Buller's Albatross (
Thalassarche bulleri) or mollymawk is one of the smallest of the Albatross, and one of the most beautiful. The species is currently split into a northern and a southern sub-species, the southern race breeds mainly on the Snares Islands whereas the northern race breed mostly around the Chathams. The birds I photographed offshore to the East and South-East of Stewart island were most likely Southern birds, which tend to have more yellow on the bill and the forehead is defined as being more silvery-white than silvery-grey as in the northern race. Birds of the Southern race are often seen off the coasts of South Island, though outside of the breeding season they migrate across the Pacific and can be seen closer to Chile and Peru.
These close-ups illustrate the striking and beautiful head and bill colouration.
A bird sat on the water.
The two photos below reveal the under wing.
The back and upper wing.
For the below photograph I attempted to create some panning blur, not an easy task when standing on a small boat with a bit of swell.. That's my excuse anyway!
And finally just for fun..
