5.55
GLG sāk ligzdas labiekārtošanu.


7.15
Albatrosu pāris, kas pa labi, vakar tur nebija.
Diez ko viņi plāno, jo olai ir jau par vēlu.


7.21
Ligzdas būvētāja pamazām mainījusi knābja virzienu , bet atrāda savu netīro knābi un krāsu joslas uz kājas.


(GT)Sharyn Broni (Ranger, DOC) Mod
Kia ora koutou (hello everyone)
ROYALCAM pair RLK – GLG at Signal Station Trig
GLG has been on the nest for 9 days today.
Image Credit: Jim Watts. GLG incubating her egg on cam moving day.
Changeover times can be around 2 weeks; the adult albatross is perfectly adapted to going without food for this time.
Past Royalcam pairs
GLY – L parents of Manaaki 2023 laid the first egg this season on the 2nd of November.
YRK, mum of Atawhai (2020) and Lilibet (2022) has a new mate, A87 and they are incubating a fertile egg too.
Check out this video of their courtship behaviour from last summer.
Although they have returned to Pukekura, the foster parents of Amīra (2018) and the orphaned Top of Bluff Track chick (see GPS update below) GO and WO have not laid an egg this season.
All other surviving Royalcam parents are currently on their off-year pair having each fledged a chick in September 2024.
Ranger work: Irrigation and cutting grass at nests.
The team is busy setting up irrigation at each nest so that the incubating toroa can be kept cool during any hot weather that may occur. We set up about 1 km of piping to reach every nest. A hot toroa may abandon their nest for self-preservation or suffer heat stress or worse. The egg will not survive in the hot sun for long. Toroa are big birds and can cope with some heat and we do not turn on the irrigation until necessary as we do not want to cause water issues for the birds. The system will be tested however and not necessarily on a hot day.
Image from Royalcam: turning on the irrigation at a nest.
Long grass surrounding the nest traps heat so we also cut back grass so that the cooling breeze can get to the nest. During hot, calm days temperatures reach well over 40 degrees Celsius at ground level.
Today's GPS tag update of juvenile toroa from Pukekura tagged 25th of September and 5th of October 2024. They fledged between the 27th of September to the 14th of October 2024.
(GT)Sharyn Broni (Ranger, DOC) Mod
RLK and GLG will recieve GPS tags this season.
There is much we do not know about the toroa's life at sea.
RLK being fresh on the nest will receive his tag today, likely after 2pm.
The egg will be put in an insulated carry case for safe keeping during the procedure. RLK also needs band maintenance, this will be done at the same time.
GLG will receive her tag when she next returns.