NatureWithSteve , 2 days ago

I've been a bit quiet on here, but for a good reason: I was preparing for, travelling to, then enjoying the amazing island of #Skomer of the #Pembrokeshire coast. Spending a few hours surrounded by hundreds of #Puffins yesterday was amazing, they are brilliant little #birds with big personalities!

My thanks to all involved in protecting their island home, and to the organiser of the party I went with!

#BirdPhotography #BirdsOfMastodon #Nature #NaturePhotography #Wildlife #WildlifePhotography

A Puffin standing on a patch of bare, sandy earth amidst Mayweed plants. The bird's body is facing towards the left of the picture but the head is turned to face directly towards us. The upperparts, wings and neck are black, as is the head except for the large white patch on each side around the eyes and cheeks. Each side of the beak, which is short and much taller than it is wide (very apparent in this image!), has at its base a large patch of dark blue enclosed by a thick yellowish border; the rest of the beak is red with a couple of thin yellowish stripes. The short legs and webbed feet are orange. The Mayweed plants are short, and bear lots of flowers which each have numerous white petals surrounding a yellow centre.
A group of five Puffins standing on and beside a rock situated amongst some grass, with the sea visible behind and below. The upperparts of each bird, including the tail, wings, neck and the top and back of the head are black; the rest of the head is white but the eye is dark in colour, and then there's the beak! Each side of the beak, which is short and much taller than it is wide, has at its base a large patch of dark blue enclosed by a thick yellowish border; the rest of the beak is red with a couple of thin yellowish stripes. The chest and belly of each white, and their short legs and webbed feet are orange.
A Puffin standing on a rock, with green and white (from Mayweed plants) out of focus in the background. The bird is facing towards the left of the picture and slightly away from us, leaning forward with the beak wide open. The upperparts, including the tail, wings, neck and the top and back of the head are black; the rest of the head is white but the eye is dark in colour, and then there's the beak! Each side of the beak, which is short and much taller than it is wide, has at its base a large patch of dark blue enclosed by a thick yellowish border; the rest of the beak is red with a couple of thin yellowish stripes. The chest and belly are white, and the short legs and webbed feet are orange.