1997 is the first year I can say there is definitely a Puffin colony on Round Island. On July 16, 1997, there were at least 9 Puffins flying around its eastern end. Several Puffins had fish in their bills. We could not locate any Puffin chicks nor nests.
The 70 or so Puffins at Noddy I. on August 12, 1997, are a bit of a mystery at the moment. Do Puffins congregate like this, assumably from other colonies, before heading out to sea? Had all these birds nested at Noddy I. and just had not been seen earlier?
1998 may tell us more.
May 28, 1997 - 8 to 10 Puffins were observed from the cove of Noddy Island on our trip to Seal Island. My crew consisted of Andrew D'Eon, Daniel Clairmont, and my son, Nigel.
June 8, 1997 - Trip to Gannet Rock and Green I (a.k.a. Green Rock) with crew composed of Andrew, Lance and Ghislaine D'Eon, and Nigel. 2 Puffins flew by when we were at Gannet Rock. There were about 6 on the western side of the island where we assume they are nesting. No Puffin nests were to be found. We saw several Black Guillemot nests on Gannet Rock and no more than 10 on Green Rock. We only searched the small area where we think Puffins might be nesting.
July 16, 1997 - I went ashore on both Noddy I. and Round I. to determine the number of Puffins on each island and to check out whether our artificial Puffin burrows on Noddy I. were being used. My crew consisted of Raymond S. d'Entremont, Nigel, and Bernard Surette and his 2 sons, Christian and Gabriel.
Noddy Island had about 15 adult Puffins flying obout the southwest cove. 4 or 5 birds had fish in their bills. We could not locate any chicks nor nests. Our artificial burrows have not been used.
1997 is the first year I can say there is definitely a Puffin colony on Round Island. There were at least 9 Puffins flying around its eastern end. Several Puffins had fish in their bills. We could not locate any Puffin chicks nor nests.
Of note was a female American Widgeon with a brood of 7 newly hatched ducklings, in the pond of Round Island. Several immature Arctic Terns were being attended to by adults.
August 4, 1997 - About 12 immature Gannets were seen in a zone about 6 to 12 km. southwest of Abbott's Harbour, on a trip with Richard and Roderick d'Entremont, Alix d'Entremont, Andrew D'Eon, and Nigel to check out the Puffins of Noddy and Round Islands. The Gannets were not in a migratory mode and seemed to gravitate to locations where Harbour Porpoises were. I would assume they were both seeking the same quarry, probably mackerel.
We did not see any Puffins at Round Island; there were about 10 at Noddy I. From the southwest cove of Noddy I., we noted the location where an adult Puffin with fish in bill went down under the boulders and then reappeared with an empty bill.
After making a landing on the other side of the island, we walked to the noted spot and searched high and low, but could not find any Puffin chicks. There were a few white Puffin feathers here and there.
Nigel noted a Puffin flying by with the thin bill of an immature bird.
August 12, 1997 - To Round and Noddy Islands with Richard, Joel, Andrew and Jonathan Surette, Jean-Paul d'Entremont, and Nigel. We found 4 Puffins at Round I. and about 70 at Noddy I. The highest numbers I had seen before at Noddy was in the low 20's. All the Puffin sightings appeared to be of adult birds.
No Puffins were seen carrying fish.
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