The
Illahee
Apartments
TUFTED PUFFINS
RETURN TO THE COAST
Tiff any Boothe
A tufted puffi n, seen in the water near Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach.
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1046 Grand Avenue
Astoria, OR 97103
503-325-2280
4 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
Beloved seabirds will soon return to Cannon Beach
BY LINDA HOARD
With its brightly colored beak, yellow
eyebrow tufts and orange webbed feet, the
t ufted p uffi n is an unoffi cial mascot of Can-
non Beach.
The steep cliff s and grassy ledges of
Haystack Rock provide an ideal nesting
habitat for the hundreds of annually return-
ing puffi ns. Pairs often mate for life, return-
ing to the same dirt burrow near the top
of the rock each April to lay a single egg.
Adult puffi ns fl y back and forth to feed fi sh
to their young for up to 7 weeks before
hatchlings fl edge and the adult birds return
to the open ocean, usually in July.
Puffi ns are swift fl yers, effi cient divers
and fast swimmers. Their beaks are adapted
to carry about a dozen small fi sh at a time
to feed their young. Look for their stocky
bodies fl apping furiously around Haystack
Rock or resting on grassy rocks hundreds
of feet above. They are easiest to spot in the
mornings from 7 to 10 a.m.
While the tutted puffi n may be one of
the more well known seabirds of Haystack
Rock, there are several other species who
nest there as well. Varieties of seagulls, cor-
morants, common murres, and black oyster-
catchers whose bright red bills are adapted
to chisel sea creatures from rocky outcrop-
pings make their home on the sea stack.
Colorful harlequin ducks can be seen bob-
bing among the waves. Predatory bald
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