The Department of Conservation-managed colony on Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula, had a rocky start to the breeding season when four eggs were stolen from their nests, horrifying staff.
Despite the suspected poacher escaping without a trace, Otago Peninsula Trust ecotourism manager Hoani Langsbury said 41 eggs were ready to hatch around the end of the month.
"That’s a normal amount, a bit on the high side, but it’s been increasing for years; it’s about the number we expect," Mr Langsbury said.
The stolen eggs represented about 10% of the total produced during the breeding season and their whereabouts was still unknown.
He said the birds had laid a similar number of eggs over the last couple of years, but it was time to "wait and see" how the chicks would fledge.
Breeding season and egg laying had begun two weeks earlier than expected, he said.
Mr Langsbury said he believed the first albatross chick fledged in the region in 1936, and the colony was continuing to grow with the help of Doc and staff at the Royal Albatross Centre.
Many of the previous issues the birds had faced during the breeding season were dealt with again this year, including heatstroke, which killed one adult albatross and one chick in 2008, or flystrike, when flies lay eggs in newly cracked eggs and the maggots eat the flesh of the newly hatched bird.
Each of the nests contained a small sprinkler that would enable the birds to stay cool in the summer heat, he said.
Mr Langsbury said to prevent flystrike, Doc staff would remove the eggs from the nest about three days before they were expected to hatch and begin incubating them for the following two or three days before they were out in the air again, preventing flies from getting to them.
"With flystrike no longer being a concern it means less human intervention is required," he said.
He said the biggest issue facing the colony at present was the dry summer season and the risk of fires.
"I looked at my rain gauge a couple days ago and over the last three weeks we’ve had 3mm to 6mm of rain, so the grass is getting really dry."
The entire headland was smokefree to prevent fires from getting out of control as first responders often took up to 20 minutes from Portobello, he said.
The other concerns faced by the colony were the public interferring with the birds.
Mr Langsbury had simple advice for the public.
"Don’t touch albatrosses, just don’t touch any seabird ... If you see a bird in trouble call the Department of Conservation."
