On 26th June 2010, I made made my third visit to Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire, Wales, to see the puffins (Fratercula arctica). On this occasion, I managed to time my visit for the peak feeding season when the adults are regularly returning to the burrows laden with a beak full of Sand Eels

The Puffins on Skomer are almost totally unafraid of Humans. They will stand proudly outside their burrows, or on the cliff edge, within several feet of people. They almost seem to be posing as they stand bolt upright and motionless. At one place on the Island (The Wick) the coastal path cuts though a colony and Puffins will cross the path with total disredard for the waiting Paparazzi.

Even in this environment getting quality pictures of Puffins with Sand Eels is not easy. Any inbound Puffin has to run the gauntlet of the waiting Gulls (eager to steal the Sand Eels) which means that they skillfully tend to crash land, then tumble straight down their burrow. They certainy dont stand around posing for pictures. Sometimes however they land on the cliff side of the path and have to cross the path to their burrow and it is these ones that you can photopgraph - if you are quick. Frequently, they were so close I found them to be inside the minimum focus distance for my 100-400.

In the air, they work hard to stay in the airbourne and they fly fast, very fast. Too fast for the focus on a 100-400 to track.

The final picture in this sequence was taken using my iPhone 3Gs to demostrate that you dont need a good camera to get great pictures on Skomer.
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View Location on Microsoft Virtual Earth: Skomer Island