Want to See a Puffin? You Can View North America’s Largest Puffin Colony

No matter where you are in North America, you won’t find penguins. The animal is native only to areas of the Southern Hemisphere. However, you can find the next best thing. If you want to see a puffin, head to the Witless Bay Ecology Preserve.

Located on the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, the preserve comprises four small islands called Gull, Green, Great and Pee Pee. The area is loaded with seabirds and is home to North America’s largest colony of puffins.

Recently, Instagramer Jill Taylor traveled to the island with other researchers to learn more about puffins. 

Taylor is finishing her Masters of Sciences degree from Canada’s Memorial University and spends a lot of time exploring the North Atlantic coast. 

In her video, you can see flocks of puffins and even a puffling, which is a baby puffin.

“The most common response, myself included, is that they are so much smaller than you think they are going to be,” commented Taylor in her post.

In the video, Taylor says you need a permit to visit, so here’s how to find yourself near this puffin paradise.

Visiting the Puffins

The goal of the Witless Bay Ecology Preserve is conservation and research. More than 260,000 pairs of puffins nest here in the late spring and early summer. To protect the animals, you can’t just enter the preserve. In fact, only researchers are allowed to step foot on the preserve, and they need an approved research permit.

However, you can still view the puffins. 

Government officials ask that visitors take a boat tour. The boat tours are permitted and follow the rules to protect the seabirds. The current list of approved boat tours includes these companies:

If you plan to book a trip, the best time to see puffins is mid-May to mid-August.

Source: https://outdoors.com/want-to-see-a-puffin-you-can-view-north-americas-largest-puffin-colony/