Feathered friends opt for same-sex nests

Wisdom, a Laysan albatross, has reached the age of 68. According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the world’s oldest known bird arrived back at her breeding colony on Midway Atoll in November. She had laid an egg by December 3rd. This season’s chick may be her 37th.

Midway, a 6km2 coral island near Hawaii, is named for its location, half way longitudinally around the world from Greenwich. A crucial sea-battle was fought there during the 2nd World War; one American and four Japanese aircraft carriers were sunk. The albatross colony on the atoll, with over a million pairs, is the largest in the world.