This is the incredible moment an amateur photographer caught a picture of a puffin as it flew towards his camera.

Ian Herd captured the bird flying through the air with a mouth full of sand eels at Fingal's Cave on the uninhabited island of Staffa, Inner Hebrides.

The 47-year-old, from Alness, Ross and Cromarty, said he waited patiently to get the perfect picture.

He said: "I was on Staffa and decided to go over the other side of the island to Fingal's Cave where all the seabirds are.

"I was tracking the birds with my camera when this one just flew right towards me.

"It was great to get the shot I wanted - I have been photographing puffins for a while now."

Truck driver and avid wildlife photographer Ian caught the picture two weeks ago when visiting Staffa.

The remote island lies six miles west of the Isle of Mull and is in the care of the National Trust for Scotland.