Atlantic Puffin – Machias Seal Island, Maine: Often referred to as avian clowns, Atlantic Puffins have the most colorful beak of any bird in North America. During the breeding season the drab color of the winter beak turns bright. Both male and female sport this multi-colored beak that plays an important roll in breeding rituals.
A colonial nester, puffins congregate on off shore islands and high cliffs along the mainland to breed. They lay a single egg in rock crevices and earthen burrows protecting the egg and young from predators.
Machias Seal Island, where this image was taken is a fifteen acre, treeless island about ten-miles off the coast of Cutler, Maine. The island is claimed by both the United States and Canada. The Canadians have established a wildlife sanctuary on the island and its lighthouse is the only manned lighthouse left in Canada.
Nikon F5, Nikkor 500mm f-4, Provia 100
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