Atlantic Puffin • Fratercula arctica • Macareux Moine
The sound of webbed feet pattering on the roof of the bird blind I was hidden away in was deafening at times. White and black blurs whipped to and from outside my window, accompanied by their avian chatter. Murres, puffins, razorbills, the gang was all there, unaware of the intruder amongst them.
An inquisitive sea parrot hopped onto a nearby rocky perch, and seemingly peered into the opening of my hideaway. My cover was blown! He would soon alert the colony and send the locals into a frenzy, I thought to myself. However, the parrot remained, at ease with my presence, a new face akin to an old friend.
We would then have a brief conversation, no words needed. The things we learned of each others’ worlds; the successes and struggles of our daily lives. At that moment, the door opened, I entered the world and my friend carried on into the wind. I’d like to think that his life was changed for the better after our brief encounter, for I know mine was.
by Kyle d’Entremont from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Biology student at Dalhousie University who studied seabirds in the Grand Manan Archipelago, New Brunswick.
ATLANTIC PUFFIN
CONSERVATION STATUS: Vulnerable
THREATS: Mining, hunting, fishing, pollution and climate change
WHAT CAN I DO?
- support sustainable fishing practices
- reduce waste by switching to reusable/package-free products
- reduce your carbon footprint
- promote awareness and habitat protection
By Elizabeth Zwamborn, marine biologist and Ph.D. student at Dalhousie University studying whales. Her art is inspired by the nature around her and the species she sees from day to day.
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