Wildlife

Here is the wildlife that Zoya was talking about in the blog post below. In the top photo seagulls (black-legged kittiwakes?) are nesting on the cliffs. Up at the top of the cliffs the puffins dig their nests (burrows actually) into the dirt and old volcanic ash. They'd come out of their holes and dive bomb us as they flew away. Puffins are not good fliers and it seems to take a while for them to get going - sort of like an old fighter plane dropping off the front of a WWII era aircraft carrier. But puffins are much more humorous. Zoya was convinced some seabird was going to poop on her hat.

The sea lions were scary - so huge. I wondered if I was that quintessential hubby who gets himself mauled while feeding a bear at Yellowstone Park while his wife takes a picture. Only in this case I was in the back of the boat. The sea lions just snored and huffed, and one stood up and made a pose as we left. No maulings today. Patrick