Go See Puffins

Step outside and go see a puffin! These remarkable seabirds live along northern coastlines of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, nesting on rugged islands and spending most of their lives out at sea. During summer, when they nest at colonies in coastal or inner shelf waters, they may be observed from land with binoculars or telescopes as they feed close to shore. They can also be observed from ferries and private vessels that travel through coastal waters occupied by puffins. There are eco-tour companies scattered around the world that will take you on a boat into coastal or offshore waters to visit puffin colonies offshore and search for other species of birds and marine mammals as well.  If you don’t know of any places to go see puffins, just Google “What is the closest place I can go to see puffins?”

Seeing puffins in the wild—watching them fly low over the waves, dive beneath the water for fish, or return to their burrows with bills full of prey—can change the way you think about seabirds and the ocean. When you see them for yourself, you begin to understand how amazing they are and how important healthy marine ecosystems are to their survival. Puffins depend on clean oceans and abundant small fish such as sand lance, anchovies and herring. Many puffin populations are declining, and the more people who care about them, the better chance they have for the future. You will be a better and more enthusiastic advocate for puffins and ocean health if you actually get out to see them in their wild world.

In the meantime, if you can’t visit a coastal colony right now, go see puffins at a zoo or aquarium. You can get some pretty amazing closeup looks at puffins this way and often get to watch them through a glass wall swimming (“flying”) underwater. Wherever you live in the world, take the opportunity to see a puffin—you may discover a lifelong passion for protecting our oceans.