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National Post
3 days ago
- Science
- National Post
33-year-old puffin on New Brunswick island going strong, with a chick
FREDERICTON — Daniel Oliker held a 33-year-old puffin from Machias Seal Island in his hands and was in awe about how it was a decade older than him. It felt like he was holding a world of knowledge and history in that puff ball of black and white feathers. Article content The University of New Brunswick graduate student, researching Atlantic puffin ecology, found a bird with a plastic band dating back to 1992. It showed the tuxedo bird to be a wise and worldly 33. And it had a chick. Article content Article content Article content Machias Seal Island is a flat, treeless sanctuary for seabirds located about 19 kilometres southwest of New Brunswick's Grand Manan Island at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy. It has about 8,600 breeding pairs of puffins. Article content Article content Oliker said last week his fellow researcher spotted one of the tuxedo birds on the island with a faded, green-and-white plastic band, and marked the area where it was seen. Those bands were used by Canada Wildlife Services starting in the 1970s until around 1995, when they started being replaced with metal ones. Article content Around midnight Oliker and a couple of researchers went to search the burrows — nests where puffins rest at night after a day at sea — looking for the old bird. Article content After searching a few burrows, he said he found the right bird by feeling the bands on their legs. A few had metal bands. Article content 'Then I felt one that felt a little bit different, and it was in the right location that we marked so I pulled it out and it was the right guy,' he said in an interview from the island. Article content Article content The old bird was curious and didn't put up much of a fight when it was pulled out. Article content Article content The researchers replaced the plastic band with a metal one, giving the puffin its new number: JG18. But they don't yet know its gender. Article content That he was holding one of the oldest birds, Oliker said, was 'very exciting' and 'truly amazing.' Most puffins in the wild live up to their mid-20s. Article content 'Just to think of how many years he spent out on the open ocean. How deep he's dived before. It's fascinating to think about just how much this bird has gone through, what it's seen, and the fact that it's still here and raising a chick. It speaks to its persistence.' Article content The chick was a 'decent size,' which was pleasantly surprising because puffins are struggling this year from a seeming lack of food, he said. There have been a number of eggs that haven't hatched and several pufflings — babies — have died, he added. Article content 'It is very probable that this puffin, being so old, has experience and knows what it's doing. So it's been able to find a good burrow for its mate, himself and the egg, and then able to produce a chick,' he said. 'It's very likely, because he's been alive for so long, that he knows which spots might be better for fish.'
CTV News
4 days ago
- Science
- CTV News
Hey old bird: A 33-year-old puffin on New Brunswick island going strong, with a chick
A 33-year-old puffin, seen in this handout photo, was found on Machias Seal Island, N.B., by University of New Brunswick researchers in July 2025. The puffin is banded JG18. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Daniel Oliker, UNB (Mandatory Credit) FREDERICTON — Daniel Oliker held a 33-year-old puffin from Machias Seal Island in his hands and was in awe about how it was a decade older than him. It felt like he was holding a world of knowledge and history in that puff ball of black and white feathers. The University of New Brunswick graduate student, researching Atlantic puffin ecology, found a bird with a plastic band dating back to 1992. It showed the tuxedo bird to be a wise and worldly 33. And it had a chick. Machias Seal Island is a flat, treeless sanctuary for seabirds located about 19 kilometres southwest of New Brunswick's Grand Manan Island at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy. It has about 8,600 breeding pairs of puffins. Oliker said last week his fellow researcher spotted one of the tuxedo birds on the island with a faded, green-and-white plastic band, and marked the area where it was seen. Those bands were used by Canada Wildlife Services starting in the 1970s until around 1995, when they started being replaced with metal ones. Around midnight Oliker and a couple of researchers went to search the burrows — nests where puffins rest at night after a day at sea — looking for the old bird. After searching a few burrows, he said he found the right bird by feeling the bands on their legs. A few had metal bands. 