The Gannets of Bass Rock

I see Bass Rock from the end of our road in Dunbar almost every day.  I've seen the transformation from barren rock to a sea of white as the Northern Gannets returned in the spring.  Bass Rock is home to the largest single island colony of Gannets in the world, and the Northern Gannet's scientific name reflects this status - Morus bassanus.

The Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick runs boat trips out to the islands off the East Lothian coast, including a special landing on Bass Rock, for which numbers are strictly limited.  I had been booked on a trip out to the island last week from Dunbar Harbour, but the trip was cancelled due to weather.  

However yesterday morning the rescheduled trip from North Berwick Harbour went ahead and I joined eight other explorers and our guide from the Scottish Seabird Centre on the boat at 6am for the 30 minute run out to Bass Rock. 

The trip over doesn't seem that long because there is plenty to see with Gannets, Cormorants, Puffins, Razorbills and Gulls all feeding in the North Sea.  It isn't until the boat approaches the island that you get the full impact of this natural spectacle.  There are Gannets everywhere and the cacophony of the Gannet calls is almost overwhelming.

Making our way off the boat we followed our guide, James, up the narrow path, carefully avoiding the Gannets nesting close to the walkway as they are very protective of their areas and their beaks are quite sharp.  We also had to avoid Gull nests with eggs littering the ground.

We climbed up past the lighthouse, which has been fully automated since 1988, and the old prison buildings on up to what James described as Base Camp, which is next to the ruined chapel.  This was as far as we were able to go because of the nesting birds.  James underlined the rules which were to move slowly when approaching the nesting birds and to keep low, don't loom over the top of them.

I set about taking images of the various birds on the Fujinon 55-200mm and also on the 10-24mm wide angle zoom.  The wide angle got a lot of use because we were allowed to get very close to the nests.  I also attached the X-T1 to the tripod and using the 10-24mm I set the camera to remote operation using the WiFi mode on the camera.  This allowed me to use my Smart Phone to see what the camera was seeing and control the camera for stills or video (I did both).  Having the camera working remotely allowed me to get the Fuji closer to the birds than if I was hand holding the camera.

After an hour I decided to move down the hill to the lighthouse and the old prison buildings, before heading back to the jetty area to wait for the boat with the rest of the party.  We had about 3 hours on the island, which was just long enough but I could've stayed for longer.

However the spectacle wasn't over as the skipper of the boat and his mate threw fish into the water to attract the birds.  The Gulls came first but the Gannets soon followed and we were treated to diving lessons with a difference as the birds plunged into the water from all angles.  It was sometimes hard to keep up with where the Gannets were coming from.

After that we headed back to North Berwick.  The timing was just right as the rain that had been on the weather forecast arrived as I climbed back into the car to drive back to Dunbar.

The Bass Rock Landing trips are booked up well in advance and you have to be aware that there is a chance that it will be cancelled due to the weather conditions. However I rate this as one of the best wildlife experiences I have ever had, alongside the whale watching trips in South Africa and Canada and the White Tailed Sea Eagle trip on the Isle of Mull.  

I have also produced a short video from the clips I shot on the Fujifilm X-T1.

For more details on the various boats trips run by the Scottish Seabird Centre CLICK HERE

One of the other Seabird Centre boat trips out to the Isle of May

Arriving Back into North Berwick Harbour

Images taken on a Fujifilm X-T1 and X-Pro1 + Fujinon XF10-24mm f4R OIS and Fujinon XF55-200mm f3.5/4.8R LM OIS

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