15 August 2025
August is the time of yr when child puffins fledge. At evening they observe the sunshine of the moon on their first flight to the ocean. Nonetheless if the moon is darkish (a New Moon) or obscured by fog, the “pufflings” fly to the closest gentle and find yourself stranded in cities, at homes or on roads. They may die in the event that they aren’t returned to the ocean. Happily, volunteers are comfortable to assist, particularly in Iceland and Newfoundland.
Witless Bay, Newfoundland is house to North America’s largest Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) colony containing 260,000 breeding pairs. Each spring the adults arrive to put one egg and lift a chick in burrows on the hills and cliffs.
When the egg hatches the mother and father are saved busy bringing meals to the burrow.
Ultimately the chick emerges although it can’t fly but.
When it does make its first flight — at all times at evening — it could get into severe hassle, particularly if it lands on the street. The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) runs an annual Puffin Patrol that enlists volunteers to rescue chicks at evening and launch them throughout the day. This yr’s Puffin Patrol is August 1-31, 2025.
In the meantime street indicators at Witless Bay warn motorists that child puffins may be on the street. Be careful!
This 10-year-old video reveals puffin rescue at Witless Bay in lower than 2 minutes.
When you have extra time, watch 7 minutes by Peter Barfoot, filmed in 2017.
And right here’s the objective: A puffling on the ocean.
Learn concerning the Witless Bay rescue program at CPAWS Puffin and Petrel Patrol.
Right here’s a 10 minute mini-documentary that tells the historical past of puffin rescue at Witless Bay.
