1 out of 5 people in the United States identifying themselves as birders — 51.3 million, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. One of the fastest growing hobbies in the U.S., who knows what you might see when you pick up your binoculars and scope and head out into the field? Photo Courtesy
Northern Gannets are powerful and fast flying birds who are capable of gliding just above the surface of the water for hours – though they are not as efficiently built for takeoff and landing. Though they tend not to fly over the Project Puffin islands, they are often sighted diving for fish offshore or cruising
An example of the photography of Allan Cruickshank, one of the first instructors at the Hog Island Audubon Camp. Photo Courtesy Of: The Friends of Hog Island’s Photostream on Flickr
Unlike other members of the bobby family, Northern Gannets never rest on land away from their breeding colony i.e. gannetry. Found nesting on steep cliffs or offshore islands, these birds choose isolation in order to protect their young from predators. Photo Courtesy Of: anythingavian By Jamie-MacArthur
“Bill stout, pale blue, tending to gray-blue; mandibles serrated, with black nasal grooves on each side of upper mandible; tip of upper mandible downcurved and slightly overhanging lower mandible. Bare skin of face and gular-stripe dark blue-gray, orbital ring of eye cobalt blue, and iris clear, pale blue-gray with a fine, dark outer ring.” (Source:
