The sight, noise and some might say, smell of a colony of Gannets is one to behold. They live in large colonies, breeding on the edges of coastal cliffs and spending the rest of the year at sea.
They are fascinating birds with many special features:
* Diving from a great height for fish, they are protected from the impact of the water by little air sacs under their skin of their face and chest. These act act as protection from the impact of hitting the sea, like mini inflated airbags.
*They can achieve dive speeds of up to 62mph which enables them to catch fish a much greater depth than most airborne birds.
*Their nostrils are actually in their mouth (its never pleasant getting water up your nose when you jump into water!)
*Gannets do not reach maturity until they are five years old. The young are completely black and gradually moult each year until they become the classic white with yellowish heads.
These photos were taken at one of my all time favourite places to visit Bempton Cliffs.
