Rising Tide Images
Bank Left
Albatross are among the most energy efficient flyers. Their high aspect ratio wing is most efficient for long distance gliding. This one banks left rotating its whole body while its head remains level with the horizon, tapping into the horizontal lift component. Bones lock into position requiring no muscle to keep the six foot wing span extended. At sea it will have an oscillating glide path as it rises on orographic lift off wave faces then gravity accelerates into the wave troughs to glide for thousands of miles across the Pacific. Ostensibly nomadic wandering over open ocean is actually guided by its remarkable olfactory acuity enabling location of surface forage at upwelling sites. The aerodynamics of Laysan albatross, or mōlī, flight are fascinating, but it is the seemingly effortless, calm beauty, and aerial grace that keeps me enviously watching them for hours.
Bank Left
Albatross are among the most energy efficient flyers. Their high aspect ratio wing is most efficient for long distance gliding. This one banks left rotating its whole body while its head remains level with the horizon, tapping into the horizontal lift component. Bones lock into position requiring no muscle to keep the six foot wing span extended. At sea it will have an oscillating glide path as it rises on orographic lift off wave faces then gravity accelerates into the wave troughs to glide for thousands of miles across the Pacific. Ostensibly nomadic wandering over open ocean is actually guided by its remarkable olfactory acuity enabling location of surface forage at upwelling sites. The aerodynamics of Laysan albatross, or mōlī, flight are fascinating, but it is the seemingly effortless, calm beauty, and aerial grace that keeps me enviously watching them for hours.