Dunedin's Royal Albatross Centers is one of the only "mainland" nesting grounds for the Royal Albatross. An amazing bird to see up close! Such a gentle giant!
Dunedin's Royal Albatross Center is the only "mainland" breeding ground for the Royal Albatross (there is another on a remote island) ... They are amazingly big birds and seem always to be smiling...
They fly for thousands of miles before resting and actually loose a significant portion of their body weight during those marathon flights.
Their wingspan is close to 10'
"Tower, this is Ghost Rider requesting a flyby ..." You start to get a sense of their 10' wingspans when they're flying among the seagulls.
One of the other inhabitants of the Royal Albatross Center, the New Zealand Gull.
Mom and dad with with two chicks.
Mom with two young gulls (teenagers) who, like all teenagers, are always hungry.