Puffins

A Dandelion And A PuffinA Dandelion and a Puffin - Do you think this little Atlantic Puffin knows that he is gazing at a weed? Most likely not, but it still makes for an adorable photo. Maybe it is just living up to its nickname of Clown of the Sea.

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A Horned Puffin Spreads Its Wings And Flies Toward The Camera WiHorned puffins have different-colored bills than their better-known relatives in the Atlantic. They can also be distinguished by the larger “horns” above their eyes.

This photograph was taken at Lake Clark National Park in Alaska. Matt Shetzer leads trips to the park — America’s third-least visited — to teach wildlife photography. You can sign up for an expedition today.

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A Pair Of Puffins Inhabitat “bird Island” In The Alaskan WildernA puffin climbs a rock while another ascends from its perch with a fish in its mouth on an island near the Cook Inlet in Alaska. The puffin, nicknamed "Clown of the Sea" is a seabird with lots of character, a colorful beak, bright orange legs and webbed feet.

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Cheeky Fellow Puffin PortraitCheeky Fellow - The Atlantic Puffin of Newfoundland is an unique sea bird. While watching this bird dive gracefully underwater, it is easy to forget that he is covered with fine feathers that shed the water easily. This puffin gives us a great profile shot and lets us see the detail in its face and beak.

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Horned Puffin In AlaskaA horned puffin shows off the beautiful bands of yellow and orange on its beak. Photographer Matt Shetzers leads trips to Alaska’s Lake Clark National Park, where you can learn how to snap a shot just like this.

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Puffins EverywherePuffins gather in the safety of Machias Seal Island off the coast of Maine. This remote island is home to thousand of Puffins that nest here in the summer months.

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Two Horned Puffins Nest Together On A Rocky OutcropMated pairs of horned puffins are a common sight around the Alaskan Coast, where they build their nests on rocky islands. In the summer, they forage in the waters near their nests, while in winter, they can be seen ranging farther out to sea.

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A Horned Puffin Perches On A Rock With A Small Fish In Its BeakHorned puffins forage by diving underwater and swimming through schools of small fish. When it catches a fish, the puffin flies out of the water and takes the fresh meal to the nest for the young chicks to enjoy.

Horned puffins are common in Alaska, but they’re vulnerable to oil spills and introduced predators like foxes. Lake Clark National Park has one of the biggest populations. Join a trip led by veteran photographer Matt Shetzer and learn to photograph puffins and other iconic Alaskan wildlife.

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Horned Puffins At Lake Clark National ParkThree horned puffins meet up for a chat on the Alaskan coast. They may look cute, but they’re also lethal hunters: these three friends can dive as far as 100 feet below the ocean surface to look for their favorite fish.

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Horned Puffins Birds Of AlaskaOf the numerous birds of Alaska, horned puffins are quite unique. They nest in large colonies among the rocky cliffs and coasts of Alaska. Seen here in this close up nature image are puffins relaxing on a rocky outcropping on Bird Island. Photo taken on Cook Inlet excursion.

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Modeling PuffinModeling Puffin - The brilliant coloring of the beak and eye will fade on this Atlantic Puffin once the breeding season is over. Also, the legs of the puffin will start to fade from brilliant orange to a duller yellow color when they have been on land for some time.

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Picture Of Puffins On Bird IslandCalled Bird Island for good reason, this picture of puffins shows the ruling class of wildlife here. Centered in this nature image is a pair of puffins nuzzling their beaks together. Makes sense as the bills of Horned Puffins transforms to these lively colors when mating. Pelagic in nature, meaning living mostly on the open sea, these birds are sometimes mistakenly confused as a penguin species. Horned Puffins, pictured here, differ from other puffins in that they prefer rocky cliffs or crevices for nesting. These birds choose the islands and coastlines of Alaska for breeding. Laying one egg each year, they generally stay with the same partner too. Image taken during an excursion on our Grizzly Bear Photo Tour to Lake Clark National Park.

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Two Horned Puffins In A Rocky CreviceWhen it’s time to lay eggs, horned puffins seek out rocky gaps and crevices like this one. The cliffs and islands of the Alaskan coast provide plenty of ideal spots, like this one at Lake Clark National Park.

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Getting Your Puffins In A RowGetting your Puffins in a Row - This line of Atlantic Puffins (also known as the Common Puffin) takes a break from their nesting duties to pose for my camera. Well maybe that wasn't their intention, but I took advantage of the wonderful sunset lighting to showcase this adorable little sea bird.

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Horned Puffin In FlightA horned puffin flies over the waters off the Alaskan Coast, looking for schools of fish to snap up in its bill. Photo by Matt Shetzers.

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Kiss’in PuffinsKiss'in Puffins - Watching the social interaction between the Atlantic Puffins was hilarious at times. While these two appear to be kissing, it is most likely a beak rubbing that helps strengthen the bond between a mating pair. Did you know that puffins have been known to mate for life?

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Puffin PosePuffin Pose - Newfoundland's northern coast is home to a number of seabird colonies, including the Atlantic Puffin. This little puffin sits patiently on the shore before taking flight into the Atlantic Ocean to feed on the Capelin that are spawning on the nearby rocky beaches.

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Puffins Of Elliston NewfoundlandDid you know that the Atlantic Puffin is the official provincial bird of Newfoundland and Labrador? These highly social birds will congregate on the shores of the island for several months during mating season.

