Visiting the Gannet nesting site was so much fun. I didn’t get the picture I wanted, but I got something really cool, anyway.
Sometimes Gannets bring in nesting materials – sea weeds, grass, any rubbish they can pick up in the water. This one had got a great catch!
His lady wasn’t impressed though.
Their body language was so expressive and funny that I couldn’t stop smiling. I know, I humanize them too much, and it could be that the gift was totally accepted and relationship established. As to me, I have got many funny pictures.
The Gannet dances is something to see. I have some pictures of the courtship dances in my previous blogs, but this time I caught a single young male Gannet dancing like no one is watching.
I hoped to get a good picture of a landing Gannet, but they all landed in an opposite direction or sideways. Gannet is a huge bird that takes a whole frame to fit in, even diagonally.
I have got many ‘portraits’ and played with them in Photoshop.
This photograph of a landing Gannet is here to show you what exactly I wanted to capture: the bird ‘stalling’ in the air, its legs positioned towards the rear of the body, and its webbed feet stretched forward. Everything like in this picture, but from the front.
Another dance.
On every ledge of rock there is a nest made of seaweeds, feathers and multicolored bits of rope and fishing net. This female has a very young chick, featherless, with the dark blue skin.
This chick is at least two weeks old ball of fluffy down.
Gannets could be very aggressive, both males and females. In this picture you see two gannets trying to kill the third one. Its neck is almost snapped in half, and I don’t know about the outcome because we were leaving the colony at that time.
It is what I saw from the cliff when I turned back to look at the Gannet nesting site one more time. The main colony looks much smaller than last year. May be the sub-colony on the left side is growing bigger? I hope so. I stood there in awe – you cannot get used to the sight like this one. The air was filled with the sound of the wind, breaking waves, and the distant harsh cries of the Gannets. See you next year, beautiful birds!
A Youtube video for you to enjoy 🙂
Thank you for joining me in my trip!
More to follow.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Making memories 
Their markings are so finely detailed, Inese. You did a lovely job with these photos. Mega hugs my friend.
Thank you so much, Teagan! Hope all is well. Your new installment is wonderful, and it gave me some food for thoughts. Like, is Luci’s taste in choosing her wardrobe related to her gift? 😉
LOL, that would be an intriguing twist. Thanks for visiting me. I’m delighted you enjoyed the story. ❤ I was just hugely over-stressed, and feeling fragile, like glass… (my job). So I'm just trying to relax. The comments will be turned on as usual next weekend. More hugs. 🙂
Have a good weekend, take it easy! xx
Absolutely gorgeous!
Thank you! 🙂
I have thought about ‘humanizing’ as you mention and I have a sneaking suspicion there are some universal, what? emotions? Desires more probably. I know some birds are happy to see certain people, ones they are used to and feed them, for example. That is evident in their behavior; song and posture. I wouldn’t be concerned about humanizing them. However, the outfits some dress their dogs with………. 🙂 Great photos of the gannets!.
Haha, the dogs 🙂
I just wanted to tell that I might have misinterpreted the gannet courting ritual. Also, their faces look so funny to me, but I imagine they don’t think so about themselves 🙂
Fantastic, I think your humanizing Gannets is funny. I totally enjoy it. The accompanying pictures are awesome. Love those in flight and portrait one. Very nice!!!
Thank you so much for your kind comment! These birds are beautiful and funny at the same time 🙂
Those pictures are amazing — such clarity and artistry. I love the birds’ subtle shades of cream and their sleek shapes. They look as if they have a huge amount of personality, too.
The gannets look funny, but you should see them in action, when they go for a fish. I have read the they hit the surface at the speed of 100 m/h.
Wow, that’s amazing. They must be amazingly streamlined and aerodynamic to make such a high-speed dive.
Yes, they look like an arrow when they hit the water, I have seen pictures. Their anatomy is interesting too.
Beautiful, Inese. I love the photo of the gannet landing with the wings crooked. You’re right that they have some funny expressions. The one with the male where he’s looking right at you with all the nesting material stuffed in his mouth cracked me up. I can just hear him grumbling at being caught on film. 🙂
Diana, that funny gannet made my day 🙂 Ah, all of them are so amusing to watch. 🙂
Wow. Fabulous shots.
