Photographing Gannets on Bass Rock 150,000 BIRDS | OM System | Scottish Seabird Centre (4K)

[@EspenHelland]

​I'll be in the chat from 17:45 answering questions 💬 Hope to see you here!

[@KGsPhotography]

Smelly, dirty, noisy and scary. What a fantastic place to be!!! Love the hi key images which really shows off the Gannets beautifully. Thanks for braving it for us Espen. Cheers Keith

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you very much Keith! Fantastic experience 🙂

[@janfitch2760]

Stunning shots.

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you Jan 🙂

[@BrentHall]

Sweet mother of epic Scottish bird colonies that was INCREDIBLE!!!!! I definitely need to get out there.

[@EspenHelland]

Thanks a lot Brent, see you next year! 🙂

[@TheodoreSchnell]

Wow! Just amazing!

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you very much Ted :)

[@ZEAPONTech]

beautiful birds ~

[@jennychen5119]

This is such incredible experience, so intense. I was on Germany coast and encounter a sick Gannet. They are more beautiful and magnificent when they are up close. Thank you for the video!

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you 🙂 sadly there’s been a lot of gannets and other seabirds dying from bird flu this year.

[@jennychen5119]

Wow, thank you for that info, because me and another lady on the beach were trying to help. Then she called the beach rescuer to come. And when he arrived, I thought he would try to save the bird or bring it to a shelter. But instead sadly, he told me that he has to put the bird down but did not really tell me why. I felt so awful afterwards and cannot help to have this feeling, it is because of us trying to help, it then had pushes the demised of the bird quicker. I keep thinking, maybe it would have been nicer for the bird to die in peace on the beach. They are really beautiful birds.

[@PeterLariviere1]

I have visited 2 of Canada's largest Garnett colonies but absolutely nothing like this. I just love these birds. Loved this video!!

[@EspenHelland]

Cool! An incredible experience for sure. Thanks Peter :)

[@trondwestby]

wow.....thats a lot of birds. And you came out with a lot of great images. Well done!

[@EspenHelland]

Thanks a lot Trond! Much appreciated :)

[@bestpix100]

Thanks for an entertaining and informative video. Great pics.

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you :)

[@BayouJosh]

That is wonderful. I can almost smell it.

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you :) Be glad you don't smell it 😉

[@KevinNordstrom]

they look very agressive like they want to tear you part every time you walk past them lol. what an awesome experience and location!

[@EspenHelland]

😅 Yeah they weren't too happy !

[@GeoffCooper]

Fantastic video and images - Bass rock is definitely on my wishlist for a visit one day!!

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you very much Geoff! Absolutely worth a visit 🙂

[@xflyingtiger]

This video is so incredible. this must have been a real experience for you. I love these birds.

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you very much 🙂

[@lisabirdluvr9742]

Espen, This video made my heart ache from the absolute exquisite beauty of these magnificent creatures. I'm so thankful that you were able to have this experience. What I blessing it is for you to share!

[@EspenHelland]

Thank Lisa 🙂

[@wayneemery5709]

Some really nice pictures thanks for sharing. 👍

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you Wayne :)

[@robertlawrence7958]

I went there about 15 years ago and I too found it an incredible experience. The numbers look to have increased significantly since then.

[@EspenHelland]

Cool! Yeah, barely anymore room!

[@touchedbynature5445]

Amazing, very impressive. Beautiful Photographs And Video. Yep! definitely need A Hat. Many Thanks For Sharing.

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you! Definitely a hat, there’s a lot of Pooh in the air 😅

[@Vidguy10]

Great video and fantastic photos. What an amazing experience!

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you :)

[@leedouglasbrown5332]

Fantastic video , I was there pretty much the same time last year , visited a few weeks back on the last trip before they closed it due to the Avian Flu outbreak ( very different experience this year ) one of the greatest places to visit especially for a Gannet lover and great for High key shots !

[@jadepayne1326]

Woe your photography is amazing! I wish I can be as good as this one day!

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you kindly Jade 🙂

[@johnhitchon8043]

It’s totally unimaginable actually being there with 150,000 Gannets flying round you. Must have been an amazing experience for you, Espen.

[@EspenHelland]

It really is an unbelievable experience John!

[@rakeshnambiar1897]

👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌Class, one of your best episode Espen

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you very much Rakesh :)

[@johnatherton8602]

Looks awesome, great shots:-)

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you John :)

[@clivemear4481]

I loved the Bass when I went a few years back... a rough sea day and the swell at the landing point was 3 metres, so you had to step off at the high point onto the island... fantastic experience!

