One of the UK’s most charismatic seabirds, the northern gannet, is the subject of a groundbreaking new wildlife study.
GPS tags have been fitted to the tail feathers of 20 gannets living on Alderney in the Channel Islands. The devices connect the birds to the 3G mobile network to enable real-time tracking – it’s the first time seabirds have been tracked in this way. The data is providing vital information about the flight ranges of the gannets as they fish over vast areas, helping conservationists understand the potential impacts of offshore developments such as wind farms.
A live-streaming webcam situated at the Orctac gannet colony, offers a more detailed glimpse into the birds’ behaviour. The gannets already have small chicks, which will soon be big enough to see on the webcam.
Click here to find out more about the Track a Gannet (TAG) project, which is jointly run by Alderney Wildlife Trust, the British Trust for Ornithology and the University of Liverpool.
Main image © Vic Froome/Alderney Wildlife Trust
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