California IN BRIEF : REDDING : Albatross Found Dead on Inland Lake

The Whiskeytown Lake albatross, which thrilled bird-lovers with its mysterious inland appearance, has died. The large sea bird was found floating dead by bird-watchers more than a week after it arrived. National Park Service rangers recovered the Laysan albatross’s body, and wildlife biologists in Sacramento will try to determine why the animal died. Laysan albatrosses are an open-ocean species that rarely come into sight of land. The wayward bird, with a 6 1/2-foot wingspan, was spotted March 15 at Whiskeytown Lake, which is about 150 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Its appearance marked only the third time a Laysan albatross had been seen on an inland body of water in California. The animal attracted bird-watchers from all over Northern California and southern Oregon.