Puffin with Sand Eels

encore un fabuleux portrait !!

Absolument extraordinaire !

An excellent shot Keith and thank you for posting to FFF.

Excellente!

Fantastic capture Keith, superb details.

GREAT catch
Have a nice weekend

Keith, this is amazing. You lucky thing to see these fabulous birds...and such portraits!

What a great fisherbird he is and what an amazinf photo!!

Good work.
◦•●◉✿ Have a great weekend✿◉●•◦

Ich weiß nicht wie diese Vögel so viele Fische auf einmal fangen können, aber sie sind Meister darin. Ein exzellenter Schuss, Keith!

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! BUCKET LIST SHOT!!!! *claps with great excitement*
Through the roof fabulous, Keith!!! Can't even tell you how envious I feel but also overjoyed at your luck too. Gorgeous with great timing too. I dream of seeing some of these cutie pies some day.

LOL, you are welcome to laugh heartily at my misery, sir! :D It really is so hysterical to look at it from another perspective, I have to agree. :D I've had a fine time reading the comments, so many mosquito stories, we can all relate! :D

You have to know that I strongly considered trying to take a picture of the bloodsuckers in action but I'm afraid I might have been banned for life from ipernity if I did such a thing! LOLOL...and well, I wouldn't be able to resist swatting the jerk and ruining the shot..or, perhaps making it even more interesting? lol...

Don't know if you read the latest comments, Ron mentioned that he went to one place and it was just filled with mosquitoes...then he noticed his pictures were all coming out with black blotches on them...the mosquitoes were even landing on the lens! AHHHHH I HATES THEM I DOES!!! :D

Have a glorious getaway, and by the way, I saw you have another puffin picture and the thumbnail nearly made me pop, so I will be checking that out too! :D

P.S. Ok, I just had to look them up...your birdies are Atlantic Puffins. On the Pacific Coast, which includes OREGON *bounces happily*, Tufted Puffins can be found! More amazing, I might have seen some if I searched diligently during our Oregon Coast trip.

*sigh*...sometimes it's awful to read about an animal I'm interested in...the puffin populations around the world have plummeted due to climate change...it's so depressing...I really do have to be an ostrich with my head in a hole when it comes to the awful state of affairs regarding nature today--I cannot bear the reality, you know? Well, I am going to do my best to get lucky some day and see puffins!! :) They are so darn cute! :)

Incredible shot.

The puffin has caught a good meal.

Wow! Didn't it do well!!! Plenty for everyone!
A beautiful shot Keith. Just wonderful!

Thanks everyone.............glad you approve.

Just magnificently!

Thanks Petar...........appreciated.

brilliant puffin portrait, Keith, love it ;-)

Thanks very much Berny! Appreciated.

Excellent photographie Keith. Ce macareux au bec rouge apporte sans doute de la nourriture à ses petits. Mais il a pour coutume d'apporter un "cadeau" (un poisson) à la femelle avec laquelle il souhaite s'accoupler.
Si je connais l'habitude de cet oiseau marin, c'est que lorsque j'étais jeune photographe, j'avais réalisé un reportage sur les macareux. J'étais très content de mes photos. Mais quand je me suis retrouvé devant le rédacteur en chef d'un magazine spécialisé dans la photo animalière, il m'a demandé où était le cadeau ? Sur le coup, je n'ai pas compris. Il m'a expliqué que le macareux offrait un poisson à sa future compagne en guise de cadeau. Il m'a dit que mes photos étaient intéressantes, mais que le reportage était incomplet et donc qu'il ne pouvait pas le publier. Je suis reparti avec mes photos sous le bras et j'ai définitivement abandonné la photo animalière.
Cette histoire m'a cependant servi de leçon. A chaque fois que je pars en reportage, je consulte une importante documentation.

Thanks for commenting Jean-luc. At this time of year the "courting" stage is over and the young are all in burrows, being fed by the adults. When they fly in with their catch they have to run the gauntlet of Black-backed gulls who attempt to steal it from them before they can dive down the burrow! It's fascinating to watch.

It sounds like you've had an interesting life as a photographer............and learned some valuable lessons on the way :-)

I'm pleased that you like my photo :-)

A bird after my own heart. And a great capture.

Thanks John...............much obliged.

Brilliant capture of this Puffin They are such a great photogenic subject. Well done Keith Regards Tess.

Thanks Tess. Yes, very photogenic, but also great fun just to sit and watch (which I did a lot of).

Fantastic, I just love them when they carry sand eels! I'm glad to see that they obviously find enough to feed their young. In some places lack of sand eels is a real problem for populations and they stop breeding..

Thanks Gudrun...............they seems to do OK on Skokholm but they do have to run the gauntlet of Black-backed Gulls when they fly in, who try to steal their catch. The gulls will also take the Pufflings if they can.

At last I have seen puffins, but not close-up like this beauty, Keith.

Aren't they wonderful?.....................I took far too many shots :-))

Glad you like it Amelia and thanks for dropping in.

"What's for lunch today, Mum?"
"It'th ... thanth eelth."
"Hooray!!!!"
... a little later; "What's for tea today, Mum?"
"it'th ... thanth eelth."
"Hooray!!!!"
... a little later; "What's for supper today, Mum?"
"it'th ...OH PTHWAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ... Stop making me speak with my mouth full!!!"

Ha, ha.............you're losing it mate! It must be all those late nights up commenting :-))

Wow, what a great photo of this successful hunt...

Thanks Udo................I'm pleased you enjoyed this one!

Ah I thought I had seen puffins on your pages too. An even closer look than my own snaps and with their catch of eels too. . Magnificent my friend. Well done.

Cheers, Herb