The Riddle Of Gannets

Jim ponders why a trio of sea-going youngsters are on the wing so far from their natural habitat

THERE were three large birds silhouetted against the sky, apparently making little headway against what was no more than a lively west wind. I knew what they looked like, but if I was right then there was no reason for them to be discomfited by such a wind and, in fact, no reason for them to be there at all.

Except that it had happened once before, about 20 years ago, in almost exactly the same place and at almost exactly the same time of year. That first time I was utterly thrown by the context in which the birds appeared – it was minutes before I realised what they were, though I had seen them many times in their true 