Did you know that some birds have a built-in GPS that's so precise, they can always return
to the exact same nesting spot, even after being away for years and having travelled thousands of
miles across vast oceans and continents? It's a skill we humans would envy. I once considered
calling mountain rescue after searching for my car in a multi-storey for over 30 minutes.
It’s thought that birds exploit the Earth's magnetic field, star patterns,
and even olfactory cues in the air to achieve such remarkable navigational feats.
Take the Bar-tailed Godwit, which holds the record for the longest nonstop flight by a
bird. A female specimen was recorded flying 8,435 miles nonstop from Alaska to Tasmania. The journey
took about nine days, without landing once for rest or food. Furthermore, it did this across
completely open ocean, without any prominent landmarks to guide its way, not even a Starbucks.
Then, there’s the Arctic Tern - known for having the longest migration of any
animal. This small bird travels from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back again,
every year – that's a journey spanning close to 25,000 miles - and somehow they never get lost.
Over its 30-year lifespan your average arctic tern will fly enough distance to equal going
to the moon and back. Yet, despite this remarkable capability the Arctic Tern
isn’t the GOAT of the avian world. There’s a much, much larger bird that is the undisputed
master of the sky. To see one in flight is to witness one of the miracles of nature.
And everything about it pushes the boundaries of what physics tells us should be possible.
This winged enigma is found roaming the vast arctic ocean. It’s the largest flying bird
on earth, with a wingspan that stretches well over 3 and a half metres - that’s bigger than
my car… and my house, which is just this black box I’m trapped in. I don’t even have a toilet,
I’ve spent the past 10 years going in the garden centre across the road.
Anyway, this bird can fly further than most others,
yet it rarely beats its wings. It can live for over 60 years,
yet it only breeds once every two years. Welcome to the wonderful world of the Wandering Albatross.
Despite its awesome size the Albatross is also known for its ability to travel spectacularly
far. Often flying over 600 miles a day, in search of food. And a single Wandering
Albatross is expected to cover between 5 to 7 million miles in its lifetime. To
put that into perspective, your average human will travel about half a million
miles in his lifetime. And that includes travel in cars, trains and aeroplanes.
When one of these majestic seabirds takes to the air, it’s truly a sight to behold. Its huge wings
fan out, as it glides with effortless grace, rarely needing to flap. Like an astronaut on
a spacewalk - it appears to defy gravity. And it does something that very few other
birds can do - it flies for days, even weeks on end, without ever once landing. In fact,
an Albatross can travel for years before returning to solid ground.
It’s no wonder these incredible creatures have been revered by mariners throughout time. During
the Age of Sail it was believed that the Wandering Albatross carried the souls of
dead sailors. Mostly because they are known to stalk ships for days on end,
gliding effortlessly in the ship’s wake. It’s a haunting sight that has given rise to the saying
‘to have an albatross around your neck’ which means one is carrying a large burden or is cursed.
But how is it that these birds can stay aloft for so long? Especially when you consider an
adult weighs up to 13kg. The fact that it can get off the ground in the first place
is miraculous, never mind staying up there for weeks before coming down again. Well,
it has a few devilishly clever adaptations that allow it to do the seemingly impossible.
Firstly, its mighty wingspan of up to 3.5 metres is one of its greatest assets. You probably hear
that and think, yeah, it’s basically a big seagull. But allow me to try and visualise
how enormous these things really are. Just one of its wings is as long as I am tall,
and both of its wings are the same as two fully-grown men, standing on top of each
other. Which is highly relatable of course, because we see that all the time when we go
outside. And it’s not just its wings that are grand - the Albatrosses' hefty body is larger
than a fully-grown turkey. You’re going to need a bigger oven to cook this bad boy.
This is a man holding a pretty big turkey. And this is a man holding an Albatross.
I really shouldn’t have to say this, but if you do happen to chance upon an albatross,
please don’t try to cook it - they’re heavily protected - like “you’ll go
to prison for life and get spanked by David Attenborough” protected.
A good way of determining how well a bird can fly is by measuring its wing loading - this is
basically the ratio of a bird’s weight to its wingspan. Birds with low wing-loading
are generally better flyers because they’re able to generate more lift. The Wandering
Albatross has a very low wing-loading - in fact, it’s one of the lowest on earth.
Those impressive wings are also perfectly formed, with a long, slender profile - in fact,
they’re uncannily similar to those of an aeroplane. When in flight,
air moves faster over the top of its wings than it does underneath, creating an area of
low pressure on top of the wings, which in turn creates lift that keeps the bird in the air.
