St.Paul

St.Paul

The barren landscape of St. Paul.

St.Paul

A gorgeous puffin on the cliffs of St Paul Island

St.Paul

Tufted puffin, one of 4 types

St.Paul

Observe the two yellow tufts or plumes on the back of the head

St.Paul

Horned puffin. See the small horns emerging from the eyes.

St.Paul

Puffins are about 15 in in length and weigh about 1.6 lbs.

St.Paul

Puffins have short wings adapted for diving and underwater swimming.

St.Paul

Consequently, puffins can't glide so they move quickly through the air.

St.Paul

Puffins dwell on cliffs to have their young for about 3 months a year.

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Puffins spend the other 9 months at sea.

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Puffins eat fish exclusively.

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Horned puffin.

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Two horned puffins with crested auklets in the background.

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Wildflowers on St. Paul Island.

St.Paul

Here's a closer view of a crested auklet.

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Crested auklets have a colorful beak and a forehead crest.

St.Paul

Crested auklets are 7-11 in. in length and weigh 7-12 oz.

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Crested auklets surrounded by parakeet auklets

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Plant life on St. Paul Island

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Close up of a parakeet auklet.

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A cute bird with arresting circular eyes.

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Usually live in large colonies.

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Feeds on planktonic crustaceans.

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Is able to dive up to 30 meters in the water in pursuit of its prey.

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More flowers from St. Paul

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These are thick-billed murres.

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Murres, puffins, crested auklets, and parakeet auklets all are members of the Auk family.

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Murres can dive as deep as 200 meters.

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Thick-billed murres have a white stripe extending from their beak, distinguishing them from common murres.

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As fliers, Murres' take-offs are awkward, but then they can reach speeds of 75 mph.

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Thick-billed murres with parakeet auklets.

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Murres cling precariously to steep cliffs.

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Murres do not build nests to incubate their eggs.

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Both parents incubate and feed the chick. Incubation is 35 days.

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Chicks fledge in about 21 days.

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"Oops. A little short!" Murres are better swimmers than fliers.

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Murres, like puffins, spend all winter at sea.

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How we got these photos: Here are members of our group standing precariously on a cliff edge.

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We took thousands of photos over a 5-day period.

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A well-populated cliff.

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Our group at work. Julie is on the right. It was especially challenging to capture the birds in flight.

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Meet the red-faced cormorant.

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It's obvious how this cormorant got its name.

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Red-faced cormorant with newly hatched chick. Note the two additional eggs.

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A day later: two newly hatched chicks.

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The young fledge in 50-60 days.

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