Pete1222

We've been to Iceland and really enjoyed it during the summer.
But now we'd like to take our teenagers to see the baby puffin migration. What month do the baby puffins learn to fly and where is the best place to see this?. I know that there is an island off shore (name?) but does it also occur on the mainland?
Thanks,
Wendy

travginny

ttt

basingstoke2

The puffins leave the nest in mid August. The island off shore that you are looking for is probably a group - the Westmann Islands, off of Iceland's south coast. Some of the Puffins head out that way. The youngsters stay out at sea a few years until they return to their home grounds. Puffins nest in Iceland from April - August and spend the rest of the time over the open ocean.

Some years ago we went to see the Gannet breeding colony on Bonaventure Island off of Perce on Canada's Gaspe Peninsula. We saw some Puffins there too. The breeding colony was awesome and well worth a trip. The day we were there, we were the only people on the island.

basingstoke2

Not to be misleading - the Westmann Islands have probably the largest breeding colony of Puffins in Iceland, but they can be found in many parts of the Icelandic coast including around Reykjevik.

audere_est_facere

I have nothing to add to this other than to say that a baby puffin is called a puffling.

This has always cheered me up no end.

tod

Pete1222 - I don't know what country you would be leaving from but if you are in the UK I must tell you that we went on "Puffin Patrol" off the Island of Guernsey. I absolutely loved it.
The skipper had his two young children on board who acted as hostesses giving out the binocs etc.
Probably not as exciting as going to Iceland but a unique experience all the same.

theyings

We were there in August, 2005, and I specifically remember that the day they flew was Aug. 16 - it was our anniversary and we couldn't get to the Westmann Islands until the 17th so we missed it. However, we did see a stray one or two!

Fidel

Pufflings, I love that word. Thank you for that.

audere_est_facere

Fidel,

Stick "pufflings" into google images. You won't regret it.

Fidel

The night of the pufflings will come.... I love the kids' drawings.

After that I feel tenderness towards fodor's, where you can learn the exact date the pufflings flew in 2005. Awwww, good stuff.

SuzieC

yeah, but no one gives a good stuffing recipe or what wine pairs well with Puffin

I can't resist the Puff 'n Stuff reference...lame, yes? I know

basingstoke2

Suzie- not so lame. In Reykjavik I had puffin in a puff pastry (no kidding and no pun intended)as an appetizer. It had a fishy taste, sort of like a cross between fresh tuna and bluefish. Would suggest a low tannin red wine like a pinot noir, or if you want a white wine with your puffin puff, a reisling or maybe a sauvignon blanc would do nicely.

MichelleY

Sick, Sick, Sick but Funny!!!

MY

FainaAgain

Every time I see the topic of this post, it reminds me of "the girls next door", they call their playboy sugar-daddy "puffin" LOL

basingstoke2

And absolutely true! It was in July, 1998.

Pete1222

Heimaey Island! Thats the name of an island off shore of Iceland where one can "help" Pufflings fly.
Tod we fly from East coast of U.S. and then usually go on to greater Europe.
I wonder if the Puffin is the national bird of Iceland...Hmmm

annhig

puffins aplenty, plus lots of other nesting birds, can be seen on Lundy - island off the north coast of Devon - between May and July.

There is a pub plus various other properties to stay in. why not google "lundy island"?

yipper

I do not know where you are from, but if it is in the usa, there are puffins in maine. Maine is beautiful in the summer and not only will you see the puffins, but you can eat lobster.

Pete1222

Yep Yipper been to Maine and love it! (Even got engaged there 18 years go!!)
"The rest of the story" with Iceland is that 20 years ago a buddy and I spent 100 days bike riding from Paris to Turkey via Eastern Europe. As you can imagine that was one phenomenal trip... Anyway, on the way home we had a 2 hour stopover in Iceland. The guy sitting next to us was an Icelantic researcher and was bringing 6 Frozen Puffins into the USA. (!).
Okay, so my buddy is an amateur ornithologist and he gets all excited.
So these guys talk for the next 6 hours and at JFK, after customs, this guy opens "The trunk" where 6 Puffins lay amongst the swirling mist of dry ice. He pulls out and gives my buddy 1 Frozen Puffin. (I am not making this up!!)
But remember we are on bikes. So My friend wraps The Puffin in an old towel and somehow we make it over to the Port of Authority in Manhattan. From there we train over to Newark, New Jersey. Then we bike 10 miles to our hometown and YES there was a gang throwing bottles at us as we biked past "The projects" of Newark. All the while the Puffin is bungy-corded to the back of the bike taking the trip of a lifetime---so to speak. My buddy then buries the Puffin deep in his freezer, where it lays for 1 year while he finishes college. Then he gets his degree in Biology--becomes a high school teacher, and FINALLY has a taxidermist stuff The Puffin. And for the last 18 years this guy tells many underprivilaged kids the story of The Puffin as it vacantly stares out at the New York City skyline. The bad news is that the taxidermist did a hatchet job and the Puffin looks less than stellar. The good news is that my friend is one of the best teachers in the country and refuses to leave his post for a better environment. The guy is a hero to a lot of kids who have never, ever, had anyone take an interest in them. The Puffin is a catalyst that creates a dialogue and a bond.
So, now you know, "the rest of the story". Yep, its gota be Iceland.

Maria_H

I've seen puffins at South Stack on Anglesey but the nearest we got was at Sumburgh Head on Shetland, where you can get within a few feet of the comical little birds. They are known on Shetland as Tammie Norries.