A short boat ride out from Norway’s North Cape (where the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans meet) are islands hosting large groups of nesting birds: puffins, cormorants, white-tailed eagles, razorbills, and one of my favorites, Northern gannets. The northern gannet is the largest in the gannet family and the largest seabird in the north Atlantic with a wingspan topping 70 inches.

Here their nests were perched on rock cliffs overlooking the fish-rich ocean.While most of their high powered dives are shallow, northern gannets can dive as deep as 72 feet to secure their dinner. What was a revelation to me was seeing how these “craftsmen” incorporated thick brightly colored fishing ropes and small buoys in their nests (see detail below).