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Puffin in dive
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
Atlantic Puffin diving 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. |
nglen, jaycee, Argus, gracious, goldyrs, Hil, maurydv, eqshannon, writerscrawlz, CeltickRanger, SelenE, inked, gannu, thor68 has marked this note useful
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- nglen
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1989 W: 5 N: 5528]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-n-g.gif)
(20896) - [2008-05-07 11:25]
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Hi Pekka. A good inflight shot of the Puffin . good timing on your part to have captured this well detailed with natural coloured picture. a liitle blured on the wing but i would have been glad to have taken this. well done TFS.
Nick..
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- jaycee
(14893)
- [2008-05-07 11:31]
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Hi Pekka,
I haven't seen many shots of the Puffin in flight. You captured this one beautifully. I've never seen one - except in pictures - and think they are adorable. More like stuffed toys than real birds. I love the colors of the beak and feet. You present this in fine detail.
Jane
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- Argus
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2597 W: 133 N: 7441]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif)
(23193) - [2008-05-07 11:48]
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Hello Pekka,
Great-in-flight of a Puffin with excellent timing. It would have been even better with a higher shutterspeed and lower aperture, but I don't think of these things myself at the spur of the moment.
But it is a fine shot worthy of praise and thanks for sharing it,
Regards, Ivan
Hello Pekka,
Great job to have the diving Puffin well captured in such closeness!
the image is so sharp with wonderful colouration and superb details
my compliment for a quality presentation
cheers
Tony
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- mariki
(8329)
- [2008-05-07 12:04]
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Hello Pekka,
Very nice inflight capture. Good POV, DOF and focus. Very good background and very nice colours.
Cheers,
Mariki
Hi Pekka,
Very nice capture. Nice colors and details.
TFS
Wei
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- Hil
![Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 744 W: 11 N: 1406]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-s-g.gif)
(4831) - [2008-05-07 14:15]
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Hi Pekka
Superb action shot of the diving Puffin.
Nicely composed with a great POV and a lovely pose.
Excellent details and beautiful natural colours and light.
Hil
Hi Pekka, great shot. I've just uploaded my own shot ofpuffins in flight and then I looked at other images and saw this. Where did you take it? Welldone for capturingthe imageso clearly.
Bellissimo momento di cattura, ottimi POV e composizione con la sensazione di caduta nel vuoto, molto buona la nitidezza e molto belli i colori. Grazie e complimenti. Ciao Maurizio
Tehe puffin, tome is the most recognized of all birds...and I say that never having seen one except out of a photo...Very well done in flight! that's a first for me!
Bob
hello Pekka
superb shot of this Puffin in dive, with fine POV and DOF,
i love the POV of your image, great sharpness of the bird
and great details of the bird and the image, TFS
Asbed
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- SelenE
(12122)
- [2008-05-07 23:44]
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Hi Pekka,
POV and pose you captured are very good. Good timing. TFS
Greetings,
Selen
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- inked
(642)
- [2008-05-07 23:45]
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hi Pekka,
awesome! really nice capture of this puffin diving. they're such unique looking birds that i'd love to see in the wild one day. great motion blur with nice sharp face detail and focus. well done! tfs
Gethin
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- thor68
(4581)
- [2008-05-08 4:25]
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what a terrific capture of my favorite bird! :-) nicely frozen and well-timed action - seems the 1/400 were still too slow,
but the "motion" blur is actually great, shows a little of the speed. i guess this was not an easy shot, so it is really great.
well done & take care, thor.
A lovely shot, Pekka. Very cute subject and lovely colours.
Cheers!
Goldy
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- joey
(19685)
- [2008-05-08 13:37]
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What a fantastic shot, Pekka!!!
The pose is excellent!
Brilliant movement and there's a great sense of speed.
Very good composition.
Great exposure.
Excellent work!
Joe
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- gannu
(10648)
- [2008-05-09 1:35]
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Hello Pekka, Good shot of the puffin. The timing is captured well and having natural color. Though there is a blur but not affecting the picture. Well done TFS Ganesh will be back
![Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Note Writer [C: 71 W: 0 N: 43]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-n-s.gif)
(333)![Silver Note Writer [C: 1 W: 0 N: 12]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/n-n-s.gif)
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