卷福带你领略英式世界 - 无尽汪洋 10

The greatest ocean wanderer,

最优秀的海洋漫游者，

with its two-metre wingspan,

其翼展长达两米

is the albatross.

它就是信天翁

To find enough food for its oversized offspring,

为其大个儿的后代找到足够的食物

this black-footed albatross may have travelled

这个黑脚信天翁可能已经

a staggering 6,000 miles across the open ocean

在远洋海域上飞行了近6000英里

looking for hot spots of squid and fish.

为寻找乌贼和鱼群

The albatross nest on the tiny Hawaiian islands of French Frigate Shoals.

信天翁筑巢在夏威夷群岛的弗伦奇弗里盖特礁脉

This island may be only half a mile long,

这个岛可能只有半英里长

but it provides a base for around 300,000 seabirds.

但它却是约30万只海鸟的大本营

With food so hard to come by in the open ocean,

在远洋海域食物稀缺

newly hatched sooty tern chicks are easy pickings for the larger frigate birds.

刚刚孵出的乌燕鸥幼雏就成了体型更大的军舰鸟容易下手的目标

For hours on end, they survey the nesting grounds,

一连数个小时 它们都在俯瞰观察栖息地

waiting for a chance to strike.

等待时机下手

A mother tries desperately to protect her helpless chick.

一个乌燕鸥母亲拼命地保护她无助的幼雏。

But an unguarded chick is desperately vulnerable.

但是一个无人看护的雏鸟非常脆弱

It's what the frigate has been waiting for.

这便是军舰鸟一直等待的时机

No wonder the crew of the ***** called them the "man-of-war" birds.

也难怪艾萨克斯号的船员称它们是战士鸟

For two weeks,

两个星期以来

the frigate birds keep up their relentless aerial assault

军舰鸟持续着无情的空中袭击

until finally the sooty tern chicks are old enough to get away.

直到乌燕鸥幼雏长大，能够自行逃脱