Atlantic Puffins

 Here are shots of three different birds from my recent trip to Skomer. I will take a break from posting pictures of the birdlife on the island and go onto other subjects, so I wanted to make this post special with some really nice shots. I have already written about some puffin related facts in previous posts so I won't repeat that here, instead I will just let the pictures do the talking. These are such stunning, beautiful birds and it was a real privilege to photograph them.

Stonechat

 For today I am taking a break from the puffin and other seabird shots and have shared a few images of male and female stonechats. I photographed these on Wooltack Point while waiting for the crossing to Skomer. There were lots of songbirds flying about and singing loudly but most were very difficult to spot let alone photograph. With a bit of patience however I managed to get these shots and I really like the colours with the gorse in full bloom as a backdrop. It is very likely that I was close to the nest in these shots because they commonly nest in gorse, and why not? with its sharp thorns it provides a natural protective barrier to would be predators. They lay 5 or 6 eggs and will generally have 2 or 3 broods in a nesting season. That seems like a lot of work for such little birds.

Guillemot

 This is a Guillemot, a member of the auk family and one of the most common seabirds to nest around our shores, however this was the only pair of the birds that I could photograph on Skomer, the rest were nesting too far away.

As with the puffins the male and female birds spend the winter apart, meeting up in the breeding season when they lay one egg on a rocky ledge. They don't make a nest but as in this shot they clear the space of any stones or debris that might be in the way.

When the egg hatches both parents will attend to the chick for the first three weeks or so after which the chick will go to the water where it is looked after exclusively by the male parent who will feed it and train it for the next 12 weeks. |t does not fly until it is 8 - 10 weeks old 

Razorbill

 As well as Puffins on Skomer there is a large population of Razorbills, although as they nest of cliffs and rocky outcrops it is more difficult to get close up photos.

Fortunately these birds were nesting close to the pathway that leads down the cliff to the landing stage and so I was able to get a few shots.

Although they lack the brightly coloured bills of the puffin they are stunning birds. I was really pleased to get a shot of the two birds grooming each other. It seems like such a tender moment.

Fly Past

 Every single photographer I saw and spoke to on my trip to Skomer was after a shot of a puffin coming into land; shoulders back, feet forward and wings outstretched to achieve a stable landing, and after that it was a shot of the birds in flight. As one guy said to me "the success rate is less than 0.5% but we keep on trying". He was not wrong, it is so hard to get a good shot of these birds in flight. They are small and super fast and for me it didn't help that I had the shutter speed too slow for the first few attempts. The first three shots above were shot at 1/640 sec which was clearly too slow to get a clear image, and even the last shot at 1/2000 sec is not as sharp as I would like. The problem is tracking such a small bird at speed, maintaining focus and keeping camera shake to a minimum. Perhaps the guys with gimbals on their tripods had better luck but despite the shortcomings I think that for these hand held shots I did OK. 

Living on the Edge

 I don't think I can say much about these shots, other than it was so exciting to be able to get close to these beautiful creatures. They really are such special birds. I am always amazed at how hardy they are given how small they are and the life they lead, 8 months out at sea, 4 months on a rocky island in a burrow underground.

In a few weeks when their eggs hatch these birds will be on a constant round of fishing and feeding the little pufflings, who when they have fledged effectively just hurl themselves off the cliff into the air and they too will very soon head off out into the wild ocean.

A Cute Couple

 

I still have some other great pictures from my trip to share but I couldn't wait to get to the puffin pics and so I have jumped right in with this cute little couple.

There are over 42,000 pairs of puffins on Skomer at this time of year. At the moment many of them are inside their burrows sitting on eggs or out on the water feeding so while I got to see lots of birds there were not as many on display as at other times of the breeding season. In fact this was the only pair I saw together the whole time I was on the island. It was so cool to catch them preening each other and making gentle "growling" sounds before one went back underground to their egg. I figured it was a changing of the guard situation, perhaps one is relaying information about the best fishing spots while the other is giving an update on the egg.

Did you know that the average lifespan for a puffin is 30 years but the oldest recorded age is 41 years although it is thought likely that birds could live longer than that it is just that the bands used to tag the birds don't last as long as the birds do. They reach maturity and start breeding from 5 - 6 years old and remain with their mate for the rest of their lives. Outside of the breeding season they spend about 8 months apart out at sea, they return to the same nesting sites each spring and somehow from among the thousand of other birds they manage to find each other to raise the next generation of their family.

A Heck of a View

A few more from my trip to Pembrokeshire and Skomer. No doubt you you will be excited to see some shots of Puffins, after all that was the reason I went to Skomer in the first place. I have chosen to share some more shots of the spectacular sunset but if it is puffins you want I have included a little teaser below, just keep scrolling...

The pictures above were taken from Woolpack point, the sky genuinely was that gorgeous golden glow which belies how chilly it actually was with the wind coming right off the sea. It was nice to be up on the point on my own for a little while but I was soon joined by a trio of guys who were, like me there to enjoy the sunset at the end of a wonderful day. I think the addition of the three figures in the first two shots really adds something to the scene and I really like the solo guy silhouetted in the third shot. I also like the impact of the single seabird in the fourth image.

Before you scroll down to the final image I should warn you that it is not going to be what you expect. It is not a "cute" shot of a puffin but is instead an example of how timing is everything in getting the shot and is a good capture, even if it makes you groan.

 I had taken one shot of this bird close to the edge of the cliff and as it started to hunker down I thought it might be about to take to the air and I had tried several times to get pictures of these birds in flight. However instead of taking to the air it was heading back underground to its burrow, presumably to sit on its nest and as it did so it jettisoned its load quite spectacularly.

Coming In To Land

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.

Songbirds of Skomer

It is probably fair to say that from April through July the main attractions on Skomer are the Puffins and the other nesting seabirds that make this island their temporary home. But, there are lots of other things to see, lots of other creatures that find sanctuary on the island like rabbits, grey seals and a host of song birds. It would be a mistake however to think that it is a totally safe place because the Black Backed Gulls are ruthless predators feeding  on chicks and the Manx Shearwaters so all the islands residents need to be very wary.

Walking around the island the air is filled with birdsong but it is very difficult to spot the birds as they flit around the bracken and heather. With a bit of patience however I managed to get a few shots of a Stonechat and a Meadow Pippit. These are really beautiful birds and the pippit has a beautiful and captivating song.

Feet First

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.