Moli fledging - right on schedule
The albatross chicks or keiki moli hatch around February first and typically fledge about five months later. 4th of July weekend is often the time we get distracted and those little down balls that recently grew up suddenly disappear.
Adult Laysan Albatross sitting on newly hatched chick in February
No bigger than the egg it came from, eating and sleeping will make it
grow sturdy bones, long wings, and perfect feathers.
Moli at two months, a few feet off his nest now
Waiting for either or both parents to come back with squid mush
Moli at about 4 months, feathers have grown it but still have some down clinging to them
By this time the baby bird has developed nearly everything he will need to live at sea,
outweighing his parents, they practice tough love and stop feeding him so he will get hungry enough to go.
This one took flight a few days after this - the down will soon wash away in the salty water
In 3-4 years, he will return here looking for a mate of his own
No comments:
Post a Comment