The Mingan Puffin

The Atlantic Puffin is undoubtedly one of the birds that fascinated me the most as a child. I found it interesting that a seabird stood out with such a colorful beak. It well deserves its nickname of Sea Parrot.

It was while doing research that I discovered the small population of Puffins in the Mingan archipelago.

So I packed my bags to go meet this funny little individual. Once arrived, I took a boat to go to one of the islands. Once on dry land, instead of taking the path that led to the colony, my instinct led me to visit the beach where I could have a low-angle view of one of the rocky sides of the island.

I saw several puffins flying in my direction and returning to their burrows.

After several minutes, I saw a Puffin that seemed to be flying a little lower than the others. To my great surprise, the bird landed on the pebbles about ten meters from me. He then walked clumsily towards a plant formation at the base of the cliff and I lost sight of him. Curious, I took a few steps in this direction to discover some small burrow openings. A movement to my right made me turn my head. Another Puffin had come out of its lair and was busy cleaning its entrance by moving some leaves. This funny scene made me think of the Hobbits of the Shire featured in Tolkien's work.

Another wonderful moment that will remain engraved in my memory for a long time.