The Gannet Island

Saltee Islands off the coast of Wexford, Ireland. We took a trip to the island early July 2008. It's a spectacle at the best of times and many of the group were quite happy to try to capture the beauty of the island and try also to capture an image of a puffin. There were many.

But the island has something special. I said to Hauke Steinberg that the gannet colony was like Jurassic Park. First you get the smell...but you don't see any gannets. Then you come over the crest of a hill and you see a few strays flying by. Cresting the hill you are faced with the sight of an inlet in the cliffs that is decorated with thousands of nesting gannets. When he saw it he agreed - Jurassic Park.

These creatures are easily approachable and timid at the same time. On this day (when the image above was taken) the storms were passing which made for an incredible contrast to the colour of the gannets and the rocks.

Here's to 2009.