Gannet Rescue

As well as offering a first class trip for bird-watchers, photographers and sightseers alike, Chris and Pat also do their bit to preserve the gannet colony, carrying on the work that their father, Fred Marr, had been doing for forty years.

In the height of the breeding season young gannets can fall out of the nest. If this happens the parent birds make no attempt to find or feed them and left alone, they would either drown or starve.

They are brought ashore on Sula II and as long a supply of fish can be sourced, they can be fed until they are fully fledged. For some of the birds, this will take several weeks. Some young birds require a medical examination and perhaps treatment for dehydration, infection, injury or at worst euthanasia might be necessary. We are very grateful to the Dunedin Veterinary Centres at North Berwick and Tranent for their interest in the birds’ welfare and their professional approach. (For further details, please visit www.dunedinvets.co.uk)

There can often be as many as 25-30 young birds in the garden, ranging in age from 4 weeks through to 19 weeks when they are ready to be released.