The Swan

Toplitzsee (Lake Toplitz), Austria.

Elephant

An Elephant is protecting from midday sun in Udawalawe Nationalpark, Sri Lanka.

Bird of Joy

The Atlantic Puffin is doubtless one of the most adored seabirds in the world. Clown-faced with a body of black and white the cute birds only spend time on land while breading, which is from late April to early August. After their chicks have learned to fly and how to catch fish on their own, puffins simply vanish for months into the North Atlantic just to return a year later, often to the same partner and burrow. What Puffins are doing during wintertime is a mystery.

A Puffin picks up blade of grass to line its burrow.

Puffins often wait nearby their burrows before returning back with sand-eels in their mouth to watch out for gulls and other seabirds that may steal their food.

Atlantic Puffins catch up to a dozen fish or more, mostly sand-eels, to bring a meal for their chicks. 

Puffins rub their beaks to show other seabirds they are a brace. 

Puffins burrow near cliffs for an easy access to the sea.

A puffin brace with their chick which has not yet the significant large orange beak.

An Atlantic Puffin exits its burrow near the open sea. Burrows are several feet deep to keep eggs or chicks safe.

More information on the Atlantic Puffin on National Geographic.

30 pictures from Scotland

I have created a new page on my blog called 30  pictures which will be devoted to travel photography and will feature thirty single images of one country or destination.

The first dispatch comes from SCOTLAND. Click on the image below to enter the full gallery.