Rare Albatross given the royal treatment

Robert Webb performs pre-flight checks with a Royal Southern Albatross outside the Whangarei Native Bird Recovery Centre. Photo/Michael Cunningham

A special royal guest has checked into the Whangarei Native Bird Recovery Centre in Maunu.

A Southern Royal Albatross, also known as Diomedea Epomophora, was found by Fisheries Officer West Hill on January 9 when he and colleague Darren Edwards were on patrol at Baylys beach, west of Dargaville.

Mr Hill decided to transport the bird to the centre in a large bin after he discovered the albatross "just sitting in the sand".

"It was exhausted, covered in sand and had lost buoyancy," Mr Hill said.

Mr Hill said that the bird would probably have died overnight if left on the beach so he and Mr Edwards decided to take the bird to the bird recovery centre in Whangarei.

It is only the second time in 25 years that such a distinguished flyer has made a stop-over at the centre, according to Native Bird Recovery Centre co-founder Mr Robert Webb.

The bird is expected to spend the next five to six days at the centre before being released back to its landing place for flight.

Mr Webb believes the bird may be male.

"I normally reckon if they are nice and docile then they've got to be male," he said.

The wingspan of an adult Southern Royal can be anything from 9.5ft to 11.5 ft.

Mr Edwards says the albatross was headed in the direction of sub-Antarctic when it encountered turbulence - a storm to the west of Dargaville last Thursday.

"The older birds are used to getting around storms and are able to navigate around them, but this albatross is a bit younger."

Mr Edwards said that albatrosses were very buoyant but encountered problems when their feet touched the sand below the water.

He said that as soon as an albatross' feet touched sand below the water it would try to take off again and could tumble in the waves coming from behind.

Once the albatross got wet it would lose buoyancy and need to dry out before attempting flight again, Mr Edwards said.