Bass Rock a hard place for gannets THE world's largest single island colony of gannets on the Bass Rock off the east coast of Scotland has grown dramatically, according to latest estimates. The gannetery on the volcanic rock island in the Firth of Forth, described by Sir David Attenborough as "one of the 12 wildlife wonders of the world," had approximately 55,482 pairs of gannets, not including chicks, according to the last official count in 2009. In 2004 there were 48,000 pairs. However, observations by the solar-powered cameras beaming back live pictures to the Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick, a mile-and-a-half from the volcanic island, coupled with anecdotal evidence, has now put the numbers up to more than 150,000 gannets, including their young. The UK's largest seabirds with their white plumage and golden heads are living cheek-by-jowl with nests only one beak-length apart and are nesting on every available space, including pathways. Dr Keith Hamer, who has been carrying out research on the Bass Rock gannets since 1998, said the sheer numbers meant nest sites were at a premium, meaning young chicks could be attacked by non-breeding pairs wanting to set up their first home. The gannets have the advantage over many other sea birds because they forage over wide areas for a range of species, and have the ability to dive deep hunting for their prey. A number of the Bass Rock gannets are known to fly as far as Norway for food. This means the gannet population continues to grow while other seabird populations fluctuate. In Victorian times, the birds were hunted by shooting parties. The gannets" eggs were a delicacy often gracing Queen Victoria's breakfast table. But the birds have since become a protected species which has also accounted for their population rising sharply over the last 20 to 30 years. Dr Hamer, a lecturer in ecology at the University of Leeds, said: "As the gannet population increases, it takes over more and more ground. There is not much space left so the competition for sites is intense. Eventually, if all the sites are used up, it will be difficult for new birds to join the population. New birds will have to wait for established birds to disappear or force the situation by attacking a nest. So far, there has been no negative effect on the birds on the Bass Rock. But the gannets have to make very long foraging trips because the Bass Rock is such a big colony creating competition for prey. In a year of bad conditions, they have to go even further. Dr Hamer said that the younger birds may decide to move to other, less populated colonies around the UK, the most likely being Troup Head off Aberdeen or Bempton on the Yorkshire coast.