Signs are good for Royal Albatross Otago colony

One of the first Royal Albatross chicks to hatch this season at Taiaroa Heads on the Otago Peninsula, Dunedin. Photo / Supplied

The first Royal Albatross chicks of the breeding season emerged from their shells yesterday at their Otago colony.

Three infants joined the around 250 albatross which call the colony home.

Around 150 birds returned this breeding season, and the 51 eggs they laid is the best return for three years.

Of those 39 were fertile, and if the majority of the chicks survived to adulthood, that could lead to a considerable boost in the colony's numbers, said trust spokeswoman Sophie Barker.

"It's fantastic news and we expect it will help the population to grow."

In 2016/17, 23 chicks fledged from 29 fertile eggs. Last season the colony was hard hit by heatwave conditions, which resulted in just 13 chicks fledging from 26 fertile eggs.

"It has been good weather for hatching, the birds don't like it when it is too hot," Barker said.

"There has been this lovely cold breeze, which we need for the parents to go out to sea and feed."

Albatross normally breed every two years, but unsuccessful parents often return to try again the following season.

"That is the reason for this year's increased nest and egg numbers," Barker said.

"We would expect the parents who fail this year to come back again in 2019/20 and those parents who didn't come back this year to return - they should number in the 20s or 30s - so hopefully the growth will be exponential."

For the past two years, the antics of the colony dwellers have been broadcast to the world via the "Royalcam" web camera.

The webcam parents this year - LGL and LGK - have yet to hatch their egg. "There was a little hole in the egg yesterday, today is the 22nd, so I reckon we are looking good for it to hatch on the 24th, as it usually takes three days," Barker said.