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Photo Information
Copyright: Pekka Valo (pekkavalo1) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 303 W: 21 N: 1173] (3685)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-05-03
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS 40D, Sigma EX 500mm f4.5 APO HSM, RAW ISO 800, Kenko Teleplus Pro 300 DG 1.4x
Exposure: f/7.1, 1/400 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-05-29 1:13
Viewed: 434
Points: 34
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
This Atlantic Puffin was very curious about a small cave at RSPB Bempton Cliffs nature reserve

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

The Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) is a seabird species in the auk family. It is a pelagic bird that feeds primarily by diving for fish, but also eats other sea creatures, such as squid and crustaceans. Its most obvious characteristic is its brightly colored beak during the breeding seasons. Also known as the Common Puffin, it is the only puffin species which is found in the Atlantic Ocean. The curious appearance of the bird, with its colorful huge bill and its striking piebald plumage, has given rise to nicknames such as "clown of the ocean" and "sea parrot".

Description
The Atlantic Puffin is 28-34 centimeters in length, with a 50-60 cm wingspan. The male is slightly larger than the female, but they are colored alike. This bird is mainly black above and white below, with gray to white cheeks and red-orange legs. The bill is large and triangular, and during the breeding season is bright orange with a patch of blue bordered by yellow at the rear. The characteristic bright orange bill plates grow before the breeding season and are shed after breeding. The bills are used in courtship rituals, such as the pair tapping their bills together. During flight, it appears to have grey round underwings and a white body; it has a direct flight low over the water. The related Horned Puffin (Fratercula corniculata) from the North Pacific looks very similar but has slightly different head ornaments.
The Atlantic Puffin is typically silent at sea, except for soft purring sounds it sometimes makes in flight. At the breeding colonies the birds make a deep growl.

Distribution and ecology
This species breeds on the coasts of northern Europe, Faroe Islands, Iceland and eastern North America, from well within the Arctic Circle to northern France and Maine. The winter months are spent at sea far from land - in Europe as far south as the Mediterranean, and in North America to North Carolina. About 95% of the Atlantic puffins in North America breed around Newfoundland's coastlines.
The largest puffin colony in the western Atlantic (estimated at more than 260,000 pairs) can be found at the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve, south of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Predators of the Atlantic Puffin include the Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus) and similar-sized species, which can catch a puffin in flight, or pick off one separated from the colony. Smaller gull species like the Herring Gull (L. argentatus) are hardly able to bringing down a healthy adult puffin, but take eggs or recently hatched chicks, and will also steal fish.

Diet
Feeding areas are often located 100 kilometers offshore from the nest or more, though when provisioning young the birds venture out only half that distance. Atlantic Puffins can dive for distances of up to 70 m (200 ft) and are propelled by their powerful wings which are adapted for swimming. They use their webbed feet as a rudder while submerged. Puffins collect several small fish when hunting, and line them up in their bills facing alternately to each side. They use their tongues to hold the fish against spines in their palate, leaving their beaks free to open and catch more fish. Additional components of their diet are crustaceans and mollusks. A puffin can sometimes have a dozen or more fish in its beak at once.

Reproduction
Atlantic Puffins are colonial nesters, using burrows on grassy cliffs. They will also nest amongst rocks and scree. Male puffins perform most of the work of clearing out the nest area, which is sometimes lined with grass, feathers or seaweed. The only time spent on land is to nest, and mates are found prior to arriving at the colonies.
The Atlantic Puffin is sexually mature at the age of 4-5. The species is monogamous and has biparental care. A single-egg clutch is produced each year, and incubation responsibilities are shared between both parents. Total incubation time is around 39-45 days, and the chick takes about 49 days to fledge. At fledging, the chick leaves the burrow alone, and flies/swims out to sea, usually during the evening. Contrary to popular belief, young puffins are not abandoned by their parents (although this does occur in some other seabirds, such as shearwaters). Synchronous laying of eggs is found in Atlantic Puffins in adjacent burrows.
Argus, goldyrs, jaycee, Gert-Paassen, Royaldevon, gracious, eqshannon, Adanac, CeltickRanger, mariki, jusninasirun, hester has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Moi Pekka
Nice shot of this cool bird.
Well done
TFS
Ralf

