If ever there was a family of birds that exhibits supreme mastery of the skies (albeit those close to the Ocean), it is surely the Albatross family. The CSIRO Australian Bird Guide lists 17 species of Albatross that can be seen in Australian waters, they range over vast areas of the Southern Ocean, nesting on Sub-Antarctic Islands such as Macquarie Island and in winter push northwards to patrol the southern coastline of Australia.

The largest flying bird, the Wandering Albatross, stands 1.2m high with a wingspan of up to 3.5m; they are tubenoses and are related to petrels and shearwaters. Their tubenose is linked to a highly developed olfactory system (sense of smell) and the Wandering Albatross has among the largest olfactory bulbs of any bird, capable detecting prey from up to 20km away, vital if they are to efficiently gather food in the vast oceans.  They are also surprisingly long-lived; a Wandering Albatross first ringed in 1976 was recently spotted near the Bremer Canyon, making it 46 years old, which is quite an achievement given their harsh environment.

In Denmark when we get strong southerly winds, there are two species that can be commonly seen from Wilson Head; the endangered Yellow-nosed Albatross and the Black-browed Albatross. They are similar in size and both have dark upper wings with mainly white underwing with dark fringes, which are broader and less defined for the Black-browed Albatross. The adult Yellow-nosed has a dark beak with a yellow flash on top, whereas the Black-browed has an overall pink-yellow beak. They are usually seen effortlessly gliding over the waves, barely flapping their wings as they twist to catch the air currents from the waves, turning from black wings to white. They generally head westwards and are often seen accompanying the humpback whales; they are thought to eat the skin from the whales, which is shed when they breach or slap their fins or tail (or perhaps fish which feed on the skin).

The other large seabird that is commonly seen from the Wilson Head is the Australasian Gannet; adults are largely white with a yellow head and black ends to their upper wings and black fringing underneath. Immature birds are dark mottled birds, both the adults and immatures can be confused with albatross, but they flap their wings more often and have a long pointed beak. They also hunt by diving vertically into the ocean for bait fish.

The Wandering Albatross has been seen from Torndirrup National Park, near Albany, but is often quite distant from the coast and would likely need a telescope to identify. But next time, after some strong southerlies, take your binoculars with you and go to Black Holes or Sinker Bay and see if you can spot some of these magnificent birds as they glide effortlessly among the waves.