As tufted puffin populations continue to decline in Oregon, sea bird experts are putting on a beloved annual event to raise awareness about the creatures.

The Great Puffin Watch, held from July 1 to July 4, lets people see the birds in their natural habitat. Local puffin specialists will be on the beach at Haystack Rock from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. to  help watchers use professional scoping equipment and answer questions.

“It’s an extremely fun event, especially if the birds cooperate,” said Tiffany Boothe, assistant manager of the Seaside Aquarium and board member of Friends of Haystack Rock.

“People come who have never seen a puffin before,” she said. “We have scopes set out on the beach that are focused on puffins, but you get to see the birds that don’t get as much press.”

The watch is part of Cannon Beach’s fireworks-free Fourth of July weekend.

Puffins are morning birds, Boothe explained, so it’s easier to spot them out of their burrows from about 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. The birds fly back and forth from the rock, hunting mouthfuls of fish to bring to their pufflings, newly hatched babies.

The rock is a haven for the birds. They show up in early April to nest in their burrows in the soil and lay eggs. Baby puffins start to appear from mid-June to August.

“Haystack Rock is so unique because it has that good layer of topsoil,” Boothe said.

Research efforts to study the sea birds’ decline is underway, Boothe said. Several organizations, including Friends of Haystack Rock, the Haystack Rock Awareness Program and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife are working across agencies to protect the birds.

Since the mid-1990s, tufted puffin populations in Oregon and Washington have plummeted by over 95 percent, according to Friends of Haystack Rock. In 1998, Oregon had roughly 5,000 tufted puffins. In 2021, that number dropped to 553.

“It’s one of the questions everyone is asking themselves,” Boothe said of studying the puffins’ population decrease. “There are a couple of theories.”

As the ocean warms, it might be pushing their prey further offshore, she said. This pushes the birds to expend more energy and calories catching prey, and in turn it’s harder to get back to their chicks. Invasive species, like river otters and bald eagles, also pose threats to puffins.

The birds also might be shifting north toward Alaska as water temperatures increase, Boothe said, but it’s hard to pin down the exact reason.

Studies are vital to protect the birds. Boothe said collecting research will help experts determine if there are ways they can intervene, like mitigating invasive species or habitat restoration, to curb the puffin’s population drop.

“Conservation is important all the way around,” she said. “With puffins, it’s important to try to get  in front of it because no one knows why, and because we might not see puffins on the Oregon coast anymore.”

In the meantime, events like the puffin watch raise awareness and bolster conservation efforts about the North Coast’s sea birds. Common murres, pigeon guillemots, cormorants, and black oystercatchers are other sea birds you might spot on the rock this time of year.

• If you can’t make the watch, Friends of Haystack Rock has a live video feed of the rock on their website. The camera points directly at the face of Haystack Rock, and you can watch the puffins and other sea birds going about their daily activities at https://friends-of-haystack.webflow.io/.

 

The Great Cannon Beach Puffin Watch

Led by Friends of Haystack Rock

8 a.m. to 11 a.m. July 1 through July 4

In front of Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach.

Free to the public

Watch the puffin webcam and learn more about the Oregon Coast’s tufted puffins at https://friends-of-haystack.webflow.io