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Horned Puffin On A RockWhile horned puffins range as far north as the Arctic Circle and as far south as Washington State to look for food, they’ve got a relatively small breeding range, confined to Alaska’s southern coast and Aleutian Islands. Lake Clark National Park is one of the best places to spot breeding pairs.

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Puffins Gather On Rock With Lush BackgroundA puffin party - A group of puffins gather together on a smooth gray stone with grass and flowers in the background. Here, one puffin attempts to land and join to others on a rock at Bird Island in Alaska. These colorful seabirds are well adapted to the climate in Alaska and are known for being inquisitive and social animals. There are four species of puffins, which include the Atlantic Puffin, Horned Puffin, Tufted Puffin and Rhinoceros Auklet.

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A Puffins Beak Filled With KrillAtlantic Puffins capture as many Krill as they can hold in their beaks. If you look closely you will notice that they stack the Krill alternating their head and tail in order to get as many as possible.

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Bird Island Puffin PicturesThree Horned Puffins gazing out to sea from Bird Island. Immersed in the lush summer foliage of this untouched island, we see the colorful beaks that distinguish them from other puffins. Taken on a Cook Inlet excursion during our Grizzly Bear Photo Tour.

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Horned And Tufted Puffins InflightA horned and tufted puffin fly next to each other in Alaska.

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Horned Puffin Explores A Rock FaceThis shot of a horned puffin by photographer Matt Shetzer provides a good opportunity to study what makes it different from its cousin the Atlantic puffin: its larger size, the wide band of yellow on its beak, and the bigger rounded “horns” above and behind its eyes.

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Precision PuffinPrecision Puffin - While very graceful in the water, the Atlantic Puffin was not so graceful as it came in for a landing in the grassy areas near its burrow. We watched with delight as many of the Puffins bounced their way to a stop on the grassy surfaces.

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Puffins EverywherePuffins take off from Bird Island, Alaska. This flock of Horned Puffins shown inflight against the waters of Cook Inlet, with some perched Puffins along the rocky shore in the background.

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Seated Horned PuffinA horned puffin shows off its plumage on a rock. Horned puffins are abundant on the rocky islands of Lake Clark National Park in southern Alaska.

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Horned Puffin On The Alaskan CoastA horned puffin flies toward the camera. Taken near Lake Clark National Park by professional wildlife photographer Matt Shetzer.

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Preparing For LandingPreparing for Landing - The Atlantic Puffin is not a strong flier and must beat its wings 300 to 400 times per minute to stay in the air. The landings are even more uncoordinated and frequently it will crash land.

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Puffin Spotted LandingSpotted Landing - While an Atlantic Puffin's wings are wonderful for diving underwater for up to 200 feet, flying through the air is a bit more challenging. If this puffin looks a little nervous about his landing, it probably is as they seem to bounce at least once or twice upon hitting the ground. Thank goodness for soft green grass.

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Puffins Shooting The BreezeShooting the Breeze - Is this a group of three female Atlantic Puffins gossiping outside their burrows in Newfoundland? We have no idea as there are no differences in the physical characteristics between males and females. Captive puffins at the Alaska Sea Life Center had to be DNA tested and then banded to know the differences between male and female.

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Atlantic Puffin On Machias Seal IslandAn Atlantic Puffin rests on a rock at the Machias Seal Island in Maine. To get to this remote island whose nationality is argued by the US and Canada, you need to take a boat from the little town of Cutler, Maine.

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Capelin Delivery By Atlantic PuffinCapelin Delivery - While this little Atlantic Puffin may appear to be greedy with lots of Capelin stuffed in his mouth, it is actually just bringing back food for a very hungry young one. Newfoundlands colonies of Atlantic Puffins represent over 95% of Canadas colonies.

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Flight Of The Puffins Before Snowy PeaksPicture of puffins flying around Bird Island on the Cook Inlet of Alaska. Three horned puffins fly in formation near the volcano Mt. Redoubt over the cold Alaskan waterway as the snowy peaks stand tall in the background. Nature image taken from an optional excursion during our Grizzly Bear photo workshop.

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Framed PuffinsFramed Puffins - While the Atlantic Puffin walks upright on land, it will "run" across the surface of the water to get airborne. The short wingspan of only 1 to 2 feet makes for difficulty in getting off land or water.

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Perched Puffin On A Rocky Newfoundland LedgePerched Puffin - Overlooking the green grassy areas where the nesting burrows are, this puffin stands guard on a rocky ledge. Puffin burrows can reach up to 3 feet in length and help protect the single egg and chick from predators.

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Puffins EverywherePuffins Everywhere - Puffins dropping in from above is just another part of a nesting colonies life. While it might be hazardous for those below, it is quite comical to watch as the head searches for a landing, brightly colored orange feet extend, and wings spread to try to land near the burrow.

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Horned Puffin Carrying FishA horned puffin carries fish through the wild blue — likely heading home to its mate, who might be incubating their egg or guarding a newborn chick.

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Horned Puffin Carrying FishThis horned puffin swims quickly underwater to catch fish in its bill. If you see one carrying fish during the summer, it’s likely carrying the food home to nourish its mate and chick.

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Puffin RockPuffin Rock - Grassy slopes along rocky islands are the favorite nesting grounds of the Atlantic Puffin in Newfoundland. Large groups will gather into colonies to dig their burrowed nests, lay a single egg and rear the young until its time to return to the Atlantic Ocean.

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Puffins Pictures