A plunging of gannets

Google reliably (!) informs me that one of the collective nouns for gannets is a 'plunging' of gannets. They certainly do plunge, swooping down at around 60 mph from a great height into the sea to catch fish. Interestingly though, these huge birds, whose wingspan is around 2 metres, also have the capacity to hover and twist acrobatically. It's a necessary skill when searching the crowded ledges for enough space to plant their feet, though when they actually plop down to earth, they do lack a certain grace!

There is a pungent aroma from the nest sites. So many birds produce a lot of guano, and the smell is rather unpleasantly like ammonia.

The gannet below had a beakful of grass, intending either to use it on its nest or perhaps to offer as a gift to its mate.

A young gannet glides around on the sea breeze, below. The young start off with black plumage and then gradually lose the black until only the wing tips are dark. They take about 5 years to reach maturity.

This one is putting the brakes on to land...