Gannets at Cape Kidnappers

It was a very cold grey windy day today, so taking bird pictures was a bit of a challenge. (Also, the tablet I'm posting these from is kinda small, so a few of these photos are fuzzy, but I didn't really notice until I'd uploaded them!)

For reference, Cape Kidnappers is home to nearly 10,000 some odd birds and every single one of them looks exactly the same. Gannets have about a 2 meter wing span, they are quite large - about the size of a small dog (or Milo the cat). The birds mate for life and are amazing fliers. They land directly beside there mates in this enormous colony. They are plunge divers, living on the shoreline and fishing for squid or schooling fish. I think some of these ones are fishing for compliments though.

Cape kidnappers is very pretty too. 

The peninsula is being turned into a sanctuary for native plants and birds. We took the tour with Cape Kidnapper Safaris and though it was a little pricey, having a warm bus and a good guide to explain the conservation efforts was worth it. (Thanks Adrian!)