Puffin patrol - children in Heimaey island in Iceland rescue puffins who have fallen off cliffs

Ranger Rick, Sept, 1996 by Claire Miller

Why is this girl holding a young puffin? She and her friends are helping these little birds out of big trouble.

For two weeks every summer, kids on the island of Heimaey (HAY-muh-ay) roam the streets until way past midnight. (Heimaey is a tiny island south of Iceland, which is a large island in the North Atlantic.)

Why do the kids' parents let them stay out so late? The streets are safe, and the kids are doing something their parents did when they were young. They're rescuing frightened young puffins. . . . But the story of the Heimaey puffins really starts three months earlier.

OFF TO A GOOD START

Every spring, grown-up Atlantic puffins (see photo below) come to Heimaey by the thousands. They fly to the high cliffs at the edge of the island. There they dig long burrows into the cliffs, or they use burrows that are already there.

Each puffin pair lays one egg deep inside its burrow. Then Mom and Dad puffin take turns keeping the egg warm. When the fuzzy chick hatches, its little legs are so strong that it can scramble around the burrow. It may even dig to make the burrow bigger. Then it will have more room to stretch and flap its growing wings. Meanwhile, the parents are busy catching silvery fish in the nearby ocean to feed their baby.

PUFFIN PANIC

By the middle of August, the dark-headed young puffins are ready to leave the island. Hundreds of birds walk out of their burrows every night. Their little puffin brains tell them to walk to the edge of a cliff and jump off. They know that they should jump in the direction of the light.

Most puffins leap toward the ocean, where the dim lights of the sky reflect off the water. But some are confused by the bright lights in the city. Those birds walk to the side of the cliff facing the town before they jump off.

Uh-oh. They land on the city streets--and then they panic! They ought to be swimming, but where's the water? They can't fly to the ocean--their wings aren't strong enough. And there are cats and dogs ready to snatch them and cars that could hit them! PUFFIN

PATROL TO THE RESCUE

Before the first little puffin lands in the city, the kids are already standing by to help them. Up and down the streets they walk, carrying cardboard boxes and flashlights.

The children listen for the sound of fluttering wings. When they hear or see a bird, they race to rescue it. Often they find the birds by shining flashlights into dark corners.

The puffins try to scurry away. They don't understand that the kids are trying to catch them in order to help them. For many long hours, the children capture the birds and gently tuck them into the boxes.

When the night's hunt is over, the sleepy kids carry their boxes home and fall into bed. Nights are very short during summer on the island--the sun sets late and rises early. So morning will come soon.

PITCHIN' PUFFINS

Imagine the excitement when the Heimaey kids pour out onto the streets the next morning. They walk, run, and bike toward the ocean. And each one carries one or more of the precious young puffins.

Now comes the most fun of all. The kids reach into their boxes and take out one puffin at a time. They toss the birds high into the air toward the sea. The young birds flap their wings a little. Then they glide on the wind until they splash down. "Bless-bless," the kids call to the birds. In their language, it means "Good-bye." For the rest of their lives, the puffins will spend most of their time at sea. They'll use their wings for swimming swiftly under water as they hunt for little fish. If all goes well, the puffins will fly back to Heimaey as grownups to raise babies of their own. And of course, the kids on the island will be ready to be pals to any new babies that lose their way.

After a night of picking up puffins, the kids rush them to shore the next morning.

Once the birds hit the water, everything seems OK--thanks to the kids who came to the rescue!

The city lights in Heimaey, Iceland, (below) confuse some young puffins, which land in the streets. This friendly boy picks one up (right), carefully puts it into a box, and takes it home. The next day, kids hurry to the ocean with the birds. One boy gives his birds a ride on his bike (middle), while a girl gently cradles a baby bird in her hood.

"Ready or not, you're in for a big adventure today," this girl (right) whispers to her little friend. Then she and the other kids toss the birds up and over the ocean with a wish for a long life (below). The birds hit the cold water with a plop (far right) and paddle far away.