I stayed on St. Paul Island one week (3.7.16 – 10.7.16). My major incentive was to watch and photograph the Horned and tufted puffins, following my successful photo trip to the Farne Islands for the Atlantic puffin with Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris last year. From the moment I set my foot on the island, I felt it's a one of a kind remote and weird place. It was very sad to see the adverse ecological effects in the Bering Sea on the birds there. There were many photo sessions in which I saw max 1-2 puffins on the cliffs, and only one session in which I saw much more. The beautiful crested auklet I didn't see at all. My favorite bird species there was the least auklet for its social behavior, agility and accessibility.
Those who visited this beautiful spot are aware what does it entail to photograph the birds on the cliffs there. Those who're considering going there on a photo trip I would suggest to make sure they are tall enough and knowledgeable accurately about the risks involved, and that their tele lens is long enough (much longer than 300mm+2xTC in DX mode), as the info. I received before enrolling to the trip was inaccurate (huge understatement!).
My thanks go to the birders Alison Vilag and Stephan Lorenz from highlonesometours.com for the great job they did, and also to the photo mate Michael Lang for his kindness.
