According to the Automobile Association route calculator our drive from Queenstown to Dunedin would take 3 1/2 hours. With construction delays along the way, it took about 5 hours. We checked into our campsite and learned it was a further hour to reach the Albatross Centre. We just barely made our 4 o’clock appointment, walking in just as the guide was starting her introductions.
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Before we discuss this amazing bird, let us tell you about it’s dimensions. The red image behind us outlines the dimensions of the Royal Albatross. Average birds range in body length from 1.1 to 1.3 m and wingspans from 2.9 to 3.3 m. Males average about 10 kg while females average about 8 kg. These are immense birds, averaging about 1.5 times the wingspan and almost twice the biomass of a Bald Eagle.
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These birds are viewed from inside a room with windows mirrored on the outside so that we could see the birds but they could not see us. We could speak quietly, but the concept was “Do not disturb the birds”.
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Without something to provide context, it’s difficult to estimate the birds size, but we were very close to these birds. They are large and quite graceful in the air.
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With the exception of the tops of the wings, the fringes of the underwings and the tip of the tail, these birds are white.
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Note how the bird on the left has wings parallel to the hillside while its head and body are horizontal.
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And now they are preparing to set down.
The average lifespan of a Royal Albatross is fifty-eight years.
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They like to nest on tussock grasses and both parents incubate the egg and raise the young.
Pairs mate for life and lay a single egg biennially.
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This adult is roosting on it’s chick, with the chicks eye visible directly below the parents beak and just to the right. Note that the nest is essentially a flat depression in the grass only about twice as wide the adults body.
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This bird is also nesting on a chick, with the chick just barely visible below the front corner of the bottom black edge of the wing.
It takes 7.5 months for the chick to grow from a newly hatched egg to a bird capable of flying. Chicks will practice flying by flapping their wings into the wind, hovering, practicing take-offs and landings, and completing practice flights of up to several meters. When the bird is ready to fly, it departs as soon as airborne to return years later. Newly fledged birds from this site fly 9,500 kilometers to the waters off Chile to feed and grow, returning in four to ten years to select a mate and begin reproducing.
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As well as mating pairs, this site has juveniles returning to select a mate and begin raising progeny. These young birds are congregating on this ledge and courting.
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Note that the approaching bird has now landed and the closer bird above is calling out.
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The newly landed bird is now approaching. The nearer of the other two birds appears subdued and the farther bird is calling out.
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The intruder is now settling in and the dynamic has changed. The nearer of the original two is subdued while the farther bird has flung its head back and is calling out.
We didn’t have time to wait and see how this ended, but pairings will occur and new mating pairs will begin raising their chicks.
Historic Fort Taiaroa Otago
Otago Peninsula was not historically used as a nesting site by the Royal Albatross. Otago Peninsula was originally treed and was developed as a military installation in the 19th century.
Dunedin was established in 1848 and a gold rush in Otago during the 1860’s caused Dunedin’s population and wealth to increase dramatically; for many years it was New Zealand’s largest and most prosperous city. During the 1860’s and ’70’s there was concern about rising hostilities between Great Britain and Russia. Taiaroa Head, the portion of Otago Peninsula where the Royal Albatross Centre is located, overlooks the entrance to Dunedin harbour and provided a good defensive military opportunity.
Construction began in 1884 for a defensive installation and Taiaroa Head was logged bare. On June 7, 1889 an Armstrong Disappearing Gun was installed and in the ensuing years the gun fired 882 rounds, but none of them at an enemy target. By the late 19th century the gun fell into disuse. With the exception of a 6-month period following the attack on Pearl Harbour in 1942, it was not used again.
With the cessation of military activity, Royal Penguins found the tussock grasslands of the head useful as a breeding ground and established the present-day colony there. This is the only Royal Albatross breeding colony not located on an isolated island without terrestrial predators. It is successful because a protective fence has been erected around the headland, preventing any predators from reaching the colony.
Unlike anyone else in our tour group, we purchased the Unique Tour and a visit to the Historic Taiaroa Head Otago was included.
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This display represents activities of military personnel during the WWII recommissioning of the gun.
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And here is Lynne about to put the gun in action.
This is the only Armstrong Disappearing Gun remaining in fully commissioned condition in the world. A throwback to 19th century technology, and an impressive one.
A word to future tourists: Purchase the Unique Tour! A visit to Historic Taiaroa Head Otago is well worth it. The Unique Tour also includes a visit within the military facilities to a smaller, closer and more intimate station for viewing Albatross nesting.
A video documenting the history of the installation of the Armstrong Disappearing Gun can be found at https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/time-tunnel-transformation-at-fort-taiaroa