Northern Gannets gather at on Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve (a two hour drive from St. John’s Newfoundland).
We were lucky to have a clear, bright July day to watch thousands of gannets gather and nest on windy ‘Bird Rock’.
And I was lucky to have a 300 mm f 2.8 lens on an fast camera body to capture these images.
The Gannets could take off and land into the wind with precision, simply tilting the angle of their wings and lifting or lowering vertically. Like a Harrier jump jet!
We also had the chance to see the gannets plunge-dive for fish. They began about 30 metres in the air then dove head-first, knifing into the ocean at 100 kilometres per hour. Amazing!
(click image ↓ to enlarge )
Thousands of Northern Gannets gather at Bird Rock, Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve