19.02.2026 – Airborne prey & cheeky peeks
February 25, 2026
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
