“[A] few of them just dropped down right in front of us.”
Icelandic Locals Unite to Save Lost Baby Puffins
Each summer in Iceland, baby puffins, or “pufflings,” leave their nests to begin their lives at sea. But on the Vestmannaeyjar islands, some of these tiny birds face an unexpected challenge—they mistake city lights for the moon and end up crashing into town instead of heading toward the ocean.
Luckily, the locals have a heartwarming tradition to ensure these lost pufflings find their way home safely.
The Annual Puffling Watch
Every evening, residents gather for a “puffling watch”, a beloved rescue mission to collect the wayward birds and keep them safe overnight.
“They collect the puffins that they find and place them in a box and keep them safe at their home overnight,” said Icelandic animal lover Asa Steinars. “Then in the morning, they all head down to the seaside cliffs to release them.”
This year, Steinars and her son, Atlas, joined the rescue effort, experiencing firsthand the magic of this community tradition.
A Rain of Pufflings
As Steinars and the locals walked through the town, baby puffins seemed to be falling from the sky.
“It felt like they were raining from the sky,” Steinars shared. “[A] few of them just dropped down right in front of us.”
Once gathered and safely cradled in their hands, the rescuers stood high on a cliff, ready to set them free. One by one, the pufflings were tossed gently into the air, instinctively soaring toward the ocean—this time in the right direction.
A Tradition of Kindness
This heartwarming annual event not only saves countless pufflings but also brings the community together with a shared mission.
“The tradition allows the puffins to safely fly away and find their way to the ocean,” Steinars said.
And someday, when these pufflings return as adults, they may see the same bright lights that once misled them—and remember the kind people who helped them find their way home.