[Visit Scotland]
“Scotland is blessed with an abundance of marvellous creatures great and small which inhabit land, water and air. Here is an introduction to one of the native Scottish wildlife species which features in our fantastic Scottish Wildlife Series ebook.
There is just something about PUFFINS that makes them irresistible. Maybe it’s their clownish faces, comical gait or colourful parrot-like beaks, but they are without a doubt one of the most coveted sightings for birdwatchers and wildlife lovers.
Luckily for us, Scotland happens to be prime location in the British Isles to spot PUFFINS. We even have our own special nicknames for them, such as ‘tammie norries’. The majority belong to the colonies dispersed through the west and north coast of the country, but there are many smaller groups found elsewhere.
Puffins spend most of the year in the open ocean, but from late April to mid-August, hundreds of thousands of them return to Scotland to breed. July is the peak time to see the bird with their beaks brimming over with fresh fish to feed their chicks, delightfully called ‘pufflings’.
Somewhat ungainly on land, puffins are remarkably lithe swimmers, using their wings to propel themselves underwater and their webbed feet as a rudder. They also partner-up for life, with the males courting potential mates with gifts of grass and feathers. Their distinctive beaks are another source of fascination – a unique hinging mechanism makes it extraordinarily flexible and it actually drops off before the onset of winter to reveal a much dinkier beak.
Download our Scottish Wildlife Series ebook now to learn more fascinating puffin facts about these magnificent birds and five other favourite Scottish animals”
Learn more about Scotland’s wildlife : HERE
Vocabulary in Chunks 