Post #66 - Puffins and my wedding....

Sorry that I have been comparatively absent of late, but I have a really, really good excuse; Sonia and I got married this past weekend! This was a long time coming, and it feels really good to know where my personal future lies. Our wedding was rather unique, taking place on roller skates at an old skool roller skating rink in Orange County. I won't give you too many details, but here are two photos, one from the rink and one from the reception, to show you the scene!

How the heck does a wedding tie into birds?!?!? Well, check this out. In 2013, Sonia and I traveled to Newfoundland. It was an incredible trip highlighted by a particular afternoon we spent with an amazingly cooperative group of Atlantic Puffins in Elliston. As we watched the comically cute birds, dozens of humpback whales breached in the background. It was like something out of "Planet Earth!", an incredible scene that we will remember for the rest of our lives. As expected, I took quite a few puffin photos that day. This is my favorite of the many.

Many seabirds have stereotyped bill-touching and bill-tapping routines that they use to reinforce their pair-bonds. I caught this presumed pair during one of these exchanges. As it doesn't take too much anthropomorphizing to liken this behavior to human kissing, this photograph has become a representation of the affection that Sonia and I feel for one another. We felt so strongly about this that we personalized our wedding bands with an etching of this exact scene! 

Macro lens and skills needed!

With the wedding behind us, I hope to do a bit more birding in the upcoming weeks. As that happens, I should be able to generate more bird related content. Until then you'll just have to live with a bit more of the wedding fun!