Alle Alle / Little Auk

There are five species of auk found around Shetland - I spent much of the summer photographing the four that breed here (guillemots, black guillemots, razorbills and puffins) but it's been long time since I've seen the fifth one, a Little Auk, close up.  

These wee chaps (about half the size of a puffin) breed in the high arctic and just occasionally make it down as far south as Shetland in the winter.  This one was found in the middle of one of the local roads and was gently returned to the sea from the end of the pier at Grutness.  But not before a brief appearance for the local puffarazzi.

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