Puffin Along the Coast

21 Jul

*A puffin looking away from the coast, high up on the cliffs of Rathlin Island.*

Like any thirty-something-year old, I only get to go on holiday if it’s for someone’s wedding. My trip to Northern Ireland was no exception — my partner’s cousin was getting married. Someone I’d never met. But I dusted off the suit I’d last worn only four months ago (and would another two times this summer) and hopped on the plane.

Thankfully, we set aside a few days after the wedding to explore the northern coast. Despite my blood consisting mostly of Guinness, I lugged my camera around Portstewart, the Giant’s Causeway, and finally Rathlin Island. The latter was the home of an RSPB nature reserve with a bounty of seabirds to photograph, the most distinguished of which was the wee puffin.

But first, I warmed up the camera at Solitude Park in Banbridge, where we spotted a local celebrity — the heron.