[@EspenHelland]

Wow! Apparently we had an incredibly quiet landing. They said they rarely get it so easy 😅

[@ronshephard9429]

My brother and I booked the photographic trip there a couple of years ago. A brilliant experience and the few hours we spent there flew past. Maggie the tour guide is a font of knowledge re the Bass Rock. She explained that tours are cancelled not because of rough seas but because of the swell. So it could be a lovely sunny day but cancelled due to the swell. If you can't get any decent shots of Gannets on this tour then I suggest you throw your camera into the sea.

[@EspenHelland]

👍 yeah she’s really great! Such a good day 🙂

[@lenmac1976]

Amazing place… fab video

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you :)

[@fernandevaudan7774]

I enjoyed very much the garnnets, great.... It was a good oportunity to draw all these birds. Thanks

[@EspenHelland]

Cool!

[@gainiz]

So beautiful images!

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you :)

[@bessondidier1286]

Sea birds cliffs are absolutely amazing and... What a smell

[@EspenHelland]

Absolutely! And very smelly 😅

[@neonbirding2680]

Awesome adventure. Great content, I like the less talk and more birding action. Keep up the great work. Look forward to more.

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you 🙂

[@geofffairhall5802]

OMG how fantastic what a great opportunity. love your work Geoff from OZ

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you very much Geoff!

[@joetag5429]

Incredible energy, great images, the 40-150 is certainly earning its keep, thanks for bringing us along.

[@EspenHelland]

Yep, that lens is quickly becoming my work horse! Thanks Joe :)

[@andyroberts2640]

Stunning images Espen, great video!

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you Andy :)

[@hannabolate5657]

Beautiful images. What a place 🤩

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you 🙂

[@scriptosaurusrex]

Great film and some cracking photos Espen. Fun fact for some of the other viewers: The rock was once a prison, amongst other things in its life span. The latinised name is indeed based on the Bass itself. Guga/chicks are still sold in salted form as a traditional 'delicacy' in some parts of Scotland (boak).

[@alasdairmackenzie905]

Yes indeed. They say that if you're on the Isle of Lewis and see a dog licking its backside then it will just have eaten some guga and is trying to get rid of the taste !

[@EspenHelland]

I read somewhere that the first written record of them on the Bass was by Vikings 1,000 years ago!

[@EspenHelland]

🤢

[@richerich8007]

You always make great videos Espen, this one, is one of your best I think!!!

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you very much Rich 🙏🙂

[@johnhitchon8043]

Looking forward to your time on Bass Rock

[@johnmunro5983]

Thanks Espen for another excellent video, I mis-timed the live component but will be ready next time . Great environment, (I have been around the island ,but not on it), huge number of birds and not forgetting Olfactory Overload . Cheers

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you very much John :) I remember the smell being pretty bad sailing around it as well!

[@adrianmoore4690]

great video and nice shots

[@EspenHelland]

Thank Adrian :)

[@ZEAPONTech]

wow!

[@marklaurendet1861]

Just watched a second time. Wish there were more colonies of birds that size, so many in decline. Looks like a wonderfull experience

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you Mark :) Yes, there's way too many seabirds that aren't doing very well

[@piccadillypie]

Awesome video. Thank you.

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you Kevin :)

[@shekatagani]

Incredible. I was lucky to go to Bonaventure Island in Quebec Canada, a similar experience with the Gannets. I was able to get killer shots of them with just a 300mm lens! Nice video! Those Gannets make a guano that really smells bad!

[@EspenHelland]

Absolutely they smell 🤢

[@oneoldgit]

Brilliant

[@berlinerffm]

Great images. 4 weeks ago I have been to Heligoland which also is home to a big Gannet colony, but certainly not as big as at bass rock

[@penorvoll]

Fantastic! :)

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you Pål! 🙂

[@davelock3166]

Great Video - I love the High key pictures. Cheers, Dave.

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you very much Dave :)

[@roypilkington1414]

Wil certainly be on line to watch. Thank you for sharing. Last time I saw a Gannet was in SA many mmos ago.

[@oleggontar2942]

Great video, and experience! I had the same "wow, I am Sir David Attenborough" experience in Ireland Saltee island. More type of birds as it is not a sea stack "only" (puffins guillemots, razorbills etc) and than it has 2 big Gannet colony. Bit contrasty how smelly their colony, and how elegant those birds are. I loved my shoots, when they were looking straight to the lens, it emphasized those unbelievable blue eyes.

[@EspenHelland]

Nice! They are stunning to photograph 🙂👍

[@Yorkshirewild]

Well you certainly earned your like, absolutely stunning very well done.

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you very much :)

[@williamcinco2489]

Nice Espen!👍👍❤️

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you William :)

[@martintretjak1396]

7.55 fantastic

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you Martin :)

[@alanryder]

Excellent Espen. Certainly somewhere to put at the top of my "must go to" list but I guess its a case of planning something like this with plenty of built in contingency. I can imagine that it must be quite frustrating to turn up for a pre-booked trip and find that weather conditions on the day make the journey impossible. Great stuff, thank you for sharing.

