Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival 2026

Who doesn’t love Puffins? With their brightly colored parrot-bills, tuxedo plumage, and upright waddle-walk, these iconic seabirds are cherished around the world. Not only are plush toy Puffins found in gift shops everywhere, but their chubby images may also be found on national coins, banknotes and stamps in dozens of countries.  Also known as “clowns of the sea”, public lore suggests they live a care-free life of little hobbits in their burrows on idyllic grassy offshore islands. However, the reality is that puffins are athletic, resilient, and voracious marine predators living in an extreme environment for birds. Agile and fast aerial flyers, they also “fly” under water to great depths in pursuit of schooling prey. In this presentation, you will find out why puffins are among the most successful seabird species breeding in the Northern Hemisphere, and how they thrive in remote ocean wildernesses. You will also learn about their “Achille’s heel” (greatest weakness), and what is currently the greatest threat to their survival.