The Australasian Gannet

By D Llegs

They’re back again folks, have you seen them yet? They are possibly the most sleek and elegant of all the seabirds to grace our shores, yet they are only here for a few months every year. They migrate north to warm winter waters escaping the cold southern squalls. What are they?  The Australasian gannet of course.

If you thought only Victorian tourists came north for winter, you’d be wrong. Birds and fish have been doing it for millennia. Warmer northern waters attract schooling fish and naturally, gannets love schooling baitfish; pilchards being their favourites. When pilchards form large shoals, gannets in their hundreds, begin to perform a combined aerial and marine spectacular.

At this time of year, we are blessed with the performing Humpback whales but the gannet/pilchard spectacle is no less impressive. We surfers often sit on our boards dumb-stuck amidst the overhead and underwater bombardment as crazed kamikaze-like diving gannets zero-in on their prey. It really is awe-inspiring watching these goggle-eyed birds hit the sea at break-neck speeds of around 80 kilometres per hour.

You may think gannets are contenders for concussion injury, but their sharp beaks pierce the water first and their skulls are well designed for high-speed impact. Gannets are strategic thinkers too; they work together from above, herding baitfish into dense schools (sometimes dolphins and ... mmm, larger fish help too). When the bait-ball is tight, the gannets begin their diving frenzy. They actually swim underwater using their wings and their well-adapted eyesight allows them to target and consume many fish on a single dive.

Gannets are also perfectly adapted open-ocean wanderers gliding at speeds up to 75 kph. With a two-metre wingspan, they can fly over 500 kilometres a day; a good thing when you consider their vast habitat range between New Zealand, southern Australia, Western Australia (as far north as Shark Bay) and eastern Australia (up to Townsville). Some Australasian gannets have even flown to Mauritius and South Africa where they interbred with the Cape gannet.

Australasian gannets breed near Portland in western Victoria, islands off Tasmania, around Port Philip Bay and there are many colonies in New Zealand. Gannet nests contain only one egg and they fledge about 100 days after hatching. They roam widely, only returning to their home nest to breed when they are between 4-7 years old. Gannets are quite long-lived too, up to 30 years, and they form close monogamous bonds.

Watching these sleek missiles speed toward you on the offshore uplift of winter waves is truly a delight. They appear totally oblivious to our presence, until the very last moment when they bank-away effortlessly onto the next swell-line. Enjoy one of nature’s greatest live shows while it’s still here because they’ll leave as they arrived, quickly and in stealth