Thank you!
Awesome images! Just breath taking ….
Thank you so much, John! How are you doing these days. My heart aches for you.
I feel lost …
My heart goes out to you… I am in shock myself, never expected that to happen. Cling to your camera.
Enjoyed every frame, but your first image is magical.
Thank you! That guy was very impressive. I have never seen them bringing that much stuff. Must be love 🙂
Looking at these photos has made my day, Inese. Such beautiful, beautiful creatures! And I just love the guy with his mouth full of stuff… 🙂
Cynthia, it is the first time I see so much stuff in the gannet mouth. Usually, it is seaweed, or a twig. This guy is courting in style 🙂
In addition to the realistic beauty of your photos, I especially love the artistic one at the top of your post….all eyes and mouth in the white, white air….
Thank you! I just couldn’t resist 🙂 The twigs just asked for a drawing 🙂
I tend to humanize them as well, not just living creatures but even rocks or wind. : )
Oh we all are guilty of that 🙂 I wish I could read the real story behind that behavior.
Great shots! The gannets remind me of seagulls who can also be quite aggressive. I love the bit of blue “mascara” around their eyes.
Thank you so much for stopping by! Birdies can be quite fierce 🙂
They certainly, from your pictures, make a better fist of making a nest than the gulls of Dover who are, frankly useless at the task.
Most of sea birds have very spartan-looking nests. In my next blog, I have a few pictures of the seagull nests, with the eggs.
Crikey, you’ve not been taking pics of the gulls residing on our flat roof while we were out, have you?
Have my own 😦 They never sleep :(…
So, you have got chicks on your roof? That’s cool. We too have chicks somewhere, I hear them…
Jackdaw’s in the holes of next door neighbours redundant chimney; seagulls already fledged (sadly one got run over) and pigeons nesting under the solar panels of neighbour the other side. Plus a myriad of swifts, swallow and this very morn, unusual these days, a lonely song thrush. We are blessed presently although if I ever catch the bloody wood pigeons I’ll swing for them!
Swifts and swallows are lovely birds. Seagulls not so much. Their droppings are bad for your car roof, not really corrosive, but still leaving marks. And as I said, they never sleep. Neither would I if not for the earplugs.
Absolutely stunning photos and I really enjoyed learning about these birds! Thank you for sharing this! 🙂
Thank you for stopping by! More blog posts to follow 🙂
My pleasure… and great!
Thank you so much! 🙂
Fantastic post, Inese. I have enjoyed your Saltee Island adventures so much, this is an incredible bird migratory island, and you have really piqued my interest with your posts. The gannets are superb fliers, I’ve visited a colony like this in the Galapagos, and what a racket they make, and what fun to have the rare opportunity to observe them on land. your photos are terrific — much appreciated.
Thank you so much! Just watching them is such a delight. And the chicks! It is the best day of the year for me, for sure 🙂
These are just gorgeous photos.
Thank you! 🙂
Absolutely stunning, beautiful.
Thank you so much, Bob! It was so humbling to be in the midst of the colony. Such a beautiful world we have.
Incredible work. I never heard of gannets – now I not only know what they are, but how beautiful they can be. As for the aggression, I’ve seen house sparrows do the same thing to a male trying to steal the female, or to a larger bird (like a crow) trying to steal the eggs. Shocked the heck out of me the first time I saw it – I mean, these are sweet little birds who sing beautiful songs, right? Maybe so, but don’t mess with the family. There’s a lesson in there somewhere.
Haha, you are right, the first thought was – why, these beautiful noble creatures cannot just snap someone’s neck in half 🙂 Well, even the tiniest birdies can fight all right 🙂
They are so funny birds! 🙂
And your pictures are amazing!
Thank you so much! They are very funny, and a real delight to watch.
They are pretty birds when you see them close up. I remember from your puffin post that you don’t have a telephoto lens, though, so I hope you weren’t hanging off a cliff one-handed when you took the photographs. 🙂
Thank you Bun! To take the gannet pictures I just had to sit comfortably on a rock and use any lens I liked. The birds were just a couple of feet away.
That’s a relief! 😀