Last Puffin Standing …

 … well almost as it won’t be more than a week or so before all the puffins will have taken their leave of their burrows and headed far out to sea to spend the autumn and winter there.

Puffin chicks (pufflings) leave the colony when they fledge and head off out to sea without their parents.  At the Bullers of Buchan it is a one-time leap of faith from their burrows high up on the cliffs down into the sea below.  This is done under the cover of darkness to avoid predators.

Puffins remain in the open sea until they are 2-3 years old.  Then they return to the vicinity of the colony where they hatched and may nest near the 'family home' during the breeding season. Most puffins do not breed until they are 5 years old. They use their pre-breeding years to learn about feeding places, choosing a mate and nesting sites. 

Scientists are unsure how puffins find their way 'home' and are still learning how the birds migrate.  They may make a mental map of their birthplace and use this to return later.  They may use the stars, or the earth's magnetic field, or sounds or smells. These are the visual clues of the ocean that help them make their 'map'.  While the ocean appears uniform to us, to seabirds it holds vast amounts of information that we can't and don’t sense. 

Many happy returns to the puffins and also to my blipping friend Cailleach whose birthday it was yesterday!

I have posted some puffin extras here …
https://www.blipfoto.com/entry/2853282083478965315  if you’d like to see some more puffins and the puffin paparazzi!