Gannets in the Spotlight! Part 2
I am picking up right where we left off from the last post… right after I took that last shot of the young chick flapping his or her wings! I looked to my left and could see just beyond some bushes that the sun was just kissing the top of a huge rock and that some gannets were in that spotlight! I quietly moved about 5 feet to my left and was able to stay crouched behind one of the bushes for a beautiful line of vision! The light was truly spectacular and there were only a few gannets there so I had a chance for some nice clean shots… I hope you enjoy!! Just how beautiful are these birds???
And then I had a shadow pass over and in front of me and I looked up to see one heading in for a landing right on that rock !!!
Incredible!!! I realized after he landed I had been holding my breath the entire time that I was photographing him coming in for a landing!!!
And then he stopped for a rest just behind the bush…
I then looked slightly further to my left to see this very touching display between this pair…
Generally it is the male who puts his neck back in this position so that his beak can stretch straight up towards the sky …
After this gorgeous and touching display I decided it was time to head back in the ATV with Grace and enjoy a slow ride back to try to capture some landscapes. I have to say - it was incredibly hard to pull myself away but I also knew every inch of our ride back was absolutely stunning…
This first shot is very close to where we had parked the ATV and then walked over to our spot to watch the gannets…
This next shot is as we were leaving the Pacific behind us I turned around to take this…
I then asked Grace to stop the ATV so that I could turn around and snap this shot to show you the trail we had taken out to the gannets -
And then a little further along on our ride back we stopped so that I could snap these…
I’d like to end with this photo of Grace and by thanking her for an unforgettable lifetime experience!! Thank you so much, Grace!!!