'Then I felt one that felt a little bit different, and it was in the right location that we marked so I pulled it out and it was the right guy,' he said in an interview from the island. The old bird was curious and didn't put up much of a fight when it was pulled out. The researchers replaced the plastic band with a metal one, giving the puffin its new number: JG18. But they don't yet know its gender. That he was holding one of the oldest birds, Oliker said, was 'very exciting' and 'truly amazing.' Most puffins in the wild live up to their mid-20s. 'Just to think of how many years he spent out on the open ocean. How deep he's dived before. It's fascinating to think about just how much this bird has gone through, what it's seen, and the fact that it's still here and raising a chick. It speaks to its persistence.' The chick was a 'decent size,' which was pleasantly surprising because puffins are struggling this year from a seeming lack of food, he said. There have been a number of eggs that haven't hatched and several pufflings — babies — have died, he added. 'It is very probable that this puffin, being so old, has experience and knows what it's doing. So it's been able to find a good burrow for its mate, himself and the egg, and then able to produce a chick,' he said. 'It's very likely, because he's been alive for so long, that he knows which spots might be better for fish.' Puffins start reproducing around four or five so JG18 has probably had more than 25 chicks in its lifetime even if all didn't survive, Oliker said. Nick Lund, a network manager for U.S. wildlife conservation organization Maine Audubon, said one of the biggest threats facing Atlantic puffins in the Gulf of Maine is climate change. 'The Gulf of Maine is the southernmost breeding area for puffins in the Atlantic, but the water is warming very quickly,' he noted. 'New fish species are moving in to the warming waters, and other fish species — those traditionally eaten by puffins — are moving out. Whether or not puffins can adapt to eat the new fish species is a major question mark for their continued survival in the gulf.' The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists puffins as 'vulnerable,' which means they face a high risk of extinction in the wild. Finding these 'very' old puffins is interesting and important because it provides data confirming longevity, said Heather Major, a marine biology professor at the University of New Brunswick, who is studying these birds on Machias Seal Island. A paper published last year in the journal Ecology and Evolution said adult survival of puffins has declined over time, which is particularly concerning because they are an important component of population growth rate. Puffins are a cold-adapted, northern species in this region that have been exposed to some of the warmest waters in comparison to puffins in other regions, she said. '(The finding of JG18) is important information given recent warming in the region,' she said. Oliker said he hopes he can see the puffin for the next few years. 'We have yet to give him a name,' he said. 'Now that he has a new band and we know which guy he is in the database, we can come up with a name, and maybe it'll be fun to see if he's still around the next few years. And we can call him by his name.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 12, 2025. Hina Alam, The Canadian Press
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Hey old bird: A 33-year-old puffin on New Brunswick island going strong, with a chick
FREDERICTON — Daniel Oliker held a 33-year-old puffin from Machias Seal Island in his hands and was in awe about how it was a decade older than him. It felt like he was holding a world of knowledge and history in that puff ball of black and white feathers. The University of New Brunswick graduate student, researching Atlantic puffin ecology, found a bird with a plastic band dating back to 1992. It showed the tuxedo bird to be a wise and worldly 33. And it had a chick. Machias Seal Island is a flat, treeless sanctuary for seabirds located about 19 kilometres southwest of New Brunswick's Grand Manan Island at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy. It has about 8,600 breeding pairs of puffins. Oliker said last week his fellow researcher spotted one of the tuxedo birds on the island with a faded, green-and-white plastic band, and marked the area where it was seen. Those bands were used by Canada Wildlife Services starting in the 1970s until around 1995, when they started being replaced with metal ones. Around midnight Oliker and a couple of researchers went to search the burrows — nests where puffins rest at night after a day at sea — looking for the old bird. After searching a few burrows, he said he found the right bird by feeling the bands on their legs. A few had metal bands. "Then I felt one that felt a little bit different, and it was in the right location that we marked so I pulled it out and it was the right guy," he said in an interview from the island. The old bird was curious and didn't put up