MICHAEL NORFOLK

I was expecting being able to title this blog post along the lines of 'Photographing Puffins' but as it turned out, locating any Puffins to photograph proved more difficult than I had initially anticipated. I was not alone - almost everyone I spoke with was of the same mind and while there were indeed a few Puffins to be seen they were far less numerous than some people were making out.

It was Tuesday 20th May 2025 and we had booked a short stay at Wold Farm Caravan and Camping site located approximately mid-way between Bempton Cliffs and Thornwick Bay. The Wold Farm site offers private access directly onto the cliff path and you can choose to head left towards the RSPB site at Bempton Cliffs or if you prefer you can head right in the direction of Thornwick Bay and Flamborough. It was a lovely calm and sunny day and so with camera to hand we decided to walk towards Bempton Cliffs with high expectations of being able to spot numerous Puffins along the way. However, it was not to be and by the time we reached the path leading to the RSPB visitor center we were still looking to locate our first Puffin, although our disappointment was temporarily relieved by seeing a Barn Owl.

First sighting of a Puffin, 20th May 2025. Canon R5, Rf200-800mm

A Trio of Puffins, 20th May 2025. Canon R5, Rf200-800mm

Having set out walking with my wife and our little dog, it was near the visitor centre that we parted ways, my wife returning ahead to Wold Farm with our dog, leaving me to make my way back more slowly so that I had a better chance of seeking out a Puffin or two. It wasn't long before I caught my first sight of a solitary bird and managed to take several photographs.

As I continued along the cliff top path the Barn Owl reappeared allowing me to take some photographs in the evening sunshine, but more on that in another blog post.

By this time I had been away from the campsite for near on 3 hours and with no other Puffins in sight I made my way back towards Wold Farm photographing numerous Gannets, Razorbills and Guillemots along the way. Just as I was about to turn onto the private path leading to Wold Farm I spotted a trio of Puffins low down on the cliff directly opposite the entrance. An opportunity for a photograph and reassuring to know that there were at least a few more Puffins about.

The following morning I decided to stay closer to the camp site and after walking little more than 200 yards I had found a couple of Puffins that were soaring up above the cliff face in the wind that had strengthened considerably since the previous day. I settled down a safe distance from the edge of the cliff and attempted to photograph them as they soared by and above me. It would have been nice to have been able to zoom in a bit more for the photographs but by doing so it was incredibly difficult to locate and lock focus on them so it was far better to stay zoomed out that bit more and accept that I would most likely need to crop some of the images later. I was using my Canon R5 along with the RF 200-800mm lens so cropping images doesn't really present any problems for my specific needs.

I spent probably the best part of 2 hours snapping away at these 2 Puffins each time they came into view, the strength of the wind making it an especially difficult task to hold the camera steady even after discarding the lens hood.

A Puffin in flight, 21st May 2025. Canon R5, Rf200-800mm

A Puffin in flight, 21st May 2025. Canon R5, Rf200-800mm

It proved a relatively successful morning with a few satisfying images acquired but over the next couple of days I saw very few Puffins about and never got the same opportunity to sit myself down with the camera.

For the duration of our stay at Wold Farm I would say I saw no more than 10 Puffins, though I did manage to grab that photograph with three birds huddled together. Admittedly I have limited experience and regular bird enthusiasts will no doubt have located more Puffins than I managed to see myself but having come with the specific aim of photographing Puffins I am relatively pleased with the few acceptable images I managed to obtain.