You can see Shy Albatross from the beaches (Fairhaven and Moggs for sure) and from the Aireys Inlet cliffs. It is easier to find them with binoculars since often they are fishing hundreds of metres offshore.
Shy Albatross (image: James Orton)
Sometimes when the bird is faraway there is the question: gannet or albatross? Gannets fly higher and flap, albatross glide low above the waves. From above gannet wings are black and white and glossy in the sun; from above albatross wings are all dark and not glossy. Gannets often look like they are hurrying to somewhere else; albatross are always fishing and circling . If you are not sure, it is probably a gannet since they are much more common.
Australasian Gannet (image: Margaret Lacey
You can be at the car park at Sunnymead and see an albatross wheeling around, and concurrently hear a Rufous Bristlebird in the bush behind you. That is a special moment!
James Orton