So, here’s the background. A Yellow-nosed Albatross has been seen sporadically this summer along the New England coast. Normally found in the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean, this species will occasionally cross the doldrums and the Equator, and show up in the North Atlantic. When they do, they can stick around for a while, perhaps even years. It is very likely that that sporadic reports of Yellow-nosed Albatross along the East Coast this year, and quite likely over the pass few years – if not much longer – pertain to the same individual.

The most recent sightings were by seabird biologists on Stratton Island, as the bird made a few passes over the island last weekend, before drifting off to see. This is fairly typical for this species: a brief visit to a bay or often a seabird colony, and then it wanders away. A few birders spent that evening scanning the water from Prout’s Neck, but to no avail.

Fast forward to yesterday evening, at about 5:00pm:
1) Robby (one of the seabird biologists on Stratton) calls Lysle. But, Lysle’s away on business, so Joanna takes the message, “The Albatross is sitting on the beach at Stratton!”
2) Joanna calls me to “get the word out.”
3) I post the report to the listserves.
4) I call Rich. “Rich, what are you doing?” “Uh, not much, I was . . .” “Good, meet me at Back Cove in 15 minutes, the Albatross is standing on Stratton.” “OK!”
5) 16 minutes later Rich and I are on our way to Prout’s Neck.
6) Turk calls, “I just got a call from Linda, who’s on Stratton, there’s a . . .” “I know, Rich and I are on our way.” “Where are you heading?” “Prout’s.” “See you there.”
7) Rich and I, soon joined by Turk are scanning the beach at Stratton Island from the Cliff Walk at Prout’s Neck. We can’t see it. A bird that big would, and should, be visible.
8) We call Suzanne on Stratton, “Is it still there?” “It should be, but it’s sitting down, and it’s in a little dip, you may not be able to see it.”
9) Turk, Rich, and I look at each other and say, “We need a boat!”
10) We call Lucy, tell her the story, and she simply says “I’ll meet you at the yacht club in 15 minutes.”
11) Lucy, her sister, and her mother (who were pulled out of a cocktail party) and Turk, Rich, and I, hop into their boat and motor out to Stratton.
12) We scanned the beach from a safe distance (so as not to disturb the bird, or the many breeding species on the island. Stratton Island is a protected sanctuary, and visitors are not allowed to land during the breeding season. –Here’s the “don’t try this at home” spiel.- Approaching too closely could cause significant harm to the nesting terns, herons, etc., so anyone operating offshore of Stratton – whether birding or fishing – needs to use extreme care in not bothering the birds . . . By the way, getting too close could also run you the risk of “finding” some of the submerged rocks just offshore.
13) Soon, we spotted it – sitting there on the gravel beach, just behind a little high-tide berm. Wow! What a magnificent bird. Ooh, ahh, and cheers were shared by all!

I’m actually (for a change) rather speechless here: I mean an ALABATROSS, in MAINE, and we saw it! Wow!

Stratton Island:

The Yellow-nosed Albatross (Photos taken through binoculars from the boat):