Puffin Portraits Part 5 - the final set

This is the last of the Puffin images from the Farnes. A truly memorable experience with such an enigmatic bird.

Post 100 - Arctic Tern Portraits Part 2

I have included more images of this wonderful enigmatic species below. Some more Arctic Tern facts include that they return to the area where they were hatched, often to the same colony which is amazing given their migration plan; they can live up to 34 years old and hatchlings come in two colors: gray or brown of which both can be present in the same brood!

One final set of Arctic Tern portraits yet to be shown plus a number of flight shots....

Thanks!

Time seems to have flown by during my posting on this journal which I set up originally as a project after being made redundant in late March. I thought I would mark my 99th post with a big thank you to everyone who has taken the time to look at, follow and comment on my work. Its been a real pleasure receiving so much positive feedback about my photography and speaking to so many other people with a keen interest in wildlife and photography.

I am going to carry on posting my work here and continue with this project but it may begin to slow down a little as I have today returned to the world of work, albeit on a temporary contract in a self employed state. This recession we are in has hit the property industry very very hard and my career has dried up somewhat so have gone back to my roots as a construction quality engineer to pay the bills and to keep the missus happy! I have'nt been back a day and she has already planned Saturday's shopping trip to IKEA (her favourite shop, being swedish!). Lets hope the work keeps rolling in but I certainly will miss the freedom of getting out everyday with the camera.

Next up yet more farne images.............

P.S. During my lunch hour I found Emperor Dragonfly and Emerald Damselfly on site and I didnt have the camera - gutted!

Shags Part 1

Previously, I had no images of this species in my collection and was, therefore, a particular target species for me on the Farnes. I had been told how confiding these were on the islands and that they were 'within touching distance' but I never imagined that they actually would be close enough to you to reach out to them - simply amazing to get so close to a wild bird and one as stunning looking as a Shag with their piercing green eyes.

This is the first of two posts showcasing some head shots of this species. Unfortunately, that was really the only type of shot I could deliver at the location I was photographing them and was kicking myself that I had left my macro lens behind as it would have delivered some really interesting and different images as a fellow photographer, Marcus Conway, has shown to great effect.

Puffins in Flight Part 3

Having now gone through all my images (yes, finally I can now breathe a sigh of relief) I was pleased with a number of other Puffin flight shots captured on Inner Farne and have included them all below, including a selection of them as large images.

View Large Here

View Large Here


View Large Here

The next few posts will include the remainder of my images from the trip including more Arctic terns, Puffins, Common Terns and Shags.

Sandwiches on Inner Farne

This isnt a post about my lunch on the Farne Islands, instead about the Sandwich Terns on Inner Farne. Although a little distant from the path to capture portraits of these superb birds, the path through the island proved good for flight photography as they passed close by on their way back to the colony, the majority of their time with sand eel in mouth.

I was pleased to get another opportunity with this species in much more favourable weather conditions than a few weeks ago on Anglesey.

Puffins in Flight Part 2

Arctic tern Portraits Part 1

Arctic Terns are simply amazing birds. They have a circumpolar distribution, breeding colonially in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America. They are strongly migratory, seeing two summers each year as it migrates from its northern breeding grounds to the oceans around Arntarctica and back (about 24,000 miles) each year. This is the longest regular migration by any known animal. They land once every one to three years (depending on their mating cycle) to nest; once they have finished nesting they take to the sky for another long southern migration.

I guess this is why they are so protective of their young on the breeding grounds as the little ones have a busy life ahead of them once they have matured. When you arrive on Inner Farne, Arctic terns are everywhere around you and as you walk from the jetty to the small visitor centre and church you are continually harassed, dive bombed (a hat is necessary as they do make impact with your head) and pooed on! When you look by your feet, even on the path, you know why when tiny young and eggs are everywhere.

Baby Arctic Tern.......ohhhhh!



Screaming adults