Gannet missile technology
As I child I read a book called Magic of the Senses by Vitus B. Droscher, a popular science exploration of the senses of animals. The basic theme I remember was that it doesn’t matter what humans have invented, animals got there first by evolution by natural selection. I think it did have atomic power as a noteworthy exception. I think of the first wonderment I had at realising the super-senses of animals whenever I see a Gannet diving.
Spectacular, aren’t they? Luckily this one is going to miss the unsuspecting Puffins below. This is the same bird a fraction of a second earlier:
Their ability to pitch a dive perfectly and to steer until the last minute before they fold their wings away is honed to perfection. The Gannets which didn’t pitch it perfectly clearly didn’t have as many baby Gannets in the next generation.
And this? A composite image with the phases of the dive superimposed on the landscape:
It’s Gannet missile technology.
More Gannets
Nestbuilding Gannet Gannet nests aren't really nests. They're a messy accumulation of sea plants, used for marking nesting territory as much as… read more
Hello down there Ever felt glad you're not a fish? This Northern Gannet was so close I felt I could reach out and… read more
Fresh white feathers over turbulent turquoise seas The rich eggy-yellow heads of Gannets are a constant delight as they sweep past the cliffs of Noup Head. The… read more
Diving Gannet and Noup Head It's a distant view of Noup Head lighthouse from the bay, but when I see a Gannet circling I know… read more
A drip of water There's a drip of water on this Gannet's beak. It's just spotted a fish below, so it'll shortly be completely… read more
Life and death on the waves Strange things happen in the natural world. Here's a photograph from a sequence that I'm still mentally processing. From left… read more
Fine adjustments When you're heading vertically downwards at an eye-bulging speed, aiming for a moving target, it's useful to be able to… read more
Extra nesting material It's a little late for this Gannet to start bringing back more seaplants to the nest. Their chick is already… read more
Hungry chick We're on the cliffs of Westray at Noup Head lighthouse, hanging over the edge again. I don't like heights. There's… read more