Daily Nature Fix: A Swarm of Puffins! (Original Photos)

Hello Steemit. Today's daily nature tidbit is about one of the cutest birds you can find: the puffin.  These little guys crack me up.  They're so short and stocky, and that big colorful beak and worrisome eyes; how could you not love 'em? At about 1 foot tall, and rocking the black and white plumage, they look like tiny penguins almost. 

^^^One of my closer photos - they wouldn't let anyone get too close to them.

These little guys are north atlantic puffins, Fratercula arctic, and were photographed near Videy Island in Iceland. We took a tour from a local company and it turned out that seeing them by boat was the best and easiest way to view them.  It couldn't have been more than 15 minutes after setting out from the dock in Reykjavik that we started spotting some puffins in the water, like the one above.  These guys mainly eat small fish and they have evolved into great little divers/swimmers to catch them.   Their short, stocky wings have adapted to allow the birds to dive into the water and swim with a flying-like technique.  You could see many of them soaring only a foot or two above the surface before diving in when they saw a tasty morsel below.

^^^Puffin hunting for some fish.

Closer to land, the colony could be seen hanging out on the rocky shoreline.  This is where they would nest, and things were busy being that it was during the breeding season.  Puffins form long-term relationships and both parents take turns incubating the single egg they have, as well as feeding the puffling. I was also fortunate to catch these guys during the breeding season because they actually shed the outer layer of that colorful orange-red beak during the rest of the year and they just don't look quite as impressive. 

^^^A few individuals hanging out in nesting areas. 

As the boat turned around to head back home, something (a whale likely) spooked a large amount of the birds that were floating on the water.  What followed was a swarm of about 50 - 60 puffins! Which is pretty much the most adorable type of swarm one can encounter, by the way.  They were moving fast, but I did manage to get a few pictures.

^^^Puffins everywhere!

Thanks for reading and we'll see you tomorrow.  - Adam

***Daily Nature Fix is a daily blog showcasing the natural world.  It is all original content using photos, stories, and experiences from my own travels.***

P.S. - Today marks my 14th Daily Nature Fix post! I was going to give it two weeks of doing this to see if there would be any interest and if not, I was going to give up.  I'm happy to say that I feel there has been enough interest in this blog that I will continue it.  :)  Also, I will start adding the tag "dailynaturefix" to make it easier to find, but the best way to see it is to follow me, of course, @customnature.  Thanks for the support and encouragement, everyone!