The Many and Varied Awkward Phases of Albatross Puberty

More excitement for us this weekend... Our Yellow-Nosed Albatrosses, or Mollys, have started to fledge! On Sunday morning I visited all of the chicks in my monitoring patch, and discovered that 6 of them had already headed off to sea! Still more have plucked up the courage to wander away from their nests a short way to investigate their surroundings. There's plenty of wing flapping going on as they practise for take-off, and also a fair amount of falling off tussocks and into puddles. Most of them still have a way to go before we see them soaring over the waves out to sea. Still, they're all looking very smart now that their new adult feathers have replaced the fluffy down that kept them warm as nestlings.

A young chick hogging the nest (Em Witcutt)

Proud parents! (Em Witcutt)

It's been quite a journey for these wonderfully charasmatic birds. Once they started to shed their down, they changed from adorable little fluffballs to very awkward, and not particularly sweet looking teenagers. They've been sporting some hilarious hair-dos... here are some of our favourites.

Narrrrr (Em Wituctt)

Looking sheepissh (Em Witcutt)

Imperious (David Kinchin-Smith)

A little worse for wear (David Kinchin-Smith)

Team favourite, Maleficient planning her revenge (Em Witcutt)

Sporting a fabulous feather boa (Em Witcutt)

"What'chu lookin' at?" (Em Witcutt)

Punk Molly (Em Witcutt)

 Like the ugly duckling though, our Molly chicks have transformed into beautiful, elegant creatures. It's been an honour to watch over these guys as they've grown up and to monitor their parents efforts to keep them safe, warm and well-fed. Very soon they'll disappear off to explore the rest of the Atlantic, and Gough will feel very quiet without them. Still, hopefully in a few years they'll return to the colony to find their own partner and produce some fluffballs of their own.

Maleficient- all grown up (Em Witcutt)

Enjoying one of the last sunrises before they leave (Em Witcutt)

Em