Project Puffin’s Success

Back in the 1970s, Atlantic puffins had vanished from the U.S. Atlantic coast, but conservationist Stephen Kress launched Project Puffin to try restoring a colony on Eastern Egg Rock, Maine. He relocated puffin chicks from Canada, hand-reared them, and used clever tricks—decoy birds, mirrors, playback of puffin calls—to attract adult puffins back to their nest. Over time, puffins began returning and breeding again. Today, hundreds of puffins inhabit the restored colony at Eastern Egg Rock, and the methods used there have become a model for seabird restoration around the world. To protect the colony, the conservation team battles threats such as predatory gulls, managing them with artificial decoys and promoting the presence of terns to help defend the nests. Their work isn’t done—ongoing monitoring, habitat management, and predator control remain essential to keep the colony thriving in the face of changing ecosystems.

Image via National Audubon Society

Read other stories from the 10/13/25 newsletter:

Improving Literacy in England

Homemade Bread Helping Food Banks

The Mother of Colombian Corals