Puffins
Tours which will may see puffins:
7 Day Hebridean Explorer
7 Day Orkney & Skye Experience
9 Day Island Hopper
These birds are often referred to as clowns of the air, with their short wings, fat bodies and colourful beaks it is easy to see why. They would hardly be described as graceful, but they are certainly entertaining and most people with no real interest in birdwatching will still be fascinated by them.
There is thought to be a population of around 600 000 in Britain but they are only easy to spot when they come ashore to breed in early April. They are at there biggest numbers in July and by August they have normally all gone back out to sea.
The fact that they tend to nest on inaccessible islands and steep cliffs also makes it difficult to get a good look at them in many areas. They will lay a single egg in a burrow, either dug out of the soil, or amongst the rocks. There are however a few areas where we can almost guarantee a sighting in the right season, and many others where we get occasional sightings.
Marwick Head on Orkney and the coastline around John O'Groats are normally a fairly safe bet. Particularly early in the day and evening when they are often seen labouring in with a beak full of sand eels.
Places where you might see puffins
Orkney
John O'Groats
Durness and Sutherland
If you like Puffins you may also like
Boat trips
Seals
Beaches
