Resilience in the Iris: The Northern Gannets of Bempton Cliffs
Featuring a BIFA 2026 — Honorable Mention Opening Portrait
Featured in an article by National Geographic Hungary
Stories in nature conservation are almost always about destruction. This six-piece series, however, intentionally focuses on hope: it celebrates the remarkable resilience and defiant rebirth of the Bempton Cliffs gannet colony (Morus bassanus) following the devastating avian influenza pandemic (H5N1).
The series opens not with loss, but with survival: a head-on portrait of a recovered bird. The change—where one eye retains its usual pale blue, but the other is completely black—is a clear biological sign of overcoming the virus, and a living testament to the species’ toughness.
(Scientists first noticed gannets (Morus bassanus) whose distinctive pale blue eyes had turned mottled or completely black in June 2022. Further details can be found in the official RSPB press release.)
In collaborative research led by Dr Jude Lane (Conservation Scientist at the RSPB) alongside the University of Glasgow, the University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University, and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), healthy, breeding adults were tested. They found that birds with black irises had developed antibodies against H5N1 avian influenza, proving that the discoloration is a visible, phenotypic (external) sign of surviving the virus.
Most importantly, tracking and behavioural studies highlighted by Rare Bird Alert show that the symptom has absolutely no negative impact on the birds' lives: neither on their foraging efficiency, nor on nest attendance, nor even on their ability to plunge-dive into the sea from heights at speeds of nearly 100 km/h (60 mph).
The Look of a Survivor (BIFA 2026 Honorable Mention)
Moving from this individual symbol of resilience, the story turns to the wider colony. Here, a newly formed pair strengthens their bond through their iconic greeting ritual, before beginning the demanding work of gathering nesting materials under heavy, storm-swept skies.
A wider view of the crowded cliff face reveals the reality of the modern colony, where life persists against the odds. Here, gannets raise their young alongside the constant threat of marine plastic pollution, weaving discarded fishing gear into their nests-a quiet reminder of the human footprint on their fragile recovery.
The story then moves to an intimate moment: a glimpse of parental care, showing the gentle devotion needed to raise the next generation.
At the end of the series, we see a young gannet resting in a nest, looking out into the distance through the coastal haze-tangible proof of a successful breeding season, and a defiant tribute to the species’ unbroken will to live.
(At the world’s largest gannet colony on Bass Rock, adult survival fell by 42% between 2021 and 2022 compared to the previous 10-year average due to the H5N1 virus. In some of the colonies hardest hit by the pandemic, more than half of the breeding adults died in a single season.
A July 2026 follow-up study by the RSPB and Aarhus University painted a bleak picture: due to the slow breeding cycle of seabirds, the recovery of key affected colonies - such as Bass Rock or Grassholm - to pre-outbreak levels is expected by 2041 at the earliest.)
References:
RSPB (2023): Black eyes in seabirds indicates bird flu survival. RSPB Media Centre.
Lane, J. V. et al. (2024): High pathogenicity avian influenza (H5N1) in Northern Gannets (Morus bassanus): Global spread, clinical signs and demographic consequences. Ibis, 166(2), 633–650.
Rare Bird Alert (2024): No evidence that ‘black-eye’ symptom affects Gannets after bird flu. Rare Bird Alert UK.
RSPB & Aarhus University (2026): New study shows long-lasting effects of bird flu on gannet colonies. Biological Conservation / RSPB News.
National Geographic Hungary (2026): Szulák a sziklákon: Reményt adnak a madárinfluenza túlélői