Alderney gannets travel 500 miles for food

Alderney's 16,000 gannets are monitored by the island's wildlife trust

Seabirds tagged in the Channel Islands have travelled 500 miles to find food, scientists have revealed.

Seven gannets were tagged by conservationists after concerns were raised about the effects of renewable energy projects on the birds.

Island leaders believe the sea around Alderney - which is home to about 16,000 gannets - could help generate up to three gigawatts of tidal energy.

The project is expected to continue for up to three years.

Gannets are the largest breeding seabirds found in European waters

The tags, which give "incredibly detailed information" about how long they spend foraging and where they feed, are temporarily attached to their tails.

Phil Atkinson, from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), said: "It's quite amazing really. We expected them to travel to Weymouth, Poole or maybe across to France, but we've had two or three birds going all the way up to the Thames Estuary which is quite a long way to catch a few fish.

"They take about 24-36 hours to do a complete trip."

He said the project would reveal where the "feeding hotspots" were and the risks of wind turbine plans on the birds which can fly into the structures.

'Significant populations'

Roland Gauvain, Alderney Wildlife Trust, said: "Seabird populations in the Channel have declined dramatically in the last 50 years, with the gannets one of the few successful species.

"Alderney prides itself in having some of the most significant seabird populations left in the region."

The project involves Alderney Wildlife Trust, The University of Liverpool and the BTO.

In 2008, Alderney Renewable Energy (ARE) secured a 65-year licence to install tidal turbines in the island's 48 square miles of territorial waters.