Iceland’s Westman Islands are home to the world’s largest puffin colony. Every year, baby puffins take to the skies in their thousands for their first flight. Yet some mistake the light of the local town for the moon. Luckily the locals are on hand to help.
The rugged and windswept Icelandic island of Heimay counts more puffins than people, boasting an estimated four million of the iconic birds – one fifth of the global puffin population.
The two weeks at the end of summer are known as Pysju Tímabil, or Puffling Season, when the young chicks, or ‘pufflings’ leave their nests for the first time.
Puffins navigate by moonlight and become confused by the bright lights of Vestmannaeyjabær, the island’s only town. Instead of flying out to sea, they end up on the streets.
In a bid to help, locals go on ‘puffling patrol’, gathering every night to collect lost birds. The next morning, they are taken to the west of the island and released from the high cliffs overlooking the ocean. This annual intervention has grown into a tradition, with many of the island children joining in to get the birds back on track.
Their efforts matter because climate change and overfishing mean puffin populations are struggling, with the species officially declared in danger of extinction in 2018. So far it looks like these little birds are bouncing back, with the 2024 season seeing record numbers of hatchlings.
Focused on the wonderful world of rewilding, Volume 5 sees us get into the weeds – and go beyond the ferns – with our green-thumbed cover star Zach Galifianakis, walk with wolves in Slovenia, create a wilder world in Denmark, find meaning in fashion, and much, much more.
