More albatross cuteness

Recent screenshots from the Royal Albatross nestcam.

Chick with mom two days ago.

Picking up plants.

Mom preens baby, baby just wants to garden.

Closeups from today, dad at the nest this time.

:V

Both preening themselves.

Wing stretch!

A peek at tiny webbed feet.

Both dad and baby preen baby.

And a peek at dad's brood patch. Birds that incubate their eggs with body heat (which is most birds) develop a brood patch for the purpose, a featherless area on their belly or chest, depending on where that species has the eggs when sitting over them. On most birds the feathers fall off on their own for the breeding season, but some waterfowl just go ahead and pluck the feathers, as they use them to line their nest. In species where both parents incubate, both develop a brood patch. The surrounding feathers mostly cover it, but the feathers can be pushed aside to expose it to get the eggs or chicks in direct contact with the bare skin for effective body heat transferring. When the parent settles down over the chicks to brood them or eggs to incubate and does the little side to side shimmy, that's to push the surrounding feathers away from the brood patch and the babies nice and snug in their place.

There's the feetsies!

So cute.

Mom returns from the sea in the afternoon. A neighbor taking flight behind them.

The reunion is another allopreen fest. ♥

A happy family. ♥

Dad leaves...

...but soon comes back for still a bit more preening and sitting together before it's his turn to gather food at sea. (Also a special guest appearance from past camera chick and now juvenile Tūmanako, who hangs around the nest for a while.)

Okay, now he's leaving for realsies.

Activity around the nest in the evening. Two juvenile albatrosses doing practice courtship displays. Or one of them at least is doing those, not sure how impressed the other one is.

Chick safely tucked under mom for the night.