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title: "ACAP's Information Officer gets to see Waved Albatrosses breeding on Española, Galapagos Islands"
---

# ACAP's Information Officer gets to see Waved Albatrosses breeding on Española, Galapagos Islands

With the Albatross and Petrel Agreement meeting in Ecuador this year, opportunity is being taken by several members of the ACAP Secretariat to visit the relatively nearby Galapagos Islands, home of the [Critically Endangered](http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3955) Waved Albatross *Phoebastria irrorata*, as well as of many other endemic birds.

 ![](https://acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Albatrosses/W/Waved/waved_albatross_adult_john_cooper.jpg "Waved Allbatross at Punta Suarez, August 2011.  Photograph by John Cooper")

 Although several of the secretarial staff have elected to visit the Galapagos after to the ACAP meetings in Guayaquil, ACAP's honorary Information Officer needed to go in advance, as I leave near-immediately after the ACAP Advisory Committee meeting on my annual field visit to Gough Island in the South Atlantic.

 ![](https://acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Albatrosses/W/Waved/waved_albatross_chick_john_cooper.jpg "Waved Albatross post-guard chick")

 ![](https://acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Albatrosses/W/Waved/john_cooper_punta_suarez.jpg "ACAP's Information Officer stops as instructed for a photo-opportunity at Punta Suarez among the Waved Albatrosses")

 Realizing a long-standing ambition, I spent a few hours within the albatross colony at [Punta Suarez](https://discovergalapagos.com-en.com) on [Española Island](http://www.galapaguide.com/islands_espanola.htm) in the Galapagos on 19 August.  There were not many adults ashore as the guard stage was over, but a number of downy chicks of varying sizes and a displaying adult pair put on a good show as did birds taking off from and flying along the coastal cliff.  Definitely memories to savour and to keep!

 ![](https://acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Albatrosses/W/Waved/waved_albatross_takes_off_john_cooper.jpg "A Waved Albatross launches itself off the cliff at Punta Suarez")

 The Sixth Meeting of ACAP's Advisory Committee will be considering an [Action Plan](https://acap.aq/documents/download-document/1623-ac6-doc-29-waved-albatross-plan-of-action) for the Waved Albatross at its Sixth Meeting next week.

 ![](https://acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Albatrosses/W/Waved/waved_albatross_statue_puerto_aroya_santa_cruz_john cooper.jpg "Waved Albatross statue in Peurto Aroya, Santa Cruz, Galapagos Islands.  Photograph by John Cooper")

 *John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 24 August 2011*