20.02.2026 – Beautiful visitor from the north

Today we had an elegant visitor from the north. A beautiful northern gannet  (Morus bassanus) had eaten so much that it was unable to take off. Well, then you just rest until everything is digested. Northern gannets are seabirds with white plumage, yellow heads, and black wing tips. They have been breeding on Heligoland since 1991. As a plunge diver, it hunts fish by diving vertically into the sea from a height of up to 40 meters. With its balugray beak and steel-blue eyes, it is a real eye-catcher.

The unusually beautiful Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) also took advantage of the opportunity and filled their bellies with sashimi.

By Fatima Kutzschbach

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

09:00 Common dolphins

13:00 Common dolphins

Stenella

09:30 Common dolphins

13:30 Common dolphins, Northern ganett

16:30 Common dolphins