Rachel Bigsby's Image

Rachel Bigsby (UK) frames a gannet pair against the guano-painted curves of sandstone cliffs.

From her boat, which was pitching from side to side in a turbulent sea swell, Rachel realised that achieving her vision of showcasing the gannets set against the towering cliffs would be tricky. But as the boat aligned with the rocks, she spotted this pair. They were ‘isolated on a lower ledge, intertwining their necks and framed by streaks of guano,’ recalls Rachel.

‘I found this image to be heart-stoppingly beautiful,’ noted Wildlife Photographer and Competition Judge Melissa Groo. ‘The graphic nature of it, the sublime display posture of the mated gannets, the perfect separation between their bodies and beaks - it has a collage-like quality to it that grabs the eye and makes you want to keep looking.’

Gannets were one of the hardest hit species in the 2022 avian flu outbreak. However, every summer, this sculpted sandstone island still hosts more than 22,000 northern gannets, which return to breed on the ledges carved by the elements.

Usually mating for life, returning pairs will greet each other, stretching out their wings, knocking their bills together and bowing. The female lays just one egg in a nest of grass, seaweed, feathers and dirt glued together with droppings. Over the years, the nest gradually builds up.