Wildlife photography: Magic of Skomer's puffins captured

Drew Buckley

The puffin breeding season on Skomer Island is coming to a close and the birds will return to the sea once more.

The Atlantic puffins will leave the island at the end of July.

Drew Buckley said it can feel a bit all over at once.

"You're there every day and then suddenly you're not going to see them for nine months or something like that," he said.

Drew Buckley

If it was the same every day, then it wouldn't be as special, but it's this sort of fleeting glimpse and then you look forward to next season.

Drew spent his pocket money and birthday money on cameras as a child.

He quit his job as a 3D computer games artist to become a photographer.

He works as a photographer for the National Trust and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, as well as writing articles and books, and recently worked with the Natural History Unit to create time-lapse photography for a television series.

He said he's happy with anything with a camera.

Drew Buckley

The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales manages Skomer, which is owned by the Natural Resources Wales.

The seabirds are happy to put on a show for the camera because they don't have to worry about land animals.

He said they're very curious.

They're going to look at you and try to work you out. They're funny because they're a little clumsy.

He said he got his best shots in the middle of the night.

Drew Buckley

"You get the sunsets and the birds are more relaxed because all the day-trippers have left and it's a completely different place in the evening," he said.

They walk up to your feet and pull your laces.

Drew Buckley

He likes to take a shot of a puffin against a golden sky.

A lot of things have to come together in order for the show to go off without a hitch.

He said taking photos of the birds was enjoyable but challenging.

Sometimes they're notgainly and other times they're more charismatic with their landings.

Drew Buckley

"You have to be even quicker for those because it's a blink of an eye and you will miss it," he said.

He makes sure to stop and enjoy the island.

It's important to just put the camera down and experience the environment, because it's such a unique one.

It's on our doorstep. It's a magical place to step into.

Drew Buckley

Drew Buckley

From March to April, puffsins arrive on Skomer. They spend most of their time out at sea when they build their nest.

Each year, puffedins mate with the same bird and give birth to a chick.

Between 36 and 45 days is when the parents start to nurture their child's egg. Things start getting busy after this point.

Drew said "that's when you see all the shots of birds coming back in with beaks full of sand eels and feeding the hungry chick"

The parents share the responsibility of feeding the chick.

Drew Buckley

Birds desert their young before they leave the nest and head back out to the ocean.

All adults leave the colonies within a few days due to the timing of the breeding.

Drew Buckley

Young birds leave their nest and travel to the sea under cover of darkness.

The adults will return in April of next year.

Drew Buckley

About 10% of the world's puffins can be found in the British Isles.

The Atlantic puffins are considered to be at risk of extinction.

The seabirds are doing well.

The past 10 years have seen a 240% increase in the number of birds reported by WTSWW.