On Saturday 1st Feb a single gannet touched down on Les Etacs, over a week earlier than the first arrival in 2019. However, after strong winds and wet weather this gannet had also left again on the 2nd, joining the hundreds of other birds circling above the rocks or sitting on the sea surrounding them.
Once the birds land their breeding season begins, and the process of finding a nest site, often the same as a previous year unless they manage to get higher up the rocks to the more desirable locations, which is where you find the fitter pairs. They may add more material to the nest to build it up if any was washed away during the winter storms – as the AWT showed much of the material they now bring back is plastic.
Pairs which were formed in previous years will reunite - gannets have a very low divorce rate – and courtship will begin to re-establish their pair bond.
This year the AWT will follow some of the birds on Les Etacs closely, and we will be updating you when certain behaviours can be seen though the season, for example as more land and begin courtship, nest building, egg laying and hatching chicks. Observations of any entanglements in net and line will also be reported, to see if this affects any of ‘our’ birds. We hope you enjoy our gannet 2020 updates!