62 Outdoor Photography October 2013 October 2013 Outdoor Photography 63

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P uffins are an openly admitted addiction of mine. Not simply from a photographic point of view but also because of the sheer

enjoyment I have had over many summers spending time in their colonies – from skomer Island in pembrokeshire, through the Farne Islands in Northumberland, multiple colonies in the shetlands, their main breeding grounds in Iceland, and in the late grasp of winter in northern Norway. they have been high on my summer photography schedules since I first saw and photographed them nearly 30 years ago.

there is always something going on in a puffin colony if you have an eye to see it and a love for such things. whether it

be the head-shaking, bill-raising acts of courtship, the digging out of a new burrow, the appearance of a new parent on the cliff top with a beak full of sand eels for the below-ground puffling to consume, or the agony of watching the effort of a puffin’s fishing expedition grabbed away by a marauding gull.

photographing this bird for The Secret Lives of Puffins, and especially to do so while working with successful writer Dominic couzens – my bird watching colleague from school days – was so much more than just another assignment or project. one thing is certain, despite completing the book; I’ll be back on the cliff tops again next summer enjoying time with these wonderful birds.

left Puffins are inveterate fiddlers, and any kind of material brought in mischievously by the photographer will arouse the birds’ curiosity. This non-breeding bird is investigating a piece of string towards the end of the season. Although it looks strange to us as nest material, a piece of twine is fine for a puffin. Their nesting chambers routinely house manmade items such as these.Canon EOS 1D MkIV with EF 500mm f/4 L lens, ISO 400, 1/640sec at f/4

right The weather does affect the number of puffins present in a colony at any one time. If it is particularly stormy, birds will shun the colonies and remain out at sea. Conversely, they also stay away when it is still and sunny.Canon EOS 1D MkIV with EF 500mm f/4 L lens plus 1.4x convertor, ISO 800, 1/400sec at f/5.6

After photographing Atlantic puffins throughout their principal territories over many years, Mark Sisson has finally brought together his collection of remarkable and intimate images into a book that breathes new life into a much-photographed species

The secret lives of puffins

GeT The book!This is an extraordinary collection of images of one of the nation’s favourite wildlife species. Accompanied by informative captions and insightful text, by leading wildlife writer Dominic Couzens, about the lives of puffins, the book gives a unique look into the characters of these wonderful seabirds and the complex and colourful lives they lead.£20, ISBN 978-1408-1-8667-1, Bloomsbury. It is available to buy from all major high street bookstores and online.

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right Seabird colonies persist over many generations, and the hermaness colony, for example, has been protected as a reserve for nature since 1831. before then, generations of Shetlanders will have hunted the seabirds, perhaps from Mesolithic times.Canon EOS 1Ds MkII with EF 500mm f/4 L lens plus 1.4x convertor, ISO 200, 1/800sec at f/7.1

above To the south of hermaness, between the Shetland and orkney Islands, Fair Isle holds a colony of at least 10,000 pairs. They are all but impossible to count on the sheer grassy slopes and isolated stacks. behind this bird is Sheep Rock.Canon EOS 1D MkIV with EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens plus 1.4x convertor, ISO 800, 1/800sec at f/4

below Puffins often attend their colonies early in the morning (as here) and in the evening. There is often a midday lull.Canon EOS 1D MkIV with EF 500mm f/4 L lens, ISO 400, 1/1600sec at f/4

above happily for hard-working parents, most feeding trips do not require long flights. Studies on Skomer, for example, have shown that 85% of all trips were to waters less than 15km away, and often much less than that. on the other hand, depending on what resources are available, some flights can be very much longer, and a marathon of 137km has been recorded in Norway.Canon EOS 1D MkIV with EF 500mm f/4 L lens, ISO 400, 1/2000sec at f/4

right birds preen assiduously, at regular intervals throughout every day of their lives. When arriving at their colonies from the sea, it’s often the very first thing they do. This individual is working on one of its primary feathers (those that make up the wing-tip). by clamping its mandibles on the feather, it can ‘zip up’ the small branches that make up the feather structure.Canon EOS 1D MkIV with EF 500mm f/4 L lens, exposure not recorded

far right This is a highly unusual sight, an adult incubating its egg in sight of the surface. Such shallow burrows rarely produce a successful outcome for the breeding pair of puffins.Camera data not recorded