[@EspenHelland]

Yes, it can be, but I think they're very good at predicting the conditions at least the day before and give you notice. I think the risk is worth it :)

[@joanantonim.p.2400]

Thank you very much... 👍👌👍🙏 Amazing video... 🙌🙌 "SALUDOS... 👋🙋😃 "

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you very much!

[@ianpawson1356]

Wow, excellent experience. It's great at Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire but that is something else.

[@EspenHelland]

Thanks Ian! An amazing place!

[@Dionisis_malt]

Fantastic video !!!

[@EspenHelland]

Thanks a lot 🙂

[@alancampbell22003]

ill look forward to this and try and be in for it

[@ammadoux]

like as soon as i begun watching .

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you 🙂

[@alancampbell22003]

super mate

[@retiarius8641]

Fantastic pictures. Your style of photography fits perfect my taste. In German we call them "Basstölpel". A "Tölpel" is someone who is clumsy :)

[@EspenHelland]

They definitely were a bit clumsy 😅

[@zmerc1969]

Wow wow and wow. Did you say its close to Edinburgh? I can't wait to get to Scotland and visit

[@EspenHelland]

A bit south of Edinburgh, easy train journey and absolutely worth it 🙂

[@zmerc1969]

@@EspenHelland that's great. Will keep it in mind for when I manage to get to Scotland

[@alanaleticia9841]

❤❤ incrível

[@EspenHelland]

Thank you 🙂

[@pramod1297]

Perfect ❤️❤️

[@rmanuelb]

Nasty floor 😂. Thanks

[@EspenHelland]

😅 yeah they don't tidy before visitors!

[@rmanuelb]

@@EspenHelland 😂

[@dust1415]

WOW 2 things first added places to go before I die Second need a wide angle lens here and thanks for a inspiring video

[@EspenHelland]

Thanks Alan!

[@nsbhagwat]

Maintaining white balance, was it a challenge? Given that it was a white bird carpet with a dull grey sky alongside a spattering of light yellow heads n black beaks.

[@EspenHelland]

I never bother trying to get white balance right in the field, that's a job for Lightroom :)

[@MessianicChristianFollowship86]

The life you live, is the life I wanted here, im an alcoholic, ill see here in my afterlife, im an army Veteran with ptsd, bi polar and adhd but I've always felt being secluded with my 2 dogs on a dormant isle so we can see our lives out

[@EspenHelland]

Sorry to hear that. Spending time in nature with my camera is my way to heal.

[@MessianicChristianFollowship86]

Thank you for replying bro, means a lot personally 🙏 I will continue watching your oncoming adventures for sure 😊

[@timnewby1546]

Really atmospheric. How often can you say “that video really stank” and mean it in a good way? Sorry I missed the prem.

[@EspenHelland]

😅 it did stink!

[@clivewelch1025]

Hi Espen that was pretty epic and you earned every shot walking around and not to mention lying in bird poo. Until next time take care and stay safe my friend.

[@EspenHelland]

It's sh🤬t job, but someone has to do it... 😅

[@michaelbruchas6663]

Was it overpowering stench-wise - with that much guano?

[@felixifloresrodriquez3306]

Great content. I would like to know which lenses you recommend? I shot Nikon. Thanks in advance for your help and support

[@EspenHelland]

Thanks, sorry I don’t know that much about Nikon lenses

[@larryligget628]

Holy sh*t I hope you didn’t drop your chewing gum while there! The shots you shared are marvelous!

[@EspenHelland]

😅 I would have left it :) Thanks Larry!

[@smail7196]

👍🙏🤩😍🖖

[@downsouthsafaris6788]

As a Gannet lover I thoroughly enjoyed this video, also I've seen the light and moved to Olympus. My experiences are with the Cape Gannet on the other side of the globe Latitude - 32˚ S Shamelss drop here kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2K7aZ56l9FgiqM #Olympus!! Got to add the hashtag as theres so much love from me for this video. Great to see the birds thriving somewhere completely different and add a visit to Bass rock to my to do list. If youve got the time try to look up the book At Day break for the Isle, by Lawrence Green written over 100 years ago and details the Icheboe island with a colony of (apparently) 20 million Gannets!! It remains on my todo list, and Ive now got a buddy with a sail boat that can make it there, so my visit is getting more and more realistic I have a pdf copy if you touch base I can mail you a link.

[@EspenHelland]

That island from your video looks amazing! I’ll have a look for the book, but feel free to email it to me if you can on [e-mail] - sounds like a cool sailing trip 👍

[@theflyingdutchman7127]

Its better call it shit rock 😂

[@EspenHelland]

😅

[@gazzat7309]

People have more than enough of their own land leave the birds alone in peace ffs.