Southern Royal Albatross 'gaming'

Southern Royal Albatross have a pelagic circumpolar distribution, most common in New Zealand and South American waters. They are huge birds standing about 1 m tall and with a wingspan up to 3.5 m. Breeding colonies are spread over a large area with nests every 20-50 m. Birds first return to colonies as pre-breeders aged 4-8 years where they find a mate, form a monogamous bond, and usually breed the following year. Pre-breeders fly into the colony in the late afternoon and form groups of up to a dozen birds who advertise for a partner using a complex repertoire of signals and displays known as 'gaming'. Gaming includes aerial displays with birds continually landing, taking off and calling down to birds on the ground; return sky-calling by birds on the ground; bill yapping; bill clapping; head shakes and wing stretches. While gaming, the birds make loud whining calls and croaks that can be heard at a great distance. When an unattached female comes in to land there is a great deal of noise and respectful manoeuvering by the males to make a favourable impression. In the picture, two birds are bill clapping and one is making a sky-call. While photographing these birds, I had the experience of birds gliding in to land just over my head and could hear and feel the down-draught of air from their wings, a surreal and unforgettable sensation. The shot was taken in the late afternoon on Campbell Is, NZ sub-Antarctic, 8 January 2014.
Canon 5DIII + 300 mm f/2.8L II + 2x III, Gitzo 3532LS, Kirkphoto King Cobra gimbal.
Av priority, f/8, 1/500 sec, ISO 400, +2/3 EV.
Post processing DPP: crop, adjust brightness, shadows and highlights, USM, RAW-tiff. PS Elements: tiff-output jpeg, USM.

Thank you so much for the "mini" ornithology lecture. I love learning details like you have included.
Great shot. Excellent DOF and wonderful behavior captured.
I really like the low POV and love the little brown cattail like grasses in the RLC.
No nits from me,
Gail

The lesson on this species and the behavior exhibited here is much appreciated. It's makes us appreciate the image all that much more. It's nice to see all 3 birds sharp. You didn't overdo any of the colors in your BG which even I may have been tempted to do and this lends itself to such a real scene...almost as though you brought is into the experience with you. Thanks for sharing your image and knowledge.

Thanks Marina and Gail for your positive feedback - much appreciated. It was a great privilege to be amongst these wonderful birds. They have an amazingly complex set of greeting, bonding and mating behaviours that few people are able to see. I hope my photographs have done them justice.
Regards, Ian