Capturing images of Puffins in flight is incredibly difficult because they fly so fast and on this particular day it was made more difficult due to the fog coming off the sea so focusing was a real challenge.
It is also difficult because you cannot predict where they will land. I am always amazed that these birds can find their burrows and know exactly where to head for at such speed. I didn't manage to get many shots of these birds in flight but I am quite happy with these few.
Very soon the puffins will be heading off into the Atlantic so it will be a while before I get to see them again but hopefully next spring I will get to go back.
This time of year the puffins on Skomer are busy feeding the young pufflings preparing them to head off into the Atlantic before returning again next spring.
As well as the iconic portrait pictures of these beautiful birde I hoped to capture shots of the birds coming in to land and especially with beaks full of sand eels.
While they are quite curious little birds and on the ground they don't rush off to hide they are small and super quick in the air and capturing good shots in flight is incredibly difficult. I haven't looked through all my shots yet so I don't know whether I have anything better than these. I love the first pose and it is so sharp. The second is less sharp unfortunately but I love the motion that is captured in the shot as the bird comes in to land. What you cant see from this shot is just how necessary it is to be precise but there is a sheer cliff behind the bird and so the landing is always going to be precarious. The other thing is how do the find the right spot every time. These birds nest in burrows and in the dry conditions with very few obvious landmarks so it seems to me that it's a minor miracle that they find the right burrow every time.
