Regular visitors to TBTP will be aware that I am enamored with all things Iceland. Of course that includes the unofficial symbol of the country the puffin. In coastal cities in Iceland, including on the Vestmannaeyjar islands, it's common to see people out at night, hunting for baby puffins (called pufflings). Once they're caught, they're chucked off of cliffs the next day and fly out to sea.
Many residents of Vestmannaeyjar spend a few weeks in August and September collecting wayward pufflings that have crashed into town after mistaking human lights for the moon. Releasing the fledglings at the cliffs the following day sets them on the correct path.
I love the bittersweet short film below about puffins and Icelanders relationship with the creatures. Jessica Bishopp's meditative short film follows a pair of teen girls and their friends as they drive around in the middle of the night collecting pufflings.
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