Photos taken 9:41am to 9:46am, July 22, 2021, from the beach north of Cathedral Rock, which is in the Face Rock complex, part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge System.
Diane Bilderback, an intrepid follower of local puffins, photographed six Tufted Puffins on the lower burrows of Face Rock. The puffins are experiencing a reduced predator risk at the moment. There are now no Peregrine Falcons on this nest rock as the two falcon chicks have fledged (are able to fly), and all falcons have left their nest. The Tufted Puffins appear to be taking advantage of their newly found safety to sun themselves and to visit their comrades in the burrows that were above and to the left of the falcon nest site. Diane says, “This is the most Tufted Puffins that I have seen this year.” She points out that no puffins were observed at the upper rock, which locals call ‘the penthouse’, or on the rock to the left of these rocks. Thank you Diane for the great shots! Editor.
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