Tufted Puffin at Nest Hole

In the summer of 2009, my family and I took a vaction to Oregon.  We LOVED it.  We spent a few days at Cannon Beach, where the big attraction for me was "Haystack Rock", which is (I believe) the southernmost spot where Tufted Puffins breed.  It was truly incredible one morning, as I woke up at dawn and walked the couple of miles down the beach to Haystack Rock.  The tide was at its lowest, and at first I was so taken with the life in the tidal pools, that I neglected to pay attention to all the birds around me!  This included quite a few Tufted Puffins, some of which were clearly visible on a grassy slope near the top of the rock, where they had nest holes.  It was a real joy to watch this bird proudly stand by the nest, occasionally flying out and returning with food, and really throwing a fit when a marauding Bald Eagle would do a fly-by the rock.