Helgoland Island of Seals and Northern Gannets

For bird photographers, the North Sea island of Helgoland is certainly a highlight. The island offers numerous places where you can get relatively close to the birds, especially the gannets and guillemots are very difficult to disturb and you can get close to them within a few meters. Only a barrier and a few centimeters of rock separates the photographer from his subjects.

Northern Gannets on their love game. Picture: Florian Glechner.

Although the breeding colony in Heligoland, with a few hundred breeding pairs, is one of the smaller colonies, it is a popular breeding colony for birds due to its exposed location in the North Sea. In the North Sea, the birds find enough food to raise their offspring. The birds travel between 150 and 320 kilometers in search of food. The animals are relatively well accustomed to humans and as long as you respect the barrier these animals hardly notice an approaching photographer. This means you can take your time looking for the perfect motif and try out different perspectives and situations.

Ringed Plover. Picture: Florian Glechner.

A 70-200mm lens is sufficient for photographing the gannets, some are even so close that wide-angle shots would also be possible. I myself have used a Sigma 150-600mm lens, so I am a bit more flexible, especially when taking aerial photographs of the birds. I could take beautiful aerial photographs of the birds in stronger winds when the birds need a longer approach to the brood.

oystercatcher at the pond. Picture: Florian Glechner

In addition to the gannets, numerous other birds can also be observed on the island. These can be found on the main island mainly near the sports field, the northwest side of the island or on the dune in the dune sanctuary near the golf pond. Oystercatchers, wagtails, wheatears, wrens, numerous sandpipers and various species of seagulls settle in Helgoland during bird migration.

Northern Gannet flying. Picture: Florian Glechner.

A total of over 400 different bird species were sighted in Helgoland and some of them were counted and ringed in the Heligoland bird ringing station. The sighted birds, the approximate place of sighting and their number can be read on a board at the bird center at the harbour road. Most birds in Helgoland are migratory birds that settle on the island for a short time and then move further north or south depending on the season. These migratory birds are accordingly shy and a long focal length and a lot of patience are helpful.

Two birds in love. Picture: Florian Glechner.

In addition to the numerous birds, gray seals and harbor seals can also be easily observed and photographed. Due to the aggressiveness of the seals, you should keep a distance of 30 meters from the animals here. With an appropriate lens and a crop camera, you can still take very nice close-ups of the animals. One of the highlights on Helgoland is of course the seal birth, which I was not able to observe due to the time period chosen.

Seal at the beach. Picture: Florian Glechner.