ONLY Mainland Royal Albatross Colony in the World - Dunedin, New Zealand
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denben
S 45° 46.570 E 170° 43.726
59G E 478913 N 4930785
The Royal Albatross Centre provides wildlife and cultural tours of Taiaroa Head where you can visit the world’s only mainland breeding colony of Royal Albatross and see the Little Blue Penguin and the Yellow-Eyed Penguin colonies.
Waymark Code: WMN0N5
Location: South Island, New Zealand
Date Posted: 12/03/2014
Views: 2
Located at Taiaroa Head on the Otago Peninsula, the Royal Albatross Center is situated next to the only known mainland albatross breeding colony anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere. Since the colony was formed in 1938, it has become an established home for more than 140 birds. The Royal Albatrosses have the largest wingspan of any living bird, measuring up to 9'6" from tip to tip, and may reach swooping speeds of as much as 70 miles per hour.
During a visit to the center, travellers will be able to enjoy the rare sight of albatrosses living in their natural habitat via viewing stations. Albatross are present throughout the year, but the best time to see them is from December to February, when one parent is constantly guarding the young while the other delivers food throughout the day.
Sightings are most common in the afternoon when the winds pick up; calm days don’t see much bird action. The main glassed-in observation area is closed during the breeding season, from mid-September to late November. From late November to December the birds are nestbound so it is difficult to see their magnificent wingspan. We were there in November and only saw one bird brooding its egg.
We were more lucky with the yellow-eyed penguin often referred to as the rarest penguin in the world and one of the most endangered of all penguin species. Yellow-eyed penguins have a very long chick-rearing period (100 days). Consequently, breeding takes from September to February.
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