In July, Europe’s only albatross returned to Yorkshire, England. Nicknamed Albie, the unique albatross is believed to have been living in the northern hemisphere since 2014. He’s so famous that his annual flights are tracked by scientists, zoologists, and the media. But Albie’s fame comes for a less-than-happy reason: he’s the “world’s loneliest albatross.”

The Lonely Seagull

Albert, also known as Albie, is an Albatross, the largest and most common bird in the albatross family. Albie has no physical characteristics that distinguish it from the millions of other birds of its species. However, it is known for its puzzling existence: Albie lives in Europe.

Albie is a medium-sized black-brown albatross, currently around 10 years old, with a wingspan of 200-240 cm. His gender is still unknown, although he has been given a rather masculine name.

The albatross, or any kind of albatross, is never found in Europe or the northern hemisphere. The albatross is a sea bird and can only live in the southern hemisphere. The albatross lives mainly in the South Atlantic and North Pacific. Yet somehow, the Albie appeared in the middle of Europe, on land, in the northern hemisphere and has been there for many years.

It is believed that Albie was blown away by the strong equatorial winds and was unable to return to his home region because of the great distance. No matter how many years he flew, Albie could not return to the sea. It is unlikely that he will ever return home because the equatorial winds are quite light, and the chance of encountering a strong enough wind to “blow” Albie back to the southern hemisphere is too slim.

Albatrosses are known to be monogamous, meaning that pairs mate for life and can sometimes stay together for up to 70 years of their lives. As the only albatross in Europe, Albie will never find a mate or even any friends in his lifetime.

The journey was followed by the whole world

Albie the albatross was a regular sighting at the RSPB’s Bempton Cliff Nature Reserve last summer and has now returned after a period of flying around the surrounding area. Albie has been closely monitored since he was accidentally spotted by scientists in 2014.

Although it is free to live in the wild, because it is the only albatross in Europe, Albie’s whereabouts are still very easy to discover. Following Albie’s journey has become a hobby for many people who love to research birds in particular and animals in general. Even famous people have visited Albie when it was discovered living permanently at Bempton Cliff Nature Reserve such as writer Bill Oddie, actor Samuel West, etc. Albie is a “tourist attraction” of this reserve. People want to come to Bempton Cliff just to find “the loneliest albatross in the world” spreading its wings in the sky.

Albie’s solitary travels are fairly regular. Apart from his regular winter residence at Bempton Cliff, he has been spotted near the North Sea in Germany and in northern Europe.

Bempton Cliffs RSPB Nature Reserve is home to half a million seabirds. Albie is occasionally seen in the company of duckbills, razorbills and penguins, but there is no one else of his kind who can truly accompany him. Yet Albie is still alone, free and proud in the sky, continuing his solo journey forever.