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Waved Albatross Near Sunset Over Suarez Point 2, Española, Galapagos Islands
Waved Albatross Near Sunset Over Suarez Point 2, Española, Galapagos Islands

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With the COVID-19 shutdown now in place here in Florida, I have had time to reconsider some of my old, archived images not previously published. This is one of such images from a trip that my wife and I took to the Galapagos Islands.
The Waved Albatross breeds in the Galapagos Islands and feeds off the coast of South America. The need for wind to enable gliding is the reason albatrosses are for the most part confined to higher latitudes; being unsuited for sustained flapping flight makes crossing the doldrums extremely difficult. The exception, the Waved Albatross, is able to live in the equatorial waters around the Galapagos Islands because of the cool waters of the Humboldt Current and the resulting winds. These medium-sized albatrosses measuring about 34-35 inches (86–90cm) long, weighing in at about 7.5 lbs. (3.4 kg), and having a wingspan 7.4 feet (2.25m). They are distinctive for their yellowish-cream neck and head, which contrasts with their mostly brownish bodies. Even more distinctive is the very long, bright yellow bill, which looks disproportionately large in comparison to the relatively small head and long, slender neck. They also have chestnut brown upper parts and under parts, except for the breast, with fine barring, a little coarser on the rump. They have brown upper wings, back, and tail, along with a whitish breast and underwings. Their axillaries are brown. Juveniles are similar to adults except for whiter on their head. Chicks have brown fluffy feathers. The lifespan of this species may reach 40 to 45 years.
Info above was extracted from Wikipedia.
If you need another reason to make your visit to the Galapagos in July, here it is. These guys nest here in late June-July and then they leave the Galapagos until the next nesting period during the following late June-July.
If you are considering a visit to the Galapagos Islands, Click Here for some helpful hints.

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Taken on: July 14, 2012
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Sets appears in:   • 2012 - The Galapagos    • Flight   
Groups appears in:   • #4 PLATINUM WILDLIFE/ Post 1 - Award 1 (P2-A2) with CODE    • #3 PALLADIUM WILDLIFE/ Post 1 - Award 5 (P2-A10) with CODE    more » • #2 18K Gold wildlife/ Post 1 - Award 3 (P2-A6) with CODE    « less
Camera: Nikon D200, f/8.0, 1/400 sec, 300mm (=450mm), ISO 400 (more info) (hide info)
Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: 70.0-300.0 mm f/4.5-5.6
Aperture: f/8.0
Exposure Time: 0.003 sec (1/400)
Focal Length: 300mm (35mm equivalent: 450mm)
ISO: 400
Exposure Bias: +3/2 EV
Flash: No Flash
Exposure Program: Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode: Auto
Metering Mode: Spot
White Balance: Auto
Gain Control: Low gain up
Contrast: High
Sharpness: Hard
Color Space: Uncalibrated
Software: Adobe Photoshop CS6 (Windows)
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