Albatrosses also have a tendon-locking mechanism that lets them "lock" their
wings in an extended position, reducing muscular exertion.
Put all this together and the Wandering Albatross is able to take off and stay
in flight in conditions so mild that most other birds would be grounded.
The Albatross is also a true pioneer, when it comes to conserving energy.
They do this through a technique called “Dynamic Soaring''. This bird has special
sensory organs within its nostrils, which are able to detect subtle differences in the wind
speed. Basically it can smell the wind. It uses this power to constantly ride the
boundary between faster winds up high and slower moving air near the water.
Turning into the faster air, the Albatross is lifted higher. Then it plummets downwards at
a staggering 70 mph. As it sweeps back into the slower-moving air, scarily close to the
water’s surface, where the contrast in wind speed arrests its downward momentum and then
“slingshots” it back up into the faster air, once again. This cycle is repeated
continuously allowing it to optimally harness the wind’s energy. Using dynamic soaring the
wandering albatross can travel vast distances without ever flapping its wings. In doing so,
it exploits the energy within its environment, and expends zero of
its own. It's a ballet of aerodynamics, with the vast expanse of the ocean as its stage.
But what about water? Surely it needs to drink whilst soaring for days on end above
the salty ocean? Well, the albatross' bill houses specialised salt glands. These work
tirelessly to extract salt from the seawater they ingest, producing vital freshwater the
bird relies on for hydration. And all that excess salt is efficiently excreted through
their nostrils. If salt started coming out of my nostrils I’d be hospitalised and my head
would be x-rayed - but apparently if you’re a bird it’s more of a feature than a fault.
But what’s really remarkable about the Wandering Albatross is that it doesn’t just fly for a
long time - it lives for a long time too. How long? Well, in 1956 a mature Laysan albatross
was ringed to keep a track of it. She was named Wisdom - and she must have been one smart cookie,
because she was found again in 2021, hatching yet another chick - making her at least 70 years
old. That makes Wisdom the oldest confirmed wild bird in the world. To put that into perspective,
a sparrow lives for about 3 years, a bald eagle lives for about 25. But Albatross
frequently survive over 60 years out in the wild, and the wild is a bloody terrifying
place! Some say the albatross could live up to 100 years, but that’s yet to be verified.
Looking at the Wandering Albatross it’s clear that it’s built for survival. They
have incredibly low metabolic rates, meaning they need to eat less food and can spend longer in the
air without stopping for a snack. Which comes in handy, because it’s been known to travel up
to 5,000 miles in one hunting trip, just to find squid to feed to its young. That’s the
equivalent of me flying from London to Los Angeles just to grab some sushi for lunch.
Yet, despite their fascinating adaptations and incredible feats of endurance,
one of the most enchanting moments in the life of a Wandering Albatross comes
when they do touch ground - which they might only do once every few
years. And what brings them back to dry land, you ask? Sex, obviously.
Suddenly, the islands dotting the Arctic Ocean become the stage for a mesmerising
dance. Both males and females engage in a series of coordinated movements - they preen each other,
then do a bit of fencing with their bills - then they make a selection of really fucking weird
sounds in each other’s faces. Specifically, they are known to perform sky calling,
where they point their bills at the sky and make a chilling screaming sound,
which kinda sounds like a thousand people burning in the fires of Mordor.
An albatross can sometimes court its potential lover for hours. But it’s important to be picky,
because once a bond is established, Albatross are monogamous, and they remain faithful to
that partner for life. Which sounds impressive, but then you remember it spends most of its life
on a sea-bound solo stag do - doing summersaults, thousands of miles from home, for years at a time.
But even in their moments of solitude, when their mate might be thousands of miles away,
some believe they stay connected through the wind - people (mostly
hippies) say an Albatross’ partner can hear its calls,
even on the other side of the planet. A poetic notion, that is obviously complete bollocks.
And yet, for all their majesty and marvel, the Wandering Albatross is vulnerable. Their primary
threats being longline fishing and plastic pollution. These birds often mistake plastic
for prey, ingesting it and feeding it to their chicks. The consequences can be lethal. Similarly,
they frequently find themselves at the end of longline fishing hooks, and drown. Watching
such a formidable beast perish in such a cruel and unfair way is a very sad thing indeed.
The wonderful Wandering Albatross has inspired countless stories, legends,
and songs over the centuries. They remind us that, no matter how difficult life may seem,
and no matter how impossible the challenges that lay in our paths - we can always take
a moment and awe at the delicate dance of a beautiful bird as it soars across the ocean,
proving that limits are made to be broken.