Shetland: Sumburgh Head – Atlantic Puffins
Sumburgh Head is one of the premier places in the world to observe Atlantic puffins up-close, literally within a hands reach! The birds fly in front of you – “flying potatoes” – and land at the cliff edges, where they have burrows they live in. The single chick that hatches inside the burrow almost never comes out, while the parents take turns fishing and bringing beaks full of fish to feed the young one. Atlantic puffin is the only one of the three global species to live in the Atlantic Ocean, the other two are in the Pacific. The world population of puffins is estimated at around 8-12 million, and the bird is considered vulnerable. At Sumburgh Head, you could spend an entire day just watching these cute little birds and observe their interaction and habits.
