Nimbus: The Story of a Young Wandering Albatross by David Harding

Nimbus was a young Wandering Albatross returning to the colony for the first time, after
roaming the world's oceans for five years, to find the rookery in turmoil; Whitewing, the colony
leader, had failed to return thus leaving the position open to all, including him despite
the fact he still wasn't old enough to mate.
But if he took part in the flight to see
who could get the highest and stay there an hour could he survive the nasty
tactics of some other birds, especially Whirlwind, trying to put him out of
the competition?