18 Feb 2015

Morigenos documents the northern gannet, a rare seabird for Slovenia


Morigenos team ventured into marine ornithology. A short scientific paper, authored by Tilen Genov and Aljaž Malek from Morigenos, was just published in Acrocephalus, a scientific ornithological journal published by DOPPS - BirdLIfe Slovenia. It reports new and unique records of the northern gannets (Morus bassanus), an incredibly interesting an charismatic seabird that happens to be very rare in Slovenia. To date, it has only been recorded here 3 times, but never properly photographed. Morigenos team recorded two sightings during the summer of 2014 and managed to obtain the first close-up photographs for this species in Slovenia. The northern gannet is widespread in the North Atlantic and the North Sea, and a small part of the population enters the western Mediterranean during winter. It is much rarer in the eastern Mediterranean, while its status in the Adriatic Sea remains unclear. These new records have a particular relevance for Slovenia, because they are the 4th and 5th records for this species in Slovenia and the first records to be photographically documented with high quality photographs. Moreover, this represents the first case involving multiple individuals and adult gannets in Slovenia. Gannets are mainly known for their beautiful coloration and their distinctive plummeting into the sea during hunting. 

The paper can be found here: Genov & Malek 2014

Photo: Tilen Genov, Morigenos

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