I recently went out in thick, blinding soup to check out the puffins putting on their show. Having done a whale watch the day before (and seeing absolutely no whales, just fog!) my expectations were low. I was thrilled to discover that the wildlife was indeed, out and active! I hope you enjoy the photojourney of this trip!
It was pretty dense as we left the dock, but at least you could see the spits of land to hold the horizon line!
Soon, the curious seals on the tops of the rocks were wondering what was approaching them through the mist. They were surprisingly tolerant of us - and we even saw a pup nursing on the mother!
The more we looked, the more seals we found -- all looking relaxed and happy, concealed by the fog. Some were swimming, and others - like this big guy, just basking even without any sun around!
As we got further out and approached the island where the puffins were congregating, the fog lifted slightly, although it was still challenging for photography purposes.
The puffins were moving about, quite active despite the fog - as were the Black Guillemots, Razorbills, and terns. It was cool to see the birds loafing all over the island, drifting on the surface of the water, and flying back and forth with plenty of work to do. Love was in the air, with pairs of puffins showing some courtship and snuggling behaviour while floating nearby.
I am generally accustomed to looking for birds flying with fish during the breeding season, and was quite surprised to see the puffins carrying seaweed, which they use to line their rock dens in which they lay their eggs.
A small, but active group of Razorbills was also moving about. They were also quite challenging to photograph, flying like they were shot out of canons past the boat - resulting in lots of "partial" photos where I just got the tail as they moved out of range. At times, it was hard to focus the camera on the moving birds, given the thick nature of the fog and flat light it produced.
Sometimes, it is best to have low expectations - since I was concerned this trip would yield nothing but looks out into the white. But instead, it turned out to be a different sort of boat trip, full of wonderful photos as well as some rich memories!
There is a small group going out again on July 6th to enjoy the sunrise with the puffin colony. There are 2 seats left on this very small boat - and if you are interested, please email me for details! These trips are always different and much more personal than the larger boat trips. They are something to look forward to whether you just want close looks at the wildlife, or a chance to photograph them!
