A glorious day with glorious Gannets! These spectacular birds are showing at very close quarters while gathering vegetation to supplement their nests.
With a wingspan of c6ft and a 3ft body, Gannets are probably the perfect target to practice photographing birds in flight! Add a moderate wind that causes them to slow down and also "hover" and a successful recipe is assured!
Gannets reach breeding maturity after five years and generally breed for the first time between years five and seven. Once a pair has been established, they remain loyal to each other for their life time and return to the same nest ledge every year. Immature Gannets can be seen around the cliffs where they often form "clubs" in order to learn from mature birds. Immature Gannets usually arrive around the cliffs much later than the breeding birds, but at the moment, good numbers are being observed, although the "clubs" have yet to be formed.
Year 4 Gannets showing classic "piano keyboard" markings
Year 3 Gannet
Great photos Kevin, thankyou
ReplyDeleteThank you.
ReplyDelete