Gone Fishin’ (Part I)

I had a chance to watch and photograph two different seabirds fishing while on the south end of Plum Island, Massachusetts. The first were Northern Gannets. These birds are usually far off shore and we identify them by their shape and fishing technique. This day there were dozens of them fishing fairly close to shore. Several of them found a school of fish at the mouth of Plum Island Sound and I was able to get just less than 1/4 mile (400 meters) from them. They were so active that I was able to take lots of pictures. And although most were pretty bad and ultimately deleted, I did get some that captured the action.

Northern Gannets have a distinctive shape that is often compared to the Concorde SST that flew between New York and Paris. They are sleek and streamlined.

That last picture is oriented correctly. Gannets dive from a height and disappear completely into the water as they go for a fish. These two are homing in on their prey.

I did catch one all way to the splash!

They are amazing to watch, just like Olympic high divers.

Next: Part II with Caspian Terns.