Margaret the Novice
Gannet juvenile Bempton 24.7.2016 (1)
What a way to spend time just watching the gannets at Bempton.
Constant entertainment and such variety provided you are prepared to just stand and watch and have the occasional point and click if you want to record what you see..
These juveniles take five years to lose their juvenile plumage and moult an adult set but the transfer from fledgling to adult is fraught with danger.
Hatched high up on a cliff face and marooned there for many weeks they reach a size bigger than their parents.
They then jump of from that great height into the sea and from then on they have to learn to feed and fly with the narrowest of windows of opportunity. The fat built up while on the cliff ledge helps them though this difficult period.
Mortality is high but thankfully gannet numbers are slowly rising so the delights that excited us will continue to delight others after we have gone.
Gannet juvenile Bempton 24.7.2016 (1)
What a way to spend time just watching the gannets at Bempton.
Constant entertainment and such variety provided you are prepared to just stand and watch and have the occasional point and click if you want to record what you see..
These juveniles take five years to lose their juvenile plumage and moult an adult set but the transfer from fledgling to adult is fraught with danger.
Hatched high up on a cliff face and marooned there for many weeks they reach a size bigger than their parents.
They then jump of from that great height into the sea and from then on they have to learn to feed and fly with the narrowest of windows of opportunity. The fat built up while on the cliff ledge helps them though this difficult period.
Mortality is high but thankfully gannet numbers are slowly rising so the delights that excited us will continue to delight others after we have gone.