The first of the colony’s albatross chicks to fly took off on September 6, and they are all expected to take flight by early October.

Theo Thompson, a ranger with the Department of Biodiversity Conservation, said it was gratifying to see so many chicks leaving the colony after a successful season.

“If all the remaining chicks fly successfully, we will have a record year of 30 chicks. Previously the highest number of chicks we have had is 28, ” he said.

“Tiaki and the other chicks will spend the next four to ten years traveling thousands of miles at sea without even touching land, before finally returning to Taiaroa Head to breed.”

Tiaki has been a calm but chatty chick who has been healthy all season – providing great viewing for those who tune into Royal Cam, he said.

So far this season (as of December 1, 2020), the livestream has had over 2.3 million views and has been watched for approximately 400,000 hours.

Doc’s senior marine science adviser Igor Debski said a 20g solar-powered satellite tracker, installed on Tiaki on September 9, would provide valuable information on where the albatrosses were going to feed during their firsts. years.

Tiaki’s parents both had trackers installed in February. His father LGK has driven more than 65,000 km since then. ”

The trackers are taped to feathers on the backs of the birds.

They are designed to last for about a year and will fall off when the albatross muera.