This is Bird Note. Blackfooted albatrosses are masters of the high seas and soar through the air,

but their fate is threatened by trouble on land. At their nesting grounds in Midway Atoll in Hawaii,

rising sea levels are washing away albatross nests and eggs.

But over 3,000 miles away, a surprising rescue operation has been underway since 2021.

On Isla Guadalupe in Mexico, laced albatrosses were nearly eradicated by feral cats before conservationists intervened in the 1980s.

Their successful recovery created a new opportunity, says marine ecologist Julio Hernandez.

He is leading an effort to relocate black-footed albatross eggs from Hawaii to the nests of latent foster parents in Mexico.

But do they notice?

When the hatch, they all look the same, cover in soft gray plumage that helps camouflage chicks.

And when the chicks start showing their true colors...

By then, four or five months have passed, and there's so much love and care already invested.

At that point, they don't care if the chick is black, white, or blue. That's their baby.

Julio says that the Laysen foster parent successfully fledged more than a hundred chicks in the first four years of the program.

After several years at sea,

many of the young black-footed albatrosses are already returning to Isla Wadalupe,

which may soon be home to two albatross species who were given a second chance.

For bird note, I'm Lucina Melesio.