much of a fight when it was pulled out. The researchers replaced the plastic band with a metal one, giving the puffin its new number: JG18. But they don't yet know its gender. That he was holding one of the oldest birds, Oliker said, was "very exciting" and "truly amazing." Most puffins in the wild live up to their mid-20s. "Just to think of how many years he spent out on the open ocean. How deep he's dived before. It's fascinating to think about just how much this bird has gone through, what it's seen, and the fact that it's still here and raising a chick. It speaks to its persistence." The chick was a "decent size," which was pleasantly surprising because puffins are struggling this year from a seeming lack of food, he said. There have been a number of eggs that haven't hatched and several pufflings — babies — have died, he added. "It is very probable that this puffin, being so old, has experience and knows what it's doing. So it's been able to find a good burrow for its mate, himself and the egg, and then able to produce a chick," he said. "It's very likely, because he's been alive for so long, that he knows which spots might be better for fish." Puffins start reproducing around four or five so JG18 has probably had more than 25 chicks in its lifetime even if all didn't survive, Oliker said. Nick Lund, a network manager for U.S. wildlife conservation organization Maine Audubon, said one of the biggest threats facing Atlantic puffins in the Gulf of Maine is climate change. "The Gulf of Maine is the southernmost breeding area for puffins in the Atlantic, but the water is warming very quickly," he noted. "New fish species are moving in to the warming waters, and other fish species — those traditionally eaten by puffins — are moving out. Whether or not puffins can adapt to eat the new fish species is a major question mark for their continued survival in the gulf." The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists puffins as "vulnerable," which means they face a high risk of extinction in the wild. Finding these "very" old puffins is interesting and important because it provides data confirming longevity, said Heather Major, a marine biology professor at the University of New Brunswick, who is studying these birds on Machias Seal Island. A paper published last year in the journal Ecology and Evolution said adult survival of puffins has declined over time, which is particularly concerning because they are an important component of population growth rate. Puffins are a cold-adapted, northern species in this region that have been exposed to some of the warmest waters in comparison to puffins in other regions, she said. "(The finding of JG18) is important information given recent warming in the region," she said. Oliker said he hopes he can see the puffin for the next few years. "We have yet to give him a name," he said. "Now that he has a new band and we know which guy he is in the database, we can come up with a name, and maybe it'll be fun to see if he's still around the next few years. And we can call him by his name." This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 12, 2025. Hina Alam, The Canadian Press
CTV News
15-06-2025
- CTV News
Looking to hike the Fundy Footpath this summer? Here are some key tips
The Fundy Footpath spans dozens of kilometres in New Brunswick. (Source: Gary Hyslop) During one of his many hikes on a section of the Fundy Footpath in New Brunswick, Gary Hyslop ran into a fellow hiker from the other side of the world. 'I was talking with someone from Australia who was (in New Brunswick) for the trail,' Hyslop said. Hyslop, a trail master for the Fundy Hiking Trail Association, knows how popular the Footpath can be. 'It's a signature trail, which means it's of notable tourism and cultural significance,' he said. 'It's been featured in magazine. Probably 1,000 to 2,000 hikers do the whole trail per year.' The trail, which spans dozens of kilometres along the New Brunswick coast of the Bay of Fundy, is often enjoyed by day hikers who only travel small portions of the overall path. But anyone who wants to do the full thing should book some time off from work. 'People plan for three nights and four days,' Hyslop said. 'That would be the minimum. I know someone who's done it straight through without stopping. It's approximately 11, 12, or 13 kilometres per day. 'A lot of people are surprised by how difficult it is, especially those who haven't backpacked a lot. There's a hiking part of it and there's the whole staying overnight with the backpack.' Fundy Footpath woods It can take days to traverse the Fundy Footpath. (Source: Gary Hyslop) Hyslop, who first hiked the entire Fundy Footpath in 2002, said the full hike requires a thorough plan and appropriate equipment, which includes: a backpack a water filter a portable camping stove food a first aid kit a flashlight or headlamp sleeping bags hiking poles Hyslop notes the Footpath requires several river crossings, so he recommends people check out the multi-day weather forecast before heading out. 