The hole story
An Atlantic puffin on Skomer peers out from the clifftop burrow it's occupied since early spring and where it lays a single egg in late April. This island off the south-west Pembrokeshire coast, managed by the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, is a breeding stronghold for the species: nearly 39,000 puffins were recorded here this year.
Nesting instinct
A puffin gathers grass and roots to line its burrow. Its large, vividly coloured bill - prominent in summer, a duller hue in winter - contrasts with the smart black and white of its plumage, said to resemble monastic robes. This look informs the species' scientific name, Fratercula arctica, 'little brother of the north' - a nod to its range in the north Atlantic.
Seabird city
Skomer, here blushing with red campion and bluebells in late May, bustles with seabirds in spring and summer. As well as puffins, perhaps half of the UK's population of Manx shearwater breed on Skomer and neighbouring Skokholm, joined by storm petrels, guillemots, razorbills, fulmars and numerous other species.
Sky pirate
Any puffin returning with food - typically sandeels for its chick risks being mugged by larger birds such as great skuas and, as here, lesser black-backed gulls. These kleptoparasites don't just grab prey from flying puffins or force them to drop their fishy cargo; they also occasionally snatch unwary pufflings from burrow entrances.
ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Drew Buckley is an award-winning landscape and wildlife photographer based in Pembrokeshire, Wales. He is the author of The Puffin Book (Graffeg, 2020), and runs photography workshops on Skomer. See more of his work at drewbuckley photography.com or @drewbphotography.
High-rise homes
Denne historien er fra September 2022-utgaven av BBC Wildlife.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra September 2022-utgaven av BBC Wildlife.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Does cloning create identical copies?
EMBRYOS ARE MADE OF STEM CELLS that divide to give rise to different types of cells, everything from skin to brain cells. Scientists once thought that reproductive cloning creating a genetically identical copy of an individual organism - would be impossible without using stem cells and that the path leading to mature 'differentiated' cells was irreversible. But clawed frogs proved them wrong...
Tool-using animals
Our pick of 10 species that exhibit this special skill
Mission Blue
Sylvia Earle has dedicated her life to marine conservation; she tells BBC Wildlife why protecting the ocean is essential to all life on earth
RESHARK
The world's first shark rewilding initiative has seen zebra sharks released in the waters of Indonesia's Raja Ampat archipelago
ON DECK
Ferries aren't just for transport, they're also perfect vessels for conservation
IT'S A COLOURFUL LIFE
Delve into the unique and complex biology of the clownfish, arguably the world's most famous fish
BAHAMAS BENEATH
A dive into the waters of this famous island nation with the creatures that call it home
"To save the reef, we need everybody involved"
Indigenous peoples may hold the key to protecting the Great Barrier Reef
SPINNING AROUND
Going around in circles proves fruitful for this filter-feeder
BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
On balmy evenings, amorous beetles put on a spellbinding show in North American forests