This iconic species is the largest of the great albatrosses, one of the largest bird species in the world, and even one of the best studied. During the winter months these magnificent birds venture close enough to the South African coastline to be seen on pelagic trips or from trawlers fishing for deep sea hake.
Due to the bad weather with three cold fronts coming through in the same week my last trip again took me up the West coast of South Africa towards Saldanha Bay. Knowing this I was immediately a bit less optimistic of seeing any of the great albatrosses or any rare species for that matter as the unusual sightings tend to be in the areas south of Cape Town. Having said this I was glad to be far away from the very bad weather of 7 m swells and gale force winds so it was a compromise I was not too disappointed with.
‘Wanderers’ as these albatrosses are commonly called have the largest wingspan of all living bird species with the longest verified wingspan being an incredible 3.7 m. Having had the privilege of observing the closely related and critically endangered Tristan Albatross on my trip to the Tristan da Cunha islands last year, I have eagerly awaited my first sighting of these birds from a South African trawler.
It came unexpectedly as I was conversing with the captain in the bridge. Two huge birds appeared out of nowhere, cruised alongside the vessel and as abruptly as they had appeared they were gone again. A picture in my mind that I will not easily forget for as long as I live. I hope it won’t be too long until we meet again.
Below: An adult Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross. and beneath an Adult Tristan albatross near Nightingale Island, South Atlantic Ocean
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