australian gannet

One of the highlights of my January trip to Point Danger was seeing the gannets at various ages. These photos don’t do it justice – nothing can.

It is an experience that requires more then just one hour. I have no idea how to have more experiences like this, nor how I can afford it. Pelagics? All I know is that gannets are up there with red tailed black cockatoos.

This one has a little bit of green on its head. Any reason why?

And this one still has a downy patch amongst the newish black. (or the wrong way around. (I love, love, love watching the young.)

When gannets return to the nest, they greet each other by doing an activity called ‘bill fencing‘. The BBC calls “this gannet equivalent of kissing.” This is when they tap their bills against each others necks and faces to reaffirm their pair bond. It’s hard to describe and I may have misinterpreted it, but it is still an astonishing site to see.

My photos do not do the act justice. It is incredibly tender and beautiful. It cements why I love the species so much.

It is pretty obvious that I love photographing adults feeding chicks. It doesn’t matter what the species. I was only able to witness this a couple of times. I love how persistent the younger chicks are! It looks so much more comical due to their size. [Read more…] about Australasian Gannet Feeding Chick At Point Danger

Another of my favourite things to witness at Point Danger were the fights between individual gannets. I only saw a couple, but they were definitely a sight to behold! Watching normal fights are fascinating, but the sheer size of these birds leave you in awe. I think at one point one was pulling at another birds wing! In this video, you can see just how violent the gannets can be. (I think the birds in that video are a different species).

Melanie explained how the fights were mostly between the birds on the edge of the colony, who are the younger ones trying to establish their territory. Space is scarce so it is very competitive! I’m not sure if it is just the males who stay, or the age of the birds. Maybe first year?

Regardless, it was a highlight of the day. Something I would never have seen if I didn’t seek out a proper colony.

I’ve only ever seen one young gannet. I have no idea how old it was but it was flying by itself over Eastern Beach. I’ve always wanted to see some of the younger ones. At Point Danger, I got my wish.

It was phenomenal. Nothing compares to seeing the young of a species you are obsessed with. The birds were of varying ages and the parents were so doting. It was fascinating, especially as it is quite likely these chicks will be abandoned.

They had attempted breeding earlier in the season but it had been predated by foxes. It’s somewhat disturbing. Why put all that effort into raising chicks if you are just going to abandon them? Wouldn’t it make sense to skip a season and conserve energy?

It was also interesting to learn about the eggs. They are really small, the size of a hens egg. Apparently the kelp and pacific gulls steal and eat a lot of the eggs. I *never* would have learned this much just observing the colony by my own, or watching the ones at Popes Eye. I’d love to learn more about gannets or photograph a complete breeding cycle, but I’m not sure that is possible.

The early life story is quite interesting, though.

After 43 days a blind, naked chick hatches, and is fed and cared for by both parents.

The chicks grow rapidly. In the first week they develop white fluffy down, which is replaced during their second and third months by juvenile plumage. By 14 weeks the chicks weigh 3 kilograms, half a kilogram more than the parents, and they begin flapping and stretching their wings for hours each day.

via Te Ara 

Below are the photos of the chicks that I saw. I’ll be providing many more updates over the coming days.