Gannets

Taken in 2023 at RSPB Bempton Cliffs home to one of the largest mainland colonies in the country. The size of a goose, the northern gannet is the largest of our seabirds. Bright white with a black-tipped six foot wingspan, a creamy orange head and a long dagger-like bill, these plunge-diving birds are mesmerising. At their nest sites they can look almost clumsy, but it’s when they are hunting that gannets are at their most impressive. Gathering in large numbers over the waves, marvel as they hover over a shoal of fish, turning and folding their wings before plummeting head first into the water. All photos copyright Mike Cave 2025.