Showing off

In our little boat, Puffin, we frequently birded the area where the Admiralty Inlet meets Puget Sound. In late summer, drifting into the tidal rips where the waters meet leads to close encounters with lots of fascinating birds, from Ancient murrelets to Parasitic jaegers. On this day, in late spring, we cruised a little farther-- to a spot known to be home to a colony of tufted puffins. Again, we turned the engine off and drifted-- right into a group of three puffins. The three of them seemed to enjoy swimming close to the boat, with two of them putting on a fascinating series of displays.