Project Puffin
![Stephen Kress and a puffin on Eastern Egg Rock](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Kress%2Band%2Bpuffin%2Blarge.jpg)
Young puffins from Great Island were transplanted to Eastern Egg Rock when they were about 10–14 days old. The young puffins were then nested in artificial sod burrows for about one month. Audubon biologists placed handfuls of vitamin-fortified fish in their burrows each day. As the young puffins reached fledging age, they received identification tags so they could be recognized in the future. After spending their first 2–3 years at sea, it was hoped they would return to establish a new colony at Eastern Egg Rock rather than Great Island.
Between 1973 and 1986, 954 young puffins were transplanted from Great Island to Eastern Egg Rock and 914 of these successfully fledged. Transplanted puffins began returning to Eastern Egg Rock in June 1977. To lure them ashore and encourage the birds to explore their home, wooden puffin decoys were positioned atop large boulders. The number of young puffins has gradually increased. In 1981, four pairs nested beneath boulders at the edge of the island and the colony had increased to 37 pairs in 2001. The total population reached 188 pairs in 2019. Provided by Wikipedia
-
1
-
2