This is the moment a puffin delved into the ocean and bit off more than he could chew to collect a beak full of fish. The stocky bird used its huge red and orange beak and strong tongue to grab the sandeels for a quick bite in the North Sea. Also known as the sea parrot, the animals were pictured earlier this year during the breeding season when their colours are even brighter. The pictures were captured by wildlife photographer Ron McCombe on the Farne Islands off the coast of Northumberland where they breed in large colonies. Puffins select a partner when three to five years old and then mate for life in season when they can be seen billing, a bonding ritual that forms a greeting or a form of puffin kissing. On land at breeding time is the only time the birds are vocal, living much of their lives out at sea in silence.
IN a galaxy not so far away lies a magical display of lights that could be the latest image from NASA .
INSIDE Britain's last Naval hospital where scurvy was cured looks like an NHS time capsule .
BASKING in smug satisfaction, a confident squirrel gives a wink to the camera .
This may look like a monster car engine that will leave petrol heads in a spin, but it is in fact a rather snazzy looking COFFEE MACHINE .
While often referred to as the kings of the jungle, gorillas - for all their might - are notorious hydrophobes .
AN OLD ENGLISH cottage packed full of history and valuables has been left to rot .
A cricket perches on an unusual seat after crawling up the snout of a crocodile .
POWERFUL bolts of lightning illuminate the night sky in an incredible autumn storm over the Sardinian coastline .
A BRITISH couple are the first to tie the knot inside an enormous GLACIER in Iceland .
A brave praying mantis makes an unusual friend in an Oriental garden lizard .
STRIKING photos capture nature at its most raw and powerful during Earth’s most electrifying event .
