A Gander at Gannets

[JohnRostron]

Reminds me of my first encounter with the Gannets at Les Etacs off Alderney in the Channel Islands (off France). You follow the route down a valley, and just before you actually see them you are hit with a wall of sound! Unfortunately a few minutes earlier my camera battery gave out! It was a new one so I had not yet bought a spare. Les Etacs is probably the most accessible Gannetry in Europe. It is a rocky islet just 500m offshore.

I did get a later view from the clifftop showing the colony. Note that this was in September, after the breeding season:


John

[Tronhard]

Hi John
HOW frustrating for you!!! Gannets DO seem to like being in an isolated spot, like most bird colonies I guess. The one at Muriwai is conveniently located on a headland about 300m from a car park, easily accessible by road, and MOST SIGNIFICANTLY about 600m from a really excellent café!

I must say that I agree about the sound, it comes to you very suddenly. I will add that after the first couple of months of occupation one is also hit by a pungent smell of bird poop!

[Donald]

Others have said it already, but let me just add my compliments. Gannets are birds you can stand/sit watching for hours. They are amazing, beautiful creatures and your images do them justice ... as well as every other form of intelligent life shown + the fishermen.

[Tronhard]

While not in any way belittling my respect for others who have commented, coming from you Donald, with the respect I have for your work, I am humbled by your gracious compliment... Thank you very much

I am not too sure about the intelligence of some of the life forms swarming the lookouts and ignoring the wildlife though... I know that people from Asia are used to dealing with being in closer proximity in crowd than most Europeans, but I was taken aback when I was trying to follow a bird and felt a blow on my forehead. A chap had reached over my head on each side to use his cell phone to take a photo. I counted to ten and held my tongue, but I did tell off a bunch of others who dumped their coffee cups and food wrappers on the benches at the lookout.

I was very frustrated that the visitors, most of whom were from China and Korea (I recognized the dialects), did not look at the interpretative displays. Then I looked at them again myself and I understood... of course they were all in just English! I passed this comment on to my partner, who is an Asian studies professor at Auckland University, and she had an idea for an app that could be made available at sites with different languages available to at least tell people what they were looking at - I hope it comes to fruition as I want visitors to be engaged as much as possible with their surroundings.

Others have said it already, but let me just add my compliments. Gannets are birds you can stand/sit watching for hours. They are amazing, beautiful creatures and your images do them justice ... as well as every other form of intelligent life shown + the fishermen.

[Donald]

I am not too sure about the intelligence of some of the life forms swarming the lookouts and ignoring the wildlife though...

I know the feeling. I had the same experience on the shores of Tenaya Lake in Yosemite. Not sure what the Chinese tourists made of my wild Highland utterances telling them that feeding the chipmunks or any other animal was strictly a no-no.

What was interesting was the apparent lack of interest in what was around them and a complete fascination with taking lots and lots of pictures of each other.

[Tronhard]

I had it explained to me that for many people in China, to be able to go on an overseas vacation was a REALLY big deal, consequently they are inclined to take photos to essentially prove that they visited all the places they did by showing themselves in the same photo. Combine that with the current (IMHO) narcissistic fixation with selfies (e.g. this is me obscuring the Grand Canyon!) and you have a recipe for what we experienced. I would hate to see a photo show of their trip...

I am not going to put the blame on Asian cultures either, when I was in Victoria I came across a group of Anglo-Saxon US citizens obviously off one of the many cruise ships that visit. They were taking photos of each other by an enormous map of the city and harbour area. We were literally beside the main terminal for ferries to Seattle and the harbour extended along the road they were on. They did however look perplexed so I asked them if they were trying to find something. They replied that they were trying to find the harbour. I pointed over their shoulder and they then asked how to get there. I explained that, as shown on the giant map and the ones each of them carried, that if they followed the road they would inevitably come to the harbour and the centre of town. The next question was, "what was there to do in Victoria?" Knowing the tourism material available on the net, and on the ships both in multimedia and paper form I was taken aback again. I asked what their interests were and their response was "We don't know, we're from California", as if that explained everything... Go figure.

I know the feeling. I had the same experience on the shores of Tenaya Lake in Yosemite. Not sure what the Chinese tourists made of my wild Highland utterances telling them that feeding the chipmunks or any other animal was strictly a no-no.

What was interesting was the apparent lack of interest in what was around them and a complete fascination with taking lots and lots of pictures of each other.

[skitterbug]

Hi Trev,

Your pictures are a joy to see! I hope the fisherperson did survive but some never learn, I suppose.

And I have to admit, I had to chuckle when I read the following from your post:

The next question was, "what was there to do in Victoria?" Knowing the tourism material available on the net, and on the ships both in multimedia and paper form I was taken aback again. I asked what their interests were and their response was "We don't know, we're from California", as if that explained everything... Go figure.

My favorite pic? Gosh - they are all great!
For attitude though, there is this one. I can almost imagine this bird saying, "What are you doing over there? Eh?"

[Tronhard]

Hi Sandy (et al.)

There have been fatalities of late. In one of NZ's greatest recent maritime tragedies, on December 1st of this year, a charter fishing boat attempted to cross the bar into Karipara Harbour (a bit north of where I was at Muriwai) in stormy weather. It capsized and 8 of the 11 occupants were drowned. It appears none were wearing life jackets. They were the male bread-winners of Pacific Islands families living in NZ and they and their incomes have gone, leaving devastated families. It was a great and absolutely avoidable tragedy, but it shows what can happen when people don't respect the sea.

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks for you comments Dan. Did you go to Tiri Tiri Matangi, the bird sanctuary island in Auckland?...

We did not make it to the island, Trev. Too little time and too much to do.

[skitterbug]

Your picture shows how treacherous the sea can be. It tells the story! But the event you relate is tragic. I wonder when mankind will learn to avoid that battle, that will likely be lost, when we come head to head with a ferocious "Mother Nature"?

[Tronhard]

Ah, I can relate to that. NZ is a lot bigger than one would expect at first glance. It is also extremely dense in things to look at and photograph! I think you should make a return visit!

We did not make it to the island, Trev. Too little time and too much to do.

[IzzieK]

Staring down the barrel of retirement I have actually thought of doing that as a job for people who come on cruise ships, wanting great photos but with limited time and knowledge to get them. When I move back to NZ next year I shall have to ponder the possibilities...

Might take you on this one when I go over for a visit to Oz sometime next year...will get in touch with you when it is nearly time.

[Tronhard]

You would be most welcome, you just have to make that 2000km final jump. Based on our current geological activity, NZ is sprinting away from Australia at a pace!