Canada's gorgeous puffins are thriving and it's a sight to see
The colony on Machias Seal Island, New Brunswick, has rebounded after at one time being down to its last two birds. Reporter Nathan Coleman shares his intimate experience with the Atlantic puffins in the video below.
The Atlantic puffin is the official bird of Newfoundland and Labrador, but according to Grand Manan Whale and Seabird Research Station executive director Laurie Murison, roughly 3,000 pairs nest on Machias Seal Island in New Brunswick.
She says the colony has rebounded after at one time being down to its last pair.
Courtesy: Nathan Coleman
I got a chance to venture out and see them for myself.
The journey was years in the making. I tried last year but couldn't reserve a spot as summer tours of the migratory bird sanctuary sell out by February.
Courtesy: Nathan Coleman
This year, I booked in January, but with COVID-19 travel restrictions, I thought my plans would have to be put on hold yet again. Living in Nova Scotia, I needed the Atlantic Bubble to open, and lucky for me, it did just in time.
Courtesy: Nathan Coleman
We set out from Seal Cove on Grand Manan Island for a one and a half-hour boat ride to the island where the puffin’s nest. There I'd be given 45 minutes in a blind with tiny openings I could fit my camera lens through. You can watch the entire journey and see the puffins in action for yourselves in the video above.