'Sometimes people have hiked in and there was a rainstorm and that resulted in high river levels,' he said. 'It can become uncrossable after a large rain. 'There's one tidal crossing and it needs to be timed when there's low tide. You need to consider that.' Tweedle Dee The Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum falls in the Fundy Footpath is pictured. (Source: Gary Hyslop) Hyslop said there are a lot of ups and downs in the trail, which can tire out hikers if they're not careful. 'People should pace themselves on the hills,' he said. 'It's easy to burn yourself out on the hills and you're effectively slowing yourself down.' Hyslop, who has hiked the entire Fundy Footpath four times, says the trail remains popular because of the different things it can offer hikers. 'Some people love the challenge, some people love the wilderness experience,' he said. 'The whole trail is beautiful.' For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CBC
06-06-2025
- Climate
- CBC
'Long overdue' dikeland upgrades coming to rural N.S. community
A rural Nova Scotia community on the Bay of Fundy is preparing for the most significant upgrades in decades to the dikeland system that protects it from flooding. The work has been approved for Advocate Harbour, N.S., which has been identified as being at risk due to rising sea levels caused by climate change. People who live along the shore of the coastal community got to see plans for the project at a meeting in April. "It's been a long time coming," said Linda Black, whose home is within a couple of hundred metres of the shore. "It's scary when the tide is in full and that water is up to the top of the rocks." Her neighbour Mike Berry recalls the water being at his fence line during a storm in 2019. "The cattle were stranded on the high points. There was no damage, but it just put things in perspective," Berry said. The upgrades will see the height of the dike walls increased by two metres to an elevation of 7.6 metres in some parts. They will also be extended by an additional 500 metres to provide added protection to the community. The project is equally funded by the provincial and federal governments through a disaster mitigation and adaptation fund. Climate change is the big driver for the reinforcement work, with projections in Nova Scotia showing sea levels are anticipated to rise up to one metre by 2100. "The risk currently is that we're seeing flooding in certain regions of Nova Scotia and with the dike increase in height, we would protect the town and local infrastructure and agricultural farmlands from that flooding," said Jessica LeBlanc, a project engineer for the provincial Department of Public Works. While the dikes are continually maintained, LeBlanc said there has not been extensive work on them since the 1950s. The site is one of 16 the province earmarked for upgrades based on their vulnerability. Thousands of tons of armour rock will be needed to build up the seaward side of the dike, with grass on the land side, she said. The number of trucks that will be carrying rock through the community is a concern for the owners of the Wild Caraway restaurant. They are worried that the amount of construction might spoil the experience for their guests, who could also lose some of the impressive harbour view when the dike is raised. However, they're also pleased there will be added defence from any possible storm surges. "It's always in the back of our minds," said Marchel Strong, the councillor for the area, who is also a volunteer firefighter and has been part of the flood risk committee. "It's not if, it's when we have another breach. And it could be anytime," Strong said. "So it's definitely something that is long overdue." People in the area prefer the option that is now going ahead rather than raising up the road, which Strong said could have resulted in having to relocate the post office. And she's happy that on top of the dike there will be walking trails people can explore when the tide is out. "It'll make it much more viable for tourists," Strong said, estimating the project will cost about $7 million. The Advocate Country Store, located close to the shoreline, is pleased to know the embankments will be strengthened. The residential care facility just across the street, which already has a disaster plan in place, also thinks the work is important. "If a big storm happened and the dike breached, we would be quite vulnerable as our residents would have to be transported elsewhere and the community is quite isolated," said Bernadette Frank, the administrator of Chignecto Manor. There is still some permitting and regulatory work to be done, but the province expects work will start in the fall. The sheer size of the project means it will also take some time, with the province estimating construction will last up to two years.