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2597 W: 133 N: 7441] (23193)
  • [2008-05-29 6:56]

Hello Pekka,
Nice pose and POV in this capture of a Puffin as he tries to satisfy his curiosity in a fine composition that includes the small cave. Interesting to see the structure of the limestone too.
TFS this excellent image,
Ivan

A lovley, sharp shot of this cute bird, peeka!
Very well done!
Cheers!
Goldy

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1778 W: 8 N: 4605] (14893)
  • [2008-05-29 9:01]

Hi Pekka,

I have to return to England just to see a Puffin! I have loved them in every picture I have seen. This is wonderful - I'm wondering if he actually entered the cave. Beautiful colors, sharp details, and a priceless pose.

Jane

Hello pekka,

a cute bird.
nicely captured with a great pov.

Gert

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1202 W: 68 N: 2477] (8179)
  • [2008-05-29 10:31]

Hello Pekka,
Great scene and timing. Beautiful colours with an excellent POV and DOF. Good sharpness.
Regards,
Peter

bonjour pekka
un leger mouvement de l'oiseau qui donne un peu de flou sur le bec mais j'aime beaucoup l'atitude de cet oiseau que je trouve tres beau.
bien vu.
laurent

This ia fabulous, Pekka.
It's just like the little children round about who have come to call for a friend, "Hello, can I come in?"
Excellent off-centre composition and very good details of both the puffin and its environment!

Kind regards,
Bev :-)
Many thanks for your warm comments on 'Rose pink - Red Campion'

Hello Pekka,
I loved this shot with the curious look and real cute!
you got the best pov for this shot in very good sharpness, wonderful colour and superb details in it!
many thanks for the notes as well
take care and regards
tony

Normally the puffins almost all look alike no matter how they are captured in image, but you managed to coax out a neat and editorial look on ones head twisted just so and yes you're quite right..It is a what in America we call a "Looky Loo"...or one who is always looking at new homes like in window shopping but truly without cash. Very well done sir!
Bob

  • Great 
  • Adanac Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1044 W: 1 N: 4110] (13816)
  • [2008-05-29 20:43]

Hello Pekka,
What a excellent image , with this colorful puffin searching the cliffs for a new roost. Great work Pekka.
Rick

Hello Pekka,

Excellent composition. Very good POV, DOF and sharpness. I like the pose of the bird. The rocks are splendid. Excellent colours too.
Cheers,
Mariki

  • Great 
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1683 W: 242 N: 5560] (19685)
  • [2008-05-30 2:59]

I lovely shot of this curious little Puffin.
I like the pose and intense look on his face.
Good sharpness though I think some detail has been lost by over-reducing the noise... but it's only a small nit.
Great composition and POV.
Lovely colours and decent light.
Superb DOF.

Well done, Pekka!!

Joe

hello Pekka

i am laughing because i love the look of this Atlantic Puffin
with his pose on that place, very beautiful image
with fine POV and framing, excellent sharpness and details,

TFS

Asbed

Hello Pekka. Excellent sharpness of the plumage in well perched position. Very well captured and thanks for sharing. Best regards. Jusni

  • Great 
  • hester Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1471 W: 18 N: 2981] (10944)
  • [2008-06-01 8:37]

Hi Pekka

This is something I would love to photograph. I love the way it is inspecting the cave. Lovely composition, pin sharp details and good exposure. That big Sigma lens looks perfect for this.

TFS

Karan

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2008-06-04 22:00]

Hello Pekka

A beautiful capture of this puffin.
The setting is amazing.
Wonderful colour saturation.
The pov and dof are excellent.
Great job.
TFS

Rob

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