Gannets at Muriwai NZ

A short look at the gannet colony at Muriwai, one of only 3 mainland colony's in NZ, and by far the most accesible, visited by thousands of tourists each year. At the two viewing platforms you are only 4 feet from some nests, but they do not seem worried.



The adults start to claim their nest sites early July, and when both adults are there the males dive for bits of seaweed for the nest or pull up any grass nearby



The rock we fish from is just below part of the colony, which over 50 years has expanded from an offshore island to a rock stack and for the last 20 years to 3 flat areas on the mainland.








By new year some chicks were nearly adult size, while some birds still sat on eggs. The late ones are probably new pairs and unless their is plenty of food may not develop in time to fly. The chicks fly around Feb Mar, and once they have lost their puppy fat go to Australia, the adults dissapear to sea untill by June the nest sites are empty, though some adults fish nearby



Gannets feeding just off the rock, they were diving a few spots all afternoon.

Some lovely pictures there a great spot to be able to look at the birds. It's not surprising you don't catch many fish with that lot on your door step. 

Interesting read. Thanks for posting.

Do they steal your chips like the gulls over here?

Great pics Rhod,it's like watching Attenborough.

MusselMan wrote:

Interesting read. Thanks for posting.

Do they steal your chips like the gulls over here?

In Llandudno they seem to have a penchant for cheese and onion pasties or at least the gull that mugged me a couple of weekends ago did
Had to admire it's skill though, bang smash wallop and it was all over in a flash leaving me with an empty paper bag

Great photos

Must be quite some guano trail in that water!

The gannets only eat fish from the sea, they probably would not recognise a fish on the land, and i do not think they would last for long if they dived on one.
They have no fear of us unless you get right in their face.
We also have red billed gulls about the size of a pidgeon which will eat anything, you do not leave bait exposed. then there are the black backed gulls, which are nearer the size of your gulls, they will rip into any fish left around


 

Red billed gull with a breeze up it's tail

Rhod Lloyd wrote:

The gannets only eat fish from the sea, they probably would not recognise a fish on the land, and i do not think they would last for long if they dived on one.
They have no fear of us unless you get right in their face.
We also have red billed gulls about the size of a pidgeon which will eat anything, you do not leave bait exposed. then there are the black backed gulls, which are nearer the size of your gulls, they will rip into any fish left around


 

Red billed gull with a breeze up it's tail

Maybe it's just passed wind.

Logger wrote:

In Llandudno they seem to have a penchant for cheese and onion pasties or at least the gull that mugged me a couple of weekends ago did

  Maybe it just didn't notice your whiting. The pasty would have been much bigger.

MusselMan wrote:

Logger wrote:

In Llandudno they seem to have a penchant for cheese and onion pasties or at least the gull that mugged me a couple of weekends ago did

  Maybe it just didn't notice your whiting. The pasty would have been much bigger.

You leave my Whiting out of this