This is the story of a professor who went to visit the Tatoosh Island in the Strait of Juan de Fuca off the coast of Washington State. Here lives the tufted puffin. Read his story, see his photographs… you won’t be sorry you did.

Click here to read on.

After my find yesterday in the University of Washington archives—I did a search for more old puffin photographs. I found some! YAY! =) I love history and puffins and puffin history.

A Tufted Puffin guarding its egg at Three Arch Rocks while Finley and Bohlman capture the shot during a 1903 photography trip to the area.¹

Tufted Puffin at Three Arch Rocks -- 1903

Close up shot of a Tufted puffin at Three Arch Rocks, 1903. Hand painted glass slide by Finley and Bohlman.²

Close up shot of a Tufted puffin at Three Arch Rocks, 1903. Hand painted glass slide by Finley and Bohlman.

A hand painted glass slide of Tufted Puffins at Three Arch Rocks in 1903 by Finley and Bohlman.

((http://digitalrepository.fws.gov/u?/nctcdiglib,744))

A hand painted glass slide of Tufted Puffins at Three Arch Rocks in 1903 by Finley and Bohlman.

A hand painted glass slide of a tufted puffin taken by Finley and Bohlman at Three Arch Rocks during a 1903 vist. Three Arch Rocks would later become the west coast first bird refuge in 1907.³

A hand painted glass slide of a tufted puffin taken by Finley and Bohlman at Three Arch Rocks during a 1903 vist. Three Arch Rocks would later become the west coast first bird refuge in 1907.

A hand painted glass slide of a tufted puffin taken by Finley and Bohlman at Three Arch Rocks during a 1903 vist. Three Arch Rocks would later become the west coast first bird refuge in 1907. Under the Model Bird Law Finley was able to end sea bird shooting parties to the area in 1904.⁴

Tufted Puffin 1903 Finley and Bohlman b

A Tufted puffin guarding its egg at Three Arch Rocks, 1903. A hand painted glass slide by Finley and Bohlman. Thier photographs of Three Arch Rocks in 1903 would later help the area become a bird refuge in 1907.⁵

A Tufted puffin guarding its egg at Three Arch Rocks, 1903. A hand painted glass slide by Finley and Bohlman. Thier photographs of Three Arch Rocks in 1903 would later help the area become a bird refuge in 1907.

1. http://digitalrepository.fws.gov/u?/nctcdiglib,829 [↩]
2. http://digitalrepository.fws.gov/u?/nctcdiglib,