The Boy and the Puffin Colony

The Boy and the Puffin Colony Aysel Banu YAVUZAL

The little boat bumped over the waves and stopped beside a green island. A boy in a blue rain jacket with yellow trim climbed out, his red rubber boots squeaking on the wooden dock. His name was Sam, and he was eight years old, small for his age, with short curly black hair and freckles across his nose. He wore small binoculars on a string around his neck. 1

A tall ranger waited on the path. She had olive skin, a long auburn braid, and round glasses. Her khaki jacket had a green island badge. "Welcome to Puffin Island," she said with a warm smile. "This is a protected place. The puffins come here every spring to build nests and raise their babies. We must be very careful and quiet." Sam nodded and held his binoculars tight. 2

Sam followed the ranger up a grassy path. Suddenly he stopped. There, on a rocky slope, stood a puffin. It was about as tall as his boot, with black and white feathers and a bright orange beak. Its orange webbed feet gripped the rock, and a thin coloured band shone on one leg. Sam's mouth opened in a wide, happy gasp. 3

"Look at its beak!" Sam whispered. The puffin turned its round white face toward him, small dark eyes alert but calm. "That's a leg band," said the ranger. "Scientists use it to check on the colony. This island is one of the best nesting spots in the world. The puffins dig burrows in the soft earth and lay one egg inside." Sam watched the bird waddle into a grassy mound and disappear. 4

All morning, Sam watched the puffins. Some carried tiny silver fish in their orange beaks. Some sat quietly on the grass, keeping their eggs warm. The ranger showed Sam a nest burrow marked with a small wooden stick. "We never step past these sticks," she said. "A parent puffin needs quiet to raise its chick. Too much noise and the birds get scared and fly away." 5

Then a group of visitors arrived on the path. There were adults and children, cameras and backpacks, sun hats and loud voices. "Oh, how cute!" cried a small girl with pigtails. A tall man in a red cap stepped right over a wooden stick, holding up his camera. A woman with a big lens crept closer and closer to the nests. 6

The puffins grew nervous. One parent bird dropped its fish and flapped its wings. Another backed into its burrow with a worried hop. The ranger raised her hand and called out gently, "Please stay behind the sticks!" But the visitors were too excited to listen. They crowded the nesting area, and the puffins retreated one by one. Sam felt a little tug in his chest. 7

Sam looked at the empty grass and the frightened birds. He thought about the parent puffins and their one small egg. He thought about the chick waiting in the dark burrow. If the parents flew away, who would bring the fish? Who would keep the chick warm? He took a deep breath, stood up tall, and walked toward the visitors. 8

"Excuse me," Sam said, his voice small but steady. "Please, can I show you something?" The visitors turned. Sam lifted his binoculars and pointed to a puffin near a burrow. "The puffins come here to build nests and raise their babies," he said. "When we get too close, they get scared and fly away from their chicks." 9

The tall man in the red cap lowered his camera. The woman with the big lens stepped back. "So where should we stand?" asked the girl with pigtails. Sam smiled, and the gap in his front teeth showed. "Right here, behind the sticks," he said. "From here we can still see everything. And we use quiet voices, like this." He whispered the last words, and the girl giggled softly. 10

The ranger came and stood beside Sam. "Sam is right," she said, tapping her clipboard. "This whole island is a nesting place. From a safe distance, the puffins stay calm, and we get to watch them be themselves." She handed Sam a little paper badge shaped like a puffin. "Would you help me guide the visitors today?" Sam nodded so hard his curly hair bounced. 11

So Sam became a guide. "Watch from here," he told a family, pointing to the path. "Keep your voices low, and move slowly." The visitors copied him. They stood behind the sticks and watched with quiet eyes. One puffin carried fish to its burrow. Another spread its wings and stretched. The colony grew calm again, happy and safe in the sunshine. 12

By afternoon, Sam knew every good watching spot. The girl with pigtails asked him question after question, and he answered each one. The tall man in the red cap took slow, careful photos from far away. "This is better," the man said. "I can see the puffin feeding its chick!" Sam smiled. Protecting the puffins had made the whole day brighter for everyone. 13

The sun sank low and turned the sea gold. The ranger walked Sam back to the dock. "You protected the nesting areas today," she said. "You showed people how to respect the wildlife." Sam looked back at the island. Puffins stood quietly on the slopes, their orange beaks glowing, their chicks warm in their burrows. "I'll come back next spring," he said.