Gannets in Dumfries and Galloway

Gannet

Our largest seabirds in the UK, gannets have a wingspan of up to 6 feet. A stocky white bird, with black wing tips, a strong pale grey beak and buff yellow head, these birds are often seen from rocky headlands in the summer. Their fishing technique is spectacular - plunge divers, they eye their prey from above, before dropping out of the sky and piercing the water like an arrow. They nest in large, noisy colonies on cliffs and islands around our coast through spring and summer, and return to the open seas for the winter.

The best place to see gannets is from the Mull of Galloway. They nest on the Scare Rocks, six miles offshore, and are regularly seen fishing and passing by close to the cliffs.