[8/7/17- Kelsey, Naturalist]
There is a vast expansion of seabird varieties here in the San Juan Islands that we can see on any given trip. We’ve got Common murres, Rhinoceros auklets, Pacific loons, Pelagic Cormorants, Glaucous-winged gulls… just to name a few! Some of the more rare birds are Marbled murrelets, Arctic terns, and on occasion- TUFTED PUFFINS.
There have been very few trips this season where puffins are spotted, but whenever we have had the rare chance to see one, we realize that we only know 3 main points about Tufted puffins: 1) they are very south for their range and are quite rare to be spotted in the San Juan Island region, so seeing them is quite the treat. 2) They are a diving bird. 3) They look super cool with little clown faces. But, we wanted to know more about these birds! So with a little digging and research, here’s some more facts about the beautiful Tufted puffin…
The Tufted puffin is a small, stocky diving seabird that’s about 15 inches long. It is a rather striking bird with a dark body that is black, but it has a clownish face with a white facemask and large orange bill. During the summer breeding season, it also has yellowish tufts of feathers running above its eyes and off of the back of its head, almost like eyebrows gone haywire. The bird doesn’t have much of a call or song- in fact, the only real noise it makes is a low groaning or growling “errrr” sound when it is at its nest around others in the colony. The bird dives to catch fish like herring and smolts, and sometimes it can even catch squid and shellfish. It can hold up to 20 fish in its beak at a time, and it takes those fish back to its burrow on land (tunnels can be excavated about 5 feet deep into shore) where its single chick is waiting. Sometimes the parents do not return to the chick for 1 or 2 days while they are out fishing!
There ya have it, a few fun facts about the Tufted puffin life. If you ever make it out to the San Juan Islands, keep your eyes peeled for these special little birds!