The Puffin Cliché

Gobful of sand eels, that's the shot you're supposed to get...

Two years ago we went to the Isle of May early in the season, and in the midst of the 'Puffin Wreck' that happened that year. We saw maybe a dozen, and most of the trip was taken up with a conciliatory float around the Bass Rock (which Mel prefers, she does like Puffins, but absolutely loves Gannets). This year, however, we're there at the height of the population, juuuuust before the youngsters will have all flown the nest (literally) and the adults then head off to their winter climes.

Added to that I got a nice close view of a 'bridled' Guillemot (some teeny percentage of the Guillemots on the Isle have a lovely white strip to the eye - extra pic below, which isn't played about with, just some nice bokeh of the light reflecting off the sea); there were still some Razorbills hanging around; the Kittiwakes and Shags were showing off their young; and the Arctic Terns were in good machine gun dive-bombing form.

Great trip, all told. This was a 'photographic' trip, so our little RIB, with 12 people, were the only outside visitors for our few hours. There are pros and cons. The obvious benefit is there are so few people (having visited Staple Island I wouldn't go back, just too damned busy) compared to the 100 or so that can be there at one time; but you have to stay in your group, rather than being free to wander the paths (and stick very closely to the paths).

I'll take the fewer people any time to be honest.

Shattered though, after some heavy duty gardening when we got back, and there's the knowledge I'm up early tomorrow as well to go to Paisley to photograph and write-up the Youth Circuit championships for the Press Room / Scottish Cycling. I'll enjoy it, but there's always the period before where you wonder if a day kicking back in the garden would have been good!