Puffin Snorefest
Atlantic Puffin Colony. 22 July 1994, 8am, Great Island, Witless Bay Ecological Reserve, Newfoundland. Recorded by Lang Elliott. Photo AI-gen. Please wear headphones. Image AI-gen.
Note: The recording featured here is a "3D binaural soundscape". Please wear headphones for a profound listening experience that will make you think you're actually out there, immersed in the natural world!
In late July, I accompany two researchers to Great Island, a protected seabird sanctuary in Newfoundland’s Witless Bay. The island is the home to over 250,000 nesting Atlantic Puffins and the primary goal of my visit is to record their unusual buzzy snores, which sound like miniature chainsaws.
This is not an easy project. The puffins nest in burrows in fragile grassy areas on steep slopes at the edges of sheer cliffs that drop straight down to the ocean. One slip and I might tumble headlong over the cliff and fall a hundred or more feet to the rocky shoreline below.
To settle my nerves, I observe the puffins from a distance using binoculars and choose what looks like a good spot in front of a well-used burrow to place my microphone. Then I make my way to that location, causing many puffins to take flight. I step very carefully so as not to crush burrows or inhabitants hidden within. I place my microphone and then run nearly five hundred feet of audio cable back to our little research hut higher up the slope. From there, I patiently monitor the action through headphones.
As expected, the puffins quickly return and soon there is a lot of vocalizing. What’s more, one puffin is very close to my microphone, standing at the entrance to its burrow and making for an exciting soundscape. All hail the Atlantic Puffin and its buzzy snoring call!
Note: This recording was made possible through the help of Dr. Stephen W. Kress, founder of Project Puffin and former Director of Audubon's Seabird Institute. It only through his connections that I was able to to hook up with researchers Michael Rodway and Heidi Regehr and accompany them to this fabulous sanctuary.
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Not mentioned here but equally evocative to me is the constant background din of the nesting Herring Gulls (and occasional kittiwakes). It reminds me strongly of my visits to large gull colonies on islands off Nova Scotia’s southern and southwestern coasts, with a few Great Black-backed Gulls among the many hundreds of Herring Gulls. No puffins or kittiwakes for me, sadly. But the balance between these sounds is really quite nice.
that’s great does sound like my 80 year old neighbor running his chainsaw
Thank you, Lang, for this wonderful recording!! I enjoyed hearing the snores so much!
Fabulous. Interesting you mention the danger, Lang, one of my oldest birding memories is of a 17-year-old friend who fell off a cliff in Shetland and was killed. That was in about 1974-5. These are risky places – necessarily so for the birds’ security – but also hugely atmospheric sound wise which is beautifully evoked here. And not just the hilarious puffins. In fact these places are impactful on all the senses,especially on a sense of smell. finally, there is a corvid at 2.10 what wd that be?
Good ears Mark! Sounds like an American Crow to me.
oh, wow!!! what a saw snoozefest indeed. Puffins are absolutely adorable to look at to begin with. what a pleasure of a 2fer you got, Lang…….sight and sound.
Note that the image is ai-generated.
yes, nothing can imitate the beauty of nature
Wow! Fabulous recording! I really enjoyed this. I have a friend who got to meet Dr. Kress. And I have his recording “The Voices of Maine Seabirds”. Thanks for sharing!
I produced that “The Voices of Maine Seabirds” for Stephen.
Wow! I had no idea of the Atlantic Puffins vocalization. Thank you for sharing. That was amazing!
Amazing!! Thank you for sharing!!!
Thank you for safely taking me to the cliff edge and the puffins’ world! Ruth
You’re very welcome Ruth. It was a bit dodgy placing the mic.
I love it! I have only seen puffins on or over the water on the the way to and from Monhegan Island. So, I’ve never heard them vocalize. Thanks for a new experience Lang. Actually saw some this past late May on my third trip to Monhegan.
I heard a few snores while visiting Eastern Egg Rock Island off the coast of Maine, but wave noise there overwhelmed the soundscape. Great Island offered a perfect situation, with the colony high above the ocean and calm seas.
This is amazing! I laughed out loud! Thank you, Lang.
Kind of sounds like Peter Boyle in Young Frankenstein!
My mom agrees with you!
I agree!
What a hoot! Love it!
You got me at “ Buzzy snores” That sure is an interesting sound.
Absolutely fabulous Lang! Just like buzzy little chainsaws that need to be tuned up.