KILDARE WILDLIFE WATCH: Gannets under serious threat from bird flu

While this weeks species is not one we will see in our gardens in any midland county, it has made the headlines in recent weeks — the Gannet (Gainead as Gaeilge).

Gannets are large coastal birds that are resident in Ireland and found breeding on islands off Ireland’s wild coast.

BirdWatch Ireland share that the largest colony can be found on Little Skellig in Co. Kerry with 26,000 nests recorded during the Seabird Nesting Survey, 2000. The adults have white feathers with black wingtips and a yellow colourage on the head and neck.

They have a long neck and long pointed beak, tail and wings. Their legs are black while their beak is black with some blue. The adult female will lay one chunky chalky blue coloured egg which she keeps warm with her webbed feet.

The juveniles begin their life with black, brown and white feathers. Their main diet is fish, with small groups often observed hunting together.

The Gannet is famous for circling its prey at a height and then diving into the cold waters to catch their meal. The Gannet can start at 30 metres above the waters surface and reach an impressive speed of 100km/h as they dive.

This speed is important as it helps them to dive to a much deeper depth than other birds.

You might think how do they not hurt themselves?

Well cleverly they have air sacs in their face and chest which act like bubble wrap cushioning them when they first hit the water.

Gannet populations are considered to be Amber, that is a moderate conservation concern in Ireland. BirdWatch Ireland issued a press release detailing a threat, the highly pathogenic Avian Influenza.

Due to the conlonial breeding behaviour of Gannets they are vulnerable to transmission of this disease.

As many of us visit coastal areas at the weekends BirdWatch Ireland don’t recommend you handle sick or dead wild birds but advise you report your sighting to the Department of Agriculture through their website.

If you come across a wildlife species that you would like help identifying contact me at bogs@ipcc.ie.