The Gannet is the largest of our seabirds with a wingspan up to 6ft, it is also a very imposing bird being white with black legs and black wing tips. It is one of the few web-footed birds to have all four toes united by a web, which betrays its relationship to the pelican.

 

Also known as the Solan Goose these birds are often seen feeding off the coast before returning to their nesting grounds on the island of Sula Sgeir. The name Gannet has a long lineage, ultimately deriving from the same root as goose and gander. It has been in use since Anglo-Saxon times. Solan Goose comes from the Icelandic Sula which is still in use today.Gannets spend most of their lives on the open sea feeding on shoaling fish, when feeding, they fly high in the air before plunging into the sea at speeds of up to 100km/h (60mph) – an extensive network of air sacs between the muscles and skin cushion the impact. 

 

The only time Gannets come ashore is during the breeding season when thousands of birds come ashore and set up huge colonies on remote islands. When a pair have located a nest site on a cliff ledgee both birds will go about building a nest from materials such as seaweed and flotsam, most birds pair for life and will often return to the same nest site year after year.

 

Like most British birds gannets are legally protected, with one interesting and historic exception. Along with Fulmars, Gannets were among the birds for which legal allowance was made because of their ancient role in the economy of small Scottish islands. It is for this reason that there has been a strong link between the Gannet and the people on Ness and specifically a group of Ness men known as ‘The Guga Hunters'.