Gannets are still flying in late November.

Gannets are still flying in From Australia and landing at Muriwai on the cliffs or nearby Sea Stacks. Prime AirBnB(BedsnBirds) sites have been taken. The first gannet chicks are ready for a feed and that fishy smell is in the air. The population is about to explode.

The vertical sided sea stack beside the Muriwai cliffs is a popular place for Australian visitors.

Gannet chicks grow up quickly and they are ready to make the return journey by the time they are four months old. It’s about 8 days flying time non stop for mum dad and the kids.

They don’t fly back as a family unit which begs the question. How do juvenile Gannets flying unaccompanied manage to navigate the 2000 kilometre journey to Australia. The duck.ai source I used was little help. The answer was largely constructed around blah blah waffle waffle sentences.

Most birds are on the return journey by April.

My first serious visit of the season but I’ll be back.