Atlantic Puffin
During July 2018, I was fortunate to visit Grimsey Island, Iceland and experience 2 weeks of total immersion experiencing the life of the Atlantic Puffin. Puffins are captivatingly beautiful and powerful birds capable of flying nearly 60 mph. They spend most of the year at sea but return to land during the summer months to breed and raise their young. During their nesting season, they continually gather fish and sand eels to feed their developing offspring. These magnificent creatures are quiet, docile, and trusting; all endearing qualities that make them charming and irresistible. Thousand of nesting Puffins and the solitude of being isolated on the island made me feel like part of an ancient cycle of life.
Atlantic Puffins
Atlantic Puffins (Fratercula arctica), pose atop a cliff on Grimsey Island, Iceland, July 2018. Puffins are captivatingly beautiful and powerful birds capable of flying nearly 60 mph. They spend most of the year at sea but return to land during the summer months to breed and raise their young. During their nesting season, they continually gather fish and sand eels to feed their developing offspring. These magnificent creatures are quiet, docile, and trusting; all endearing qualities that make them charming and irresistible. Canon 5D IV, 500mm f/4 IS II, ISO 800, 1/1000 second @ f.6.3, image size 6195 x 4130 pixels.
Atlantic Puffin
In July I was fortunate to visit GrÃmsey Island, Iceland, and experience 10 days of total immersion in the life of the Atlantic Puffin. On the last evening of the trip, severe wind and dark skies nearly drove me inside. But I decided to remain on the cliffs and was rewarded with an unexpected break in the clouds and an unobstructed view of a backlit, sand-eel-toting puffin hurrying to its burrow.
https://www.audubon.org/magazine/summer-2019/the-2019-audubon-photography-awards-top-100