Automated techniques for measuring meal size in great albatrosses
Periodic weighing of seabird chicks is labour-intensive and repeated handling can cause high levels of disturbance to chicks. Although automatic weighing systems using a fibreglass nest have been designed for albatross species with a pedestal nest made of mud, this approach is inappropriate for great albatross species (genus Diomedea) whose nests consist of a low mound of soil and vegetation. We developed an automatic weighing technique, using a digital scale beneath a natural nest, to remotely measure meal size in great albatrosses.