Did stranded Gannet mistake leisure centre in Lincolnshire for white cliffs of Bempton and Flamborough in Yorkshire?

                                     

The Gannet was able to waddle from the saltmarsh to a footpath where it would have been  vulnerable to off-the-lead dogs had not Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue come to its aid

THERE are hopes of a full recovery for a Gannet that made a crash-landing near the leisure centre in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, yesterday morning.

Gannets, which breed on cliffs in Yorkshire and elsewhere around the British coast, are marine birds which find lifting off from dry land a challenge.

One fanciful theory is that it mistook the leisure centre for a cliff, then, confusing  it for sea, landed on shallow saltmarsh water during high tide and became stranded when the water receded.

After its discovery, the team at the National Coastwatch Institution look-out cabin maintained a watching brief until Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue could come to the bird's aid.

CWR takes up the story thus: "Gannets are among the UK’s largest seabirds. 

"When they are  not plunge-diving into the sea at speeds of up to 60mph, they are usually found nesting and resting along steep cliff edges. 

"If they land on flat beaches like Cleethorpes - or are washed ashore after rough seas - they can struggle to become airborne again. 

"We suspect this bird was attempting to continue its journey north towards the cliffs further up the coast."

The statement continues: "Ads  a high-risk species on a high-risk coastline for avian influenza, this bird underwent three separate assessments before entering rescue: the first at the scene before collection, the second outside the rescue centre and the third within our isolation bay.

"We are pleased to report that, aside from a fairly typical ectoparasite burden and being slightly underweight, the bird is in good overall health.

"Our fantastic veterinary partners at Eastfields have since carried out a full health-check and given the all-clear for rehabilitation to continue.

"A huge thank you to local photographer Rob for providing clear images that allowed us to assess the bird safely from a distance, and to Cleethorpes Coastwatch for their monitoring and observations throughout."

Cliff-like? Cleethorpes Leisure Centre sits next to saltmarsh

Making progress - there are hopes that the bird will soon be fit enough for release (photo: Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue)