PLENTY OF FISH IN THE SEA - CUTE PUFFIN BITES OFF MORE THAN HE CAN CHEW
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.
Other great stories
BEAR AND FOX IN SHOWDOWN
This is the moment a nimble red fox and a lumbering Alaskan brown bear were locked in a tense stand-off .
THEY'RE BEHIND YOU!
SURROUNDED by tens of thousands of fish, this outnumbered diver is dwarfed by a mass of sea life .
SISTERS BOTH HAVE 1 IN 3.5M DISEASE THAT IS TURNING THEM TO CRYSTAL
Meet the sisters who have both been diagnosed with a one in 3 .
ABANDONED CARE HOME LIES FORGOTTEN
BEHIND the doors of this building, with its stacks of mattresses and discarded remains of wheelchairs, lies another victim of austerity cuts .
FACES OF ORPHAN VICTIMS OF AGENT ORANGE
These are the faces of orphans suffering from the horrifying effects of chemical warfare .
SURPRISE BABY: WOMAN REVEALS SHE DIDN’T KNOW SHE WAS PREGNANT UNTIL SHE SAW HER BABY’S HEAD CROWNING
A woman has revealed how she didn’t know she was pregnant until she saw her baby’s head crowning .
CHEEKY MONKEY COOLS OFF IN APRIL SHOWERS
This cheeky chappie is getting into all kinds of monkey business as he enjoys cooling off on a scorching hot day .
TOO FAT FOR HUGS BUT NOW I'VE LOST 9 STONE
Aged 27, I was swept off my feet by my gorgeous husband, Lee, now 42 .
DOG WHO HAD HER EYES GOUGED OUT FINDS LOVING HOME IN THE UK
An adorable rescue dog who had her eyes gouged out by thugs in Romania has found a loving home in the UK .
GIVE US A KISS - CHEEKY ORANGUTAN PUCKERS UP FOR CAMERA
SHOWING off her best assets for the camera, this cheeky orangutan is in the mood for love, puckering up her lips to blow the biggest kiss she can .
CHERYL LOOKALIKE SLAMS SKINNY-SHAMING PUBLIC
A Cheryl Fernandez-Versini lookalike has slammed skinny-shamers, after seeing her celebrity doppelganger abused for her tiny frame .