On Oct 28, 1:31*pm, Andy wrote:
On Oct 26, 11:46*am, Mike the Strike wrote:

in which period they don't set foot on land.

But curious minds want to know if they alight on the water.

They do. The detail is in
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/specia...nter/alba.html
Apparently they can make shallow dives under water, and, if they land
on water, they can become trapped there - becalmed.

See also
How to Spy on an Albatross - tracking birds -
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...ch/ai_53939202

Breeding Season in Albatross Land
http://www.topp.org/blog/breeding_season_albatross_land

a lovely photo of an albatross
http://www.pnas.org/content/105/12.cover-expansion
and the article to which it refers - Evidence for olfactory search in
wandering albatross
http://www.pnas.org/content/105/12/4576

And a technical article with some amazing tracking maps -
Interpolation of animal tracking data in a fluid environment
http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/conten...cetype=H WFIG

Dan Johnson