The Puffins of Rona
Video by Erika Blumenfeld and Siôn Parkinson.
The day finds me on the remote island of North Rona, which sits on the 59th latitude in the North Atlantic Ocean. Here, amidst the thick salty air and the steep verdant hills, which tumble toward dark rock cliffs into the restless sea, lives a vibrant colony of Atlantic Puffins. With an expression of innocence and curiosity, these beautiful creatures have the most unexpectedly comical flight—legs splayed wide, bright orange feet spread flat and used as if parachutes, they move through the air as if for the first time, and stumble onto the ground as they land. Although clumsy on land and in flight, they are supremely proficient swimmers, and will dive to extraordinary depths to hunt. With expressions that are surprisingly gentle, if a bit worried, the Puffin catches its prey, small sand eels, and neatly lines them all up in its beak with heads on one side and tails on the other. It was lovely to spend a bit of time with them throughout the day…
Images by Erika Blumenfeld.
photos by Erika Blumenfeld
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