Rare as hen's teeth - gannets galore off newlyn!

While Don turns and heads the Filadelfia for the gaps, he may have witnessed close inshore a rare sight - a small flock of gannets 'working' a mackerel mark between the back of the quay and Battery Rocks......
at the start of a dive from fifty feet or more the gannet wheels and begins to pull in his wings......
as the diving bird rapidly gathers speed.....
the wings are retracted further......
at this stage it is easy to see how the wing configuration was the inspiration for swing-wing jets.....
at the moment of entry (just after another) the gannet resembles an arrow - which is where it gets its Cornish name Scrytha.......
after impact, and with just the wing tips showing there is little evidence in the way of a splash (top marks as an Olympic diver).....
out at sea this is one of nature's great spectacles to witness in areas like the Clyde alongside Ailsa Craig; thousands of these stunning birds can be seen fishing for herring or mackerel - when the fish are deep in the water the gannets dive from even greater heights....
and hitting the water in unison......
before taking off slowly and climbing high into the air for the next attack.