First Gannets of the year return to Bass Rock for spring

The first gannets of the year have returned to Bass Rock, home to the largest colony of Northern gannets on the planet.

The gannets left the Rock, off the coast of North Berwick, in October to spend the winter in warmer seas, some travelling as far as the west coast of Africa. 

Their return to the Bass is a welcome sign of spring as we move towards the start of the seabird breeding season.

Visiting the Bass Rock in peak breeding season is one of the greatest seabird spectacles in the world and a bucket list trip for many wildlife photographers. 

The Scottish Seabird Centre runs exclusive landing tips to the island, allowing you to immerse yourself in the sights, sounds, and smells of this incredible nesting colony.

A Northern Gannet on the Bass Rock © Jamie McDermaid

The trips were halted during the outbreak of avian flu in 2023, and again in 2024 due to storm damage on the island. But the Centre is delighted that the landing trips will be able to resume this year.

‘It’s always wonderful to see the gannets returning to the Rock,’ Gannet expert and Bass Rock landing guide Maggie Sheddan said.

‘No two years are ever the same, but the colony is much changed recently having reduced by around a third following the 2023 outbreak of HPAI. 

‘The upside of this is seeing the fascinating ways in which the nesting habits have evolved. 

‘It’s been particularly exciting to see new behaviours as surviving adults make new pair bonds, and we begin to see signs of recovery within the colony.’

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