During a visit to Latrabjarg, on Iceland's Westfjords, you will be face to face with puffins. There are also thousands of fulmars, razorbills, guillemots and kittiwakes breeding there. So it is a cacophony of sound! The birds cooperate well; they usually let you get close. A few metres is the rule rather than the exception. Sitting on the ground and waiting is often the best remedy. If you photograph such a puffin ('Lundi' in Icelandic) right from the front, it'll suddenly have a bulbous appearance. The colourful bill acts as an eye-catcher. In winter, by the way, the beak hardly colours at all, which is logical because in this season 'courting ladies' is out of the question. Puffins winter on seas and oceans. When spring comes, they seek their steep tower blocks again. Sometimes there is still snow then. No point. So the clownish seabirds simply start digging the tunnel-like passage to the nest cavity. In such a case, the bill acts as a tool.
De fotografie is er bij mij met de paplepel ingegoten. Mijn vader werkte bij de Koninklijke Marine als fotograaf. In het analoge tijdperk ontwikkelden we menig filmpje in de doka en drukten er talloze foto's af. Ik heb een ruime belangstelling voor alles wat met natuur te maken.. Read more…