Photo of the week: Northern royal albatross

Department of Conservation —  01/10/2014

Spring has arrived this past week in Dunedin with the return of Taiaroa Head’s northern royal albatross/toroa.

Today’s photo of the week is of an albatross coming in to land for the upcoming breeding season.

Northern Royal Albatross. Photo: Sy | flickr | CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

It has become an annual tradition in Dunedin to mark the arrival of the first albatross by ringing the local church bells. The church bells tolled around the city last Wednesday to welcome the albatross back.

Taiaroa Head’s northern royal albatross colony is the only mainland albatross breeding colony in the southern hemisphere.

Photo by SyCC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

One response to Photo of the week: Northern royal albatross

  1. 

    Great shot!