Eastern Egg Rock Puffins Thriving Despite Climate Change Challenges
Eastern Egg Rock, Maine – In a surprising turn of events, Atlantic puffins on remote islands off the coast of Maine have experienced a thriving year for fledging chicks, defying the odds posed by climate change. These clownish seabirds with colorful bills and waddling gaits rebounded for the second consecutive year after a catastrophic decline in 2021. Scientists monitoring the birds attribute their success to the abundance of sand lances, a fish crucial for feeding puffin chicks.
The warming waters off New England have been a cause for concern, as they have disrupted the availability of fish needed by puffins to nourish their offspring. However, the sand lance population has remained plentiful this year, allowing puffins to thrive. Don Lyons, director of conservation science at the National Audubon Society’s Seabird Institute, believes that this unexpected outcome highlights the complex nature of the impact of climate change on ecosystems.
The National Audubon Society is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its efforts in tending to Maine’s puffin colonies, which were initially comprised of only a few dozen pairs. Now, the population has grown to as many as 3,000 birds, with stable numbers, according to Lyons. However, he emphasizes that there is still much to learn about the puffins and their relationship with the changing environment.
Puffins, also known as the clowns of the sea or sea parrots, nest in burrows and rely on small fish like herring to raise their chicks. Two years ago, a lack of these essential fish resulted in one of the worst breeding years for the colonies in decades, leading to a meager 25% success rate. Conservation groups, including Audubon, attributed the shortage to warming ocean temperatures in the Gulf of Maine, where the puffin colonies are located.
While this year’s puffin population did not reach the number of fledged chicks from last year, it still surpassed the low numbers of 2021. Despite a summer characterized by hot and rainy conditions, puffins demonstrated their resilience to environmental changes. Bill Sydeman, president and chief scientist of the Farallon Institute, acknowledges the seabirds’ ability to adapt but remains concerned about the long-term threats posed by climate change, such as heatwaves, food scarcity, habitat loss, and reduced breeding.
Maine’s puffins are the only breeding Atlantic puffins in the United States. Globally, the species inhabits the North Atlantic region, from Maine and Canada to Europe. Other countries with significant puffin populations, such as Iceland, have witnessed a decline in their numbers in recent decades. The restoration of Maine’s puffin colonies began in the 1970s when Stephen Kress, an Audubon ornithologist, relocated chicks from Canada to Eastern Egg Rock, with similar efforts on Matinicus Rock, Seal Island, and Petit Manan Island.
As scientists continue to study the impact of climate change on seabirds, the successful breeding seasons of puffins assume great significance. P. Dee Boersma, a professor of biology at the University of Washington, emphasizes the need to address reproductive failures and ensure that puffins can breed successfully in order to maintain healthy populations. The challenges faced by seabirds necessitate further research and conservation efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change.
In conclusion, while the Atlantic puffins on Eastern Egg Rock have defied the odds and experienced a fruitful breeding season, the larger threats posed by climate change remain pervasive. The complexity of these ecosystems and the interplay between various variables highlight the need for continued vigilance and proactive conservation measures to protect these charismatic seabirds in the face of an uncertain future.
