On our trip to Great Saltee Island back in June we experienced a treasure trove of seabird life. We came for the puffins and were delighted by the gannets, but soon realised just how many more seabirds had made the Saltee Islands their summer home. These three razorbills had perched themselves on a rock right […]
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Ireland has some of the most significant gannet nesting colonies in Europe. I have visited a few of them now, including Little Skellig (Sceilig Bheag), the Bull Rock (An Tarbh) and now Great Saltee (An Sailte Mór). We came here for the puffins, but as Great Saltee has Ireland’s third largest gannet colony we simply […]
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I know I’m guilty of anthropomorphism with the behaviour of this little group of puffins, but you tell me if the one on the left isn’t having a bad day while the other two are trying to cheer her up? If you ever get the chance to visit a puffin rookery you will be in […]
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Just under two kilometres north east of Skellig Michael is its smaller sibling, ‘Little Skellig’ or ‘Sceilig Bheag’ in the native Irish tongue. I first laid eyes on Sceilig Bheag seven years ago and was introduced to the home of one of the northern hemispheres largest colonies of gannet, along with its incredible accompanying smell. […]
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These two beautiful gannets flying overhead, alongside the famous Bull Rock, showcase their reputation of Ireland’s most majestic seabird. Watching gannets feeding is amazing. After a period of circling, a gannet will hover about 6m above the water and then suddenly drop into a vertical plummet, diving into the sea. What is especially spectacular is […]
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