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YN Albatross Sequel



CBirders,
In today's Ny Times National Report (A-27),the following heading
appeared:

Wandering Albatross in New Jersey May Just Be Looking for Love
The story, slightly edited is as follows:

A wayward yellow-nosed albatross that apparently strayed from its marine
habitat in the Southern Hemisphere has turned up in the New York
metropolitan area, and has even been spotted flying along the median
strip ofthe Garden State Parkway.

The albatross  is an extreme rarity in the North Atlantic. But recently,
bird experts have been astonished by reports that an albatross has been
seen visiting estuaries and shorelines along the Northeast, and sitting
on local beaches with sea gulls.

"This bird is doing exactly what it should be doing, only in the wrong
ocean and at the wrong time of year. The dude is confused," said Peter
Alden, a noted ornithologist from Concord, Mass., who called the bird's
trip through the region "unparalleled and unbelievable"

The bird was reported seen in Buzzard's Bay, Mass. on May 9. It seems to
have been making its way south evr since.

But bird-lovers should not count on a close-up view. Unlike New Jersey
motorists, the albatross does not interrupt its travels frequently. In
fact, it comes to landfor only one reason: to find a mate, lay an egg
and raise another albatross.

The albatross may have thought it found a willing partner off Long
Island. Several rangers at the Fire Island Nat'l. Seashore were amazed
to discover it sitting in a group of herring gulls on the ocean beach on
May 15. They were able to photograph it before it flew out to sea
shortly afterward.

A week later,early in the afternoon of May 21, Shawneen Finnegan of Cape
May, N.J., who is well-known in birding circles,was driving along the
Garden State Parkway just south of Shellbay Landing in Cape May County
when she spotted an albatross flying along the median strip in a group
of laughing gulls.

After this freak sighting, no one knew where to look for such a
bizarre-acting albatross. But it apparently turned up again Monday
evening, on the New Jersey side of Delaware Bay. More than 30 birders
got a good look at it at Reed's Beach and High Beach. At this time of
year, horseshoe crabs come ashore in abundance to lay their eggs, which
are a culinary treat for shore birds.

The bird's travels to the Northeast may have left it somewhat
disoriented. In its natural habitat in the Southern Hemisphere, it is
now fall.

Knowledgeable birders, including Paul Lehman, said the albatross
appeared to have taken up with colonies of laughing gulls, and was
flying with them across the narrow tip  of Cape May. Yesteday, hundreds
of birders gathered along the bay shore, hoping for a glimpse of the
bird, only to be disappointed.

Albatrosses are notable not only for their size, but for their life
span, as they can survive several decades. In fact, there is some
speculation that the bird spotted recently may be the same one that wa
seen in Buzzard's Bay 27 years ago.

Another theory is that the albatross-known for dynamic soaring in high
winds-was transplanted with the help of a hurricaneand remaine in the
Northern Hemisphere. It travels along the coast and the fact that it
seems to be spending its time withh other shore birds suggest it is
looking for a mate.In thatcase, birders say it is in for a lnely summer.

That's  the story. I apologize for the length of this posting,but I
thought that the subject matter was of sufficient interest to justify
it. Good luck to all of the pelagic participants this weekend!

Tom Joyce

Tom Joyce (tominbrevard@webtv.net)
PO Box 2542
Brevard, NC 28712