Bird of the Week: Amorous Gannets

The Cape Gannet pair (Morus capensis) in the photo above probably went the entire winter without seeing each other, each one plying the southern seas independently in search of food. But when they reunited for the breeding season, as they do every year, they engaged in a beautiful ritualized bonding display, confirming their commitment to each other and to raising young together. The pose that they are captured in above is called "sky-pointing." Are they excited to see each other? It sure seems like it. Check out the video below to see the pair bonding display in action. Both the photo and the video were taken at the Lambert's Bay gannet colony on the west coast of South Africa.

Gannets are also extremely proficient hunters, using their binocular vision to hone in on fish, then diving headlong into the frigid waters of their temperate ocean environment. As the second video below shows with amazing underwater video, they don't just dive into the water to catch fish, once they are in the water they still have to swim to catch their prey.