Atlantic puffin chicks are rebounding after a catastrophic reproduction season two years ago. Thanks to an abundance of a certain type of fish, the birds thrived, despite challenging climate conditions this year.
On remote islands off the Maine coast, a unique bird held its own this year in the face of climate change.
“This year is a good example of how complex things are. We can't boil it down to one variable,” he said. “We still have a lot to learn.” The puffins' ability to reproduce despite environmental changes speaks to the resiliency of seabirds, said Bill Sydeman, president and chief scientist of the Farallon Institute, a marine preservation organization based in California. However, the long-term dangers posed by climate change — such as fatal heat waves, loss of food, loss of islands to sea level rise and inability to breed — remain existential threats to puffins and many other seabirds, he said.
An Atlantic puffin brings a beak full of baitfish to feed its chick in a burrow under rocks on Eastern Egg Rock, a small island off mid-coast Maine. The adult birds in the colonies appear fairly robust, and it's"likely the population is stable, and it could still be growing,” Lyons said.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
4 troopers hit by car on roadside while investigating a family dispute in MaineMaine officials say three state troopers and a trooper-in-training were hit by a car while while investigating a family dispute.
Read more »
4 Maine troopers struck by car alongside road while investigating 'family dispute'Four state troopers in Maine have been hospitalized after being struck by a 24-year-old driver on the side of the road in Hollis while investigating a domestic dispute, authorities say.
Read more »
Parents of Maine teen who died on school-sponsored hiking trip sue districtThe parents of Michael Strecker, a Maine high schooler who died on New Hampshire's South Baldface Mountain during a 2021 trip, are suing the school district.
Read more »
Maine's puffin colonies recovering in the face of climate changeScientists who monitor seabirds said Atlantic puffins had their second consecutive rebound year for fledging chicks after suffering a bad 2021.
Read more »
Maine's puffin colonies recovering in the face of climate changeScientists who monitor seabirds said Atlantic puffins had their second consecutive rebound year for fledging chicks after suffering a bad 2021
Read more »