Australasian gannet (Morus serrator)
Other names: takapu, Australian gannet, solan goose
I got myself into position with a low angle view, to add intimacy and help isolate the pair from the masses. They were engrossed in their courtship display, and for a brief moment I saw this unusual illusion of a two-headed gannet. This photo was highly commended in the 2007 ANZANG photographer of the year competition.
Australasian gannets are a large distinctive bird, commonly seen and easily recognised gliding gracefully along beaches around New Zealand. They are mostly white, with a yellow head and black trailing edges of the wings and tail. Two other gannet species occur in other parts of the world, and at first glance they appear very similar. Watching one of these sleek birds turn, fold and dive vertically at tremendous speed in pursuit of prey is an great sight. Seeing hundreds of them doing this in a mass attack is simply awesome. Gannets dive to depths of more than 40 m to feed mainly on small fish, which they primarily hunt over the continental shelf and inshore waters. The best place to view and photograph them though, is at a breeding colony.
Gannet colonies are often on islands which are difficult to access, but there are also a few mainland areas in New Zealand where gannets breed. The most accessible is at Muriwai Beach, about 42 km north west of Auckland. Here you can drive on sealed roads to within a few hundred meters of the nesting birds, and well formed walking tracks and viewing platforms take you right to the colony with little risk of dirtying your shoes. There are certainly great photos to be made there, but the viewing platforms severely restrict where you can shoot from. Combine that with the proximity to New Zealand's largest city and you have a recipe for lots of banal images. The view straight out from the main platform, with the sharp tooth of the colony jutting out toward Motutara and Oaia Islands has been done to death. Search my gallery for "Muriwai" and you'll see that I had a go at it myself some years ago. In my opinion though, the biggest limitation for photography at this colony is the inability to get down at eye level with the birds. The platforms are too high, and too far from the nesting birds. For more intimate (and in my view more interesting) images, you need to get down to eye level—to see things from their perspective. The best place to do this in New Zealand (and quite possibly the world) is Cape Kidnappers, the largest mainland gannet colony on earth.
Allopreening (mutual preening) is one of many behaviours that can be observed at a breeding colony.
Cape Kidnappers is a prominent headland in Hawke's Bay, on the east coast of North Island. Getting to the colonies here (there are four separate nesting sites) requires a bit more effort than at Muriwai, but there a few options. You can be towed around the coast behind a tractor, or take a bus overland through the private station and wildlife reserve which encompasses much of the Cape, or you can walk the 8 km each way along the narrow beach beneath spectacular crumbling cliffs. I prefer the latter option because of the timing flexibility it allows. It's not completely flexible though; you should allow at least 5 hours for a comfortable return walk along the beach from Clifton, and this can only be done at low tide with the best times of departure being no sooner than three hours after high tide and departing from the Cape no later than 1.5 hours after low tide. Study tide tables and sunrise and set times and you can get yourself to the Plateau colony for the prime light.
Only the Plateau colony at Cape Kidnappers is open to the public, although the Black Reef colony can be viewed from the beach if you travel that way. The best time to visit is from November to late February, and public access is prohibited between July and October to prevent disturbance during the early nesting phase. The chicks fledge at about 16 weeks of age, then for some reason fly 2800 km across the Tasman Sean to Australia. After two or three years the young birds return and may begin tentative mating. However, it will be a few more years before they get serious about nesting, and they will then spend the rest of their 25–40 year lives around the coastal New Zealand seas.
The gannet colony at Cape Kidnappers is full of action during the breeding season. A single low chain is all that separates visitors from the sights, sounds and smell of great numbers of beautiful birds.
The sight, sound, and smell of the colony can be quite stunning when you first arrive. The only thing separating you from hundreds or thousands of birds is a single low chain, and not even that when a gannet inadvertently crash lands on your side of the barrier. The birds here may seem unconcerned by your presence, but it doesn't hurt to employ the usual, commonsense behaviour you would around any other wildlife—avoid rapid movements, loud noises, and try to keep low and you'll maximise your chances of seeing natural behaviour that can elevate an average photo to something much more engaging. Late evening light at the Plateau colony will be nicely behind you as you face the majority of the birds beyond the barrier chain, but it is also very easy to position yourself for front-lit sunrise shots. Take all the lenses you can carry here, as there are opportunities for everything from wide-angle birdscapes to tight portraits. Many tourists seem puzzled when they see me using a big telephoto lens to apparently shoot what they can get with their slow little point-and-shoot camera. What they don't realise they are missing is the ability of a fast telephoto, with its narrow field of view and shallow depth of field, to isolate subjects from the masses. By simplifying the visual chaos in this way it is often possible to make more appealing images.
Check out my gallery to see more of my gannet photos
Even this gannet seems impressed by the story of his kind.
References and further reading
The Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand, by Barrie Heather and Hugh Robertson. Published 1996 by Viking.
Where to watch birds in New Zealand, by Kathy Ombler. Published 2007 by New Holland.