Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus)

These photos were taken on a boat trip organised by the Scottish Seabird Centre, North Berwick (www.seabird.org) to see Bass Rock close up - one of the main Gannet breeding colonies in the UK, and the origin for the Latin name. These birds are highly efficient flyers and divers and are a truly spectacular sight when you get a chance to see them in close proximity. Their bullet like body, huge wing-span of neary 6ft, and colouration give them a unique place amongst our UK seabirds, and watching them dive at 90mph for fish is just fantastic.