Granddad’s Camera
Gannet, as it appears in the game

No.057 · Birds · Common

Gannet

Morus bassanus

Britain's biggest seabird: a dazzling white bird with black wingtips that folds into a spear and plunges into the sea from height.

When to look

April to October, mostly at dawn and day.

Time of day

Best time
Spring to autumn, watching the sea from the headlands. In 2024 the count off Skomer peaked in September–October.
Where in the game
the Pembrokeshire coast (sea and clifftop)
Size
87–100 cm
Wingspan
170–180 cm
Weight
About 3 kg
Lifespan
Typically 17 years once breeding; oldest ringed bird 37 years (BTO)
Population
295,000 nests in the UK (BTO, 2013–14). Grassholm, the biggest gannet colony in Wales, fell from 34,491 pairs in 2022 to 16,482 in 2023, a 52% drop after bird flu (RSPB Cymru census)
Status
Amber list, UK Birds of Conservation Concern (BTO); Red list in Wales since the 2024 review (Birds of Conservation Concern in Wales)

Diet

Shoaling fish such as mackerel and herring, caught in plunge dives

Habitat

Open sea; nests in dense colonies on cliffs and rocky islands

Breeding

One egg per year, incubated for 42–46 days by both parents. The chick fledges after 84–97 days

Field signs

  • A huge white bird with black wingtips, cruising over the sea
  • A sudden, steep dive that ends in a white splash
  • A long neck and long, pointed bill and tail
  • Yellowish head in adults; young birds are dark brown and speckled

Did you know?

  • Grassholm, 11 miles off St David's Head, held about 6% of the world's gannets before 2022; bird flu then cut the colony by 52% in a year.
  • A gannet's bill and skull are built to take the impact of plunge dives from height.
  • On Skomer in 2024 the monthly gannet maximum peaked at 205 in September and 200 in October, then fell away in November, probably as Grassholm's birds left.

Moments worth waiting for

  • Plunge-dive April to October, day and dawn
    A gannet circles high, folds its wings and drops like a spear, striking the water in a burst of white spray.

Photo tip

Sit on a headland facing the wind on a bright day, use 300–600 mm and pre-focus on the water where a bird has just folded its wings. Shoot bursts at 1/2000 s. Keep the sun over your shoulder for white feathers against a blue sea.

Be a good naturalist

Watch from the coast with binoculars. Do not approach the colony on Grassholm (landing needs permission) and keep boats well back. If you find a dead or sick seabird, do not touch it: report it, because bird flu has hit gannets hard.

The law

Protected as a wild bird under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Grassholm is an RSPB reserve and Special Protection Area

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