 5 - 7 years out on the ocean --- they don't return to land until they are old enough to mate (around 8 years old). Mostly monogamous -- both parents hang out with the egg/chick for the full year --- so they only breed every other year. Average life span is 40 - 50 years (although they have tagged 1 that lived for 62 years).
They are really cool birds -- they have tubes on their bills (beaks?) that allow them to measure their exact airspeed in flight (so analogous to the pitot tubes in airplanes). They also use those tubes to excrete excess salt. They use dynamic soaring and slope soaring to fly -- they can cover 1000km a day without flapping their wings once!
There are also Stewart Island Shags breeding in the same spot -- rare, endangered bird -- if you look at the picture that looks like a bunch of mud bowls on a slope -- those are their nests -- rather odd-looking.
So they have about 100 breeding albatross on the peninsula. We could see 4 chicks (they are old enough now to be left during the day -- parents out getting food). We also saw some adolescent birds checking each other out.
After that, I stopped at Larnach "Castle" to view their gardens -- very beautiful & very peaceful -- it was cold & misty -- and I was the only one out walking the gardens.
And that was it for the day.
(and I promise -- no more albatross posts)
Weather: rainy / cloudy, 45 - 50F
Miles Walked: 2.5
km Driven: 78
Didn't feel too well today --- so a pretty low-key day (plus the weather was total crap).
I drove out the Otago Peninsula to visit the Royal Albatross Centre. The drive out there is interesting -- on a road that hugs the Otago Harbor -- no guardrails -- and for a good part of the drive -- no significant shoulder -- I was sure I was going to end up in the bay!
The Royal Albatross Centre was definitely worth a visit. It's the only place in the world where albatross breed on the mainland -- typically they breed on uninhabited islands. As I think I mentioned before, there are 20+ albatross species -- 3 are in the Northern Hemisphere -- all the rest in the Southern Hemisphere. They are big birds -- their wing span is almost 10 feet. They live on land for the first 8 months -- and then spend the next 5 - 7 years out on the ocean --- they don't return to land until they are old enough to mate (around 8 years old). Mostly monogamous -- both parents hang out with the egg/chick for the full year --- so they only breed every other year. Average life span is 40 - 50 years (although they have tagged 1 that lived for 62 years).
They are really cool birds -- they have tubes on their bills (beaks?) that allow them to measure their exact airspeed in flight (so analogous to the pitot tubes in airplanes). They also use those tubes to excrete excess salt. They use dynamic soaring and slope soaring to fly -- they can cover 1000km a day without flapping their wings once!
There are also Stewart Island Shags breeding in the same spot -- rare, endangered bird -- if you look at the picture that looks like a bunch of mud bowls on a slope -- those are their nests -- rather odd-looking.
So they have about 100 breeding albatross on the peninsula. We could see 4 chicks (they are old enough now to be left during the day -- parents out getting food). We also saw some adolescent birds checking each other out.
After that, I stopped at Larnach "Castle" to view their gardens -- very beautiful & very peaceful -- it was cold & misty -- and I was the only one out walking the gardens.
And that was it for the day.
(and I promise -- no more albatross posts)
Weather: rainy / cloudy, 45 - 50F
Miles Walked: 2.5
km Driven: 78
Beautiful garden photos--sometimes those misty days bring out the best colors. And…I'll bet you were glad not to be driving the camper out to the peninsula!
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