Birdwatch: On the trail of the shy albatross in Australia

On an oceanic quest in the southern hemisphere, our writer encounters the only albatross species endemic to AustraliaAs one seabird enthusiast once proclaimed: "Real birds eat fish." That was certainly true of the species I was hoping to encounter on my first oceanic quest in the southern hemisphere.A dozen of us boarded the first Sydney Pelagics trip of the year, chugging out of the famous harbour early one January morning. We soon left the silver gulls and crested terns behind, before coming across the first of a quintet of shearwaters: wedge-tailed, short-tailed, flesh-footed, Hutton's and a single streaked, a scarce visitor from Japan. Continue reading...