T he northern gannet (Morus bassanus) is the UK’s largest seabird. With a wing span of 1.8 m it is the largest seabird found in the North Atlantic. Vast colonies of these birds are found on the islands off Canada’s east coast near the Gulf of St Lawrence. However, the biggest colonies occur in western Europe. Bass Rock in the North Sea is estimated to home around 150 000 birds. Their range spreads from the equator to northern Russia with breeding colonies largely in their northern territories. The birds are dependent on access to mackerel and herring shoals, influenced by the Gulf Stream.
Gannets breed from April to mid-June, raising just one chick a year. Pairs are monogamous and re-bond with each other each year after returning from migration. Gannets demonstrate ‘differential migration’. A 2009 study of ringed birds from the Channel Islands showed that younger birds travelled further and were more likely to travel south than their older relatives.
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