Thursday 9 December 2010

Postcard 79: Puffins on the Yorkshire Coast

Checking out the best nesting site ...
Those of you who visit my blogs will know that I can never resist the opportunity of posting a Puffin! I took this photograph (the one below is an enlarged detail of it) at Bempton Cliffs on the Yorkshire coast two Easters ago. It never ceases to amaze me that Puffins, who nest in sandy burrows on the island of Skomer off Pembrokeshire (almost my neck of the woods), choose these exposed ledges of limestone when they fly into these more northerly nesting sites.

Gannet and Puffin: share and share alike
My Puffin poem, 'A Chink in the Sky', based on my observations of the Bempton Puffins, has just appeared in the first Writelink competition anthology, 'A Pocket Full of Spring Fever', which is now on sale here.

6 comments:

Crafty Green Poet said...

congratulations on your publication, Caroline and I always like a chance to see puffins! Lovely birds!

David said...

Hi Caroline,
I am really surprised at how early in the year you managed to take these photos - I had it in my mind that the ideal time for seeing puffins was a bit later - now I have to make a big note in my diary to go earlier.

How long a focal length lens did you use to get these great photos?

And congrats on being in the anthology - I am going to buy a copy now via Lulu.

David said...

Actually Caroline, in the end I didn't complete the purchase because I noticed this statement on the Lulu site - and I don't like the idea of it.

"To expedite future orders, Lulu will save your payment information."

What do you think? There is no option to have Lulu 'not' save the information.

Caroline Gill said...

David, I will see if I can discover any more about the Lulu options. I had nothing to do with the production side. The Top Ten poems in the 'Spring Fever' contest were anthologised, which is why my poem is in the collection.

As for the Puffins, well, the first time we visited the Yorkshire cliffs (May) there was hardly a Puffin to be seen, whereas the following year when reluctantly we could only go during an Easter break, we were rewarded with a terrific show! I guess that's the way it is with bird watching . . . you never can tell with wild creatures!

As for focal length, I have no idea. I take photos by 'instinct'. Technicalities and me do not go together! I used a Lumix 18 zoom.

David said...

Lovely photos, Caroline. We have a trip booked to the Isle Of May in the Firth of Forth later this year - looking forward to it immensely.

Caroline Gill said...

We have flown over the island, David, but have never landed on it! I hope you will be richly rewarded in terms of wildlife. We have moved from South Wales and are much enjoying the 'Avocets of the east'! Must be something about black and white birds ...