Puffling preparations

In a sheer rock cliff there is a natural cavity in which a pair of Puffins have made their nest. Today their Puffling is making preparations for its first flight and a life bobbing around at sea. It’s only five or six weeks since it cracked open the egg and it has grown like topsy, with a diet of ever-larger fish.

It is edging out into the sunlight. It doesn’t have the white face or distinctive beak yet and won’t until it’s old enough to breed. It’ll be five years until then, when we hope to see it again on the cliffs of Westray.

There’s time for a few preparatory flaps before it’s back into the darkness of the rock.

It’ll leave under cover of darkness. We wish it well.