I was very fortunate to get the opportunity to land on the Bass Rock on the Firth of Forth on 25 May. It is an iconic island that is home to the world’s largest gannet colony. I never thought I would have the chance to spend time on the island, let alone photograph gannets on it.
As the boat approaches, your senses are hit by the noise of the gannets & the smell. Your sight will be blown away by the volume of gannets flying around, as the rock gets closer & closer.
We spent 3 hours photographing the gannets and were guided by Maggie Sheddon, from the Seabird Centre, whose knowledge of these amazing birds was invaluable.
The number of birds is down on previous years due to last year’s avian flu. However, research lead by the RSPB that came out on 4 May 2023, confirms that many birds have survived avian flu and a remarkable indicator of this is that the survivors now have one iris that is black, as opposed to their normal pale blue colouring. You can clearly see this in some of the photos below.
It was an incredible trip and one that I was very grateful to have experienced.
PLEASE CLICK ON ANY PHOTO BELOW TO ENLARGE THE SLIDESHOW