Northern Gannets

In 2010 I spent August 10-17 in Newfoundland on a photo tour organized by Raymond Barlow. A few photos taken on that trip have appeared in Facebook but during a recent review of the topics covered in my blog, I was surprised to discover that there are no entries devoted to the trip. This entry is the first part of an effort to correct this omission by presenting several photos of Northern Gannets taken at the Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve. I found notes indicating Cape St. Mary's has 11,000+ nesting pairs of Northern Gannets, 10,000+ nesting pairs of Common Murre, 10,000+ nesting pairs of Black-legged Kittiwakes, 150+ nesting pairs of Razorbills, 60+ nesting pairs of Black Guillemot, and 1,000+ nesting pairs of Thick-billed Murre.


Nikon D300 with 500mm f/4 lens
1/3200 sec at f/4, ISO 250

The Northern Gannet, the largest member of the gannet family, usually spots prey when they are 20-30 meters above sea level. The wings are used as rudders during their high speed dive to control dive direction. The wings are closed just before they hit the water and their velocity carries them deep into the water and they can then swim even deeper to catch fish at depths not accessible to most other birds.


Nikon D300 with 500mm f/4 lens
1/3200 sec at f/5.6, ISO 200

Northern Gannets are mostly white, but have a yellow head, a long, pointed bill, and brown or black wingtips,


Juvenile Northern Gannet

Nikon D300 with 500mm f/4 lens and 1.7x teleconverter
1/2000 sec at f/5, ISO 200


Nikon D300 with 300mm f/4 lens and 1.4 x teleconverter
1/1000 sec at f/6.3, ISO 200


Nikon D300 with 300mm f/4 lens and 1.4 x teleconverter
1/1000 sec at f/6.3, ISO 200


Nikon D300 with 300mm f/4 lens
1/1250 sec at f/5.0, ISO 200


Nikon D300 with 500mm f/4 lens
1/5000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 200


Nikon D300 with 500mm f/4 lens
1/500 sec at f/5.0, ISO 200


The white specs are birds. Use this photo to interpret the next two.
Nikon D300 with 300mm f/4 lens
1/400 sec at f/11, ISO 200

Nikon D300 with 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 lens @ 18mm
1/160 sec at f/11, ISO 200


Nikon D300 with 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 lens @ 65 mm
1/320 sec at f/11, ISO 200



David Sparks

I retired in 2005 after 40 years of research and teaching at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (24 years), the University of Pennsylvania (8 years) and the Baylor College of Medicine (8 years). Photography is my retirement hobby.

Nature photography, especially bird photography, combines a number of things that I really enjoy: bird-watching, being outdoors, photography, travel, messing about with computers, and learning new skills and concepts.  I now spend much of my time engaged in these activities.

David Sibley in the preface to The Sibley Guide to Birds wrote "Birds are beautiful, in spectacular as well as subtle ways; their colors, shapes, actions, and sounds are among the most aesthetically pleasing in nature."  My goal is to acquire images that capture the beauty and uniqueness of selected species as well as images that highlight the engaging behaviors the birds exhibit.