Part of the gannet colony is in the background.


This and subsequent images were taken looking toward the mainland cliff perhaps 200 feet away.

The northern gannet is the largest seabird in the North Atlantic with a wingspan of 70 inches. Gannets normally nest in large
colonies on cliffs overlooking the ocean or on small rocky islands. The largest colony of this bird with over 60,000 birds is
found on Bonaventure Island, Quebec, but 68% of the world population breeds around the coasts of Great Britain.

Gannet pairs usually bond monogamously for life. They perform elaborate greeting rituals at the nest, stretching their bills and
necks skywards and gently tapping bills together. They mainly eat shoaling fish. They can plunge dive from a height of
130 feet, achieving speeds of 60 miles per hour as they strike the water, enabling them to catch
fish much deeper than most airborne birds. They spend most of their life at sea.