Puffin, Cliff, Sea Photo

Photographer’s Note

Puffins are chunky birds with large bills. Their short wings are adapted for swimming under water.

There are three species: Atlantic Puffin, Horned Puffin and Tufted Puffin.

This one is an Atlantic Puffin. This species breeds on the coasts of northern Europe, Iceland and eastern North America, in burrows on grassy cliffs but also amongst rocks and scree.

It is 28-34 cm in length, with a 50-60 cm wingspan. The bright orange bill plates grow before the breeding season and are shed later. The bills are used in courtship rituals, such as the pair tapping bills together.

Puffins will 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.

I caught this one on a cliff in the tiny Vestmannaeyjar islands.

mmdon573, giannispap, feather, Gerrit, Angshu, Cricri, pierrefonds, IvarsU, marjan, smash2707, leo61, josepmarin, TeresaT, pranab, sam224, plimrn, aznegrao, Jeppe, faganrodney has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

mmdon573 (512) 2006-04-03 5:27

Good composition.
thanks

giannispap (263) 2006-04-03 5:33

What an excellent animal
thanks for the note
giannis

alekpet (4657) 2006-04-03 5:54

Hi Daniel.
THose notes you received so far don't tell you anything, so I'll give you much longer comment. I like how the water turned out silvery, it seems very cold this way.
I like how you put a rock frame around the left and bottom edges. Natural frames are always good. And the animal is really beautiful, looks like it is posing to you. In all, excelent capture.

Aleks

[2] +

Modacolor51 (1309) 2006-04-03 6:05

Merhaba Danıel
Excellent colours and sharpness, very good composition and light. Good job.
TFS.
Regards!!!
Yılmaz...

feather (49858) 2006-04-03 6:55

Beautiful picture Daniel; the 3 main elements work so well together. Some might say you should have a narrower DOF to blur the water, but I find the texture and colour of the sea very appealing. Good zoom without quality loss.
Kath

[2]

besnard (30492) 2006-04-03 6:58

Bonjour Daniel
Beau cliché de ce macareux aux vives couleurs qui se détachent sur le bleu du ciel.
Merci pour le partage.
Amitiés
Nicole

Gerrit (35593) 2006-04-03 7:00

Hi Daniel,
good result for the lobg distnce you took this one from. The colours are doing real fine and the noise is under control.
Thanks and regards, Gerrit

Angshu (33551) 2006-04-03 7:52

A great picture of a cute bird, Daniel. I like how you have taken the rocks on the left & the wonderful waves in the background (looks like ice)
Great stuff
Regards
Angshu

[2]

jhm (82201) 2006-04-03 7:52

Hi Daniel,
Not alone the bird are lovely, also the rocks under the paws, exactly a sponge, maybe a picture for TN, the place for this animals!
But I like here also on these site!
Best regards,
John

[2]

Cricri (43030) 2006-04-03 8:17

Bonjour Daniel,
L'oiseau, l'eau, le rocher, un bel ensemble aux trés belles couleurs, une jolie note sur ce charment Puffin,
compliment.
Amitiés
cricri

pierrefonds (26105) 2006-04-03 8:28

Hi Daniel,

A good POV of that puffin, the photo has a good composition and nice colors.

Pierre

IvarsU (2499) 2006-04-03 12:21

Hi, Daniel!
Amazing scene of lovely bird. Orange on blue - perfect color compo.
Regards,
Ivars.

[2]

marjan (6081) 2006-04-03 13:23

Very nice photo, good coloures and intersting motve. TFS

smash2707 (2516) 2006-04-03 15:30

How cute!!!!!! I love how the colors of the puffin stand out against the water and the rock. Well done, Yvonne

talikf (1290) 2006-04-03 16:30

Wow, this one looks unreal, it looks like you got it from the toy store and you put it there to take the picture. Great job, I love it!. I see a little noise in there... did you end up downloading neat image to improve that? Tali

leo61 (43219) 2006-04-03 16:38

Hi Daniel!
Wonderful image of this bird.I love them and wish to see them one day in free nature.The contrast with the rock and sea looks great.Great POV,well done!
Regards,LEO

josepmarin (33785) 2006-04-03 16:50

Hi Daniel,
A great photo with much detail of this puffin so graceful. You have captured it perfectly, and the composition that you have created with rocks of the cliff, the bird and the sea are very simple and beautiful.
Perfect the colors, the lighting and the frame.
A good and interesting note, too.
Regards,
Josep

Rossignol (2289) 2006-04-03 17:24

Lovely shot, Daniel. Puffins have such charisma (not sure I could bring myself to eat one the way the Icelanders do). You've captured this one in classic pose on the rocks. The colours look a tad oversaturated to me (maybe it's my monitor) but the slatey blue of the water is a perfect backdrop.
Peter

TeresaT (10733) 2006-04-03 17:51

Hi Daniel
Very beautiful image of this amazing bird.
I like the sea as a background.
The colours and definition are just perfect.
Great work
regards
Teresa

pranab (5354) 2006-04-04 1:27

daniel,
it seems you're quite a distance away when you took this shot, am i right?!
good color scheme. nice light blue waves on the background accentuates the puffin's color.
well done.

[2] +

Kirych (2696) 2006-04-04 2:10

Hi, Daniel!
Beautiful bird and her contrast color. I'm going to Icland in June and hope to see Puffins. Wonderful sea color. TFS. Tanya.

[2]

carper (64546) 2006-04-04 10:00

well Daniel,
i have had a view in your archive, I must say I am impressed, you have seen almost whole world and made very nice photo's. This last one this puffin is well taken, the composition is nice, good colours and not realy easy with this backlight, but you did it very good must I say, very good job,
gr. jaap

[2]

sam224 (5851) 2006-04-04 13:54

Although it lacks a bit of sharpness, I like this one. Puffins are one of the most beautiful birds all over the world.. so cute! You captured it well on the cliffs.
Well done!

thor68 (5537) 2006-04-06 17:38

hi daniel,
lucky you, too see a puffin life! :-)
i´ve been wanting this the last 25 years or so,
never made it anywhere to see them.
excellent pov & composition,
with the rocks and water.
the colors are great but look a little bit faded - scan?
beautiful job, thor.

aznegrao (10230) 2006-04-08 17:55

Hi Daniel!!
Gosto da posição da luz nesta bela composição, isso proporcionou cores e texturas não convencionais, criando uma dimensão interessante neste animal.
Greetings.
aznegrao.

Jeppe (18623) 2006-04-09 10:49

Hi Daniel

Oh A sea parrot - at least they called so here - Very fine catch of that bird living high north - thanks for sharing.

Jeppe

faganrodney (496) 2006-12-15 16:35

Excellent presentation of this colourful bird. Here are some other facts that you may not be aware of. 95% of all North America's puffins breed around the Newfoundland and Labrador coasts, it is also the provincial Bird of Newfoundland and Labrador , Canada. TFS Rodney