Yesterday we sailed closer to Hawaii, and I was lucky enough
to see a pair of Layson Albatrosses that circled off the starboard side of the ship
for awhile before finally landing in the sea—then of course we sailed past
these lovely birds. We have seen them in
the past frequently on Kauai, in Princeville, where they nest in people’s yards
(where the above picture was taken nine months ago). Every visit to Kauai
requires a stop in a subdivision cul-de-sac where the albatrosses are always
present. Since we won’t be going to
Princeville in our day stop at Nawiliwili on this cruise, it is good we kept
our tradition going of spotting this lovely bird while at sea approaching
Hawaii.
The Layson Albatross was widely hunted for its feathers in
the last century and its populations declined precipitously, but it is now
re-bounding due to both conservation and captive breeding-and-release programs. They are a long-lived bird, and a female
Laysan albatross named Wisdom is the oldest known wild bird in the world.
Wisdom was first captured and banded by a USGS researcher in 1956 and was seen
that year rearing a chick, meaning she was at least five years old on that 1956
date as these albatrosses don’t breed until they are five years old. For decades, Wisdom and her life-mate, Akeakamai, return every year to the same nest
site to lay one egg. As of 2023, Wisdom’s
current estimated age is 72 years old. I’m
just a bit older, by 4 years.
My Hike for Habitat annual walk preparation is going well,
and I am very likely to reach the fundraising goal for Conservation Works. I thank my friends and family members who
already have given so generously at https://givebutter.com/kqaSvF/susanwarner1
to support my Hike this year (I will be onboard the Volendam ship at sea
and plan to walk 5 miles that day!). I
am proud to be raising funds for this small non-profit that does so much for
conservation and environmental education in the North Coast of California.
This morning, Liz and I awoke as usual pretty early (around
5 am our time), and headed up to the still vacant Crow’s Nest where we were the
only people for awhile. We had stopped at the Lido deck and picked up coffee,
and did our usual morning stuff of catching up with the news (dreadful carnage
in Israel with escalating conflict with Hamas), working Wordle and Sudoku, etc.,
as we waited for sunrise. It was time to
head down one deck for breakfast in the Lido when suddenly in front of us, was
a lovely rainbow—it appeared as if our ship was going to sail under the rainbow—since
it is under, rather than over, I know we won’t end up in Oz…
As we approach Hawaii—docking tomorrow in Hilo—we should see
more marine wildlife, and I’ll be taking pictures!
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