And wave power creates towering fortresses
like these cliffs in the Arctic, home to tens of thousands
of breeding seabirds.
The faces of the cliffs are accessible only from the air
and have plenty of nooks and crannies for those that can get there.
But to feed,
seabirds must still master the ocean world beyond.
The puffin.
He’s a fisherman
and a father.
He has a mate for life.
Both share the burden of raising their week-old chick,
their puffling, who needs five square meals a day.
The parents alternate fishing trips.
It’s Dad’s turn.
When fish stocks are low,
puffins must fly as much as 50 kilometres out to sea
to reach the good fishing grounds.
Once there, they plunge into another world.
Good fishing spots are hard to come by,
and they have company –
guillemots.
Like the puffin,
their wings are short and good for diving.
Puffins can hold their breath for over a minute
and dive as deep as 40 metres.
A catch.
But it’s a long way home.
After an exhausting round trip of almost 100 kilometres,
this puffin’s nearly made it.
But there are pirates on this coast.
Arctic skuas.
All around, returning parents are being robbed.
The skuas’ long raked-back wings
make them faster and more manoeuvrable.
Puffins must choose their moment wisely.
A near miss.
A last, desperate burst of speed
and it’s made it.
Safely home after a three-hour round trip,
where his patient partner is waiting.
Today, their puffling will eat.
But where fish numbers are in decline,
many puffins now find it hard to get enough food
for their chicks.
In the changing seas of today,
it can be even harder to be a successful puffin parent.
