A chorus of bells, chimes and cell phone ring tones in Dunedin this afternoon.

It's the traditional welcome for the Royal Albatross.

The first birds are due back on the Otago Peninsula, the world's only mainland breeding colony for the species.

A "welcome back" banner will fly outside the Mayor's office, and bells will ring across the city at 1PM.

Barker says the event marks the changeover in the albatross' two-year breeding cycle.

"They raise their chicks and they lose about 25 percent of their body weight so then they have a year off and head overseas, generally to Chile and then they circumnavigate the world looking for a feed before they come back."

Otago Peninsula Trust spokesperson Sophie Barker says it's a long-held tradition.

"Every year it gets bigger and bigger and more and more schools and churches and people join in and they get their ring tones going on their phones as well so the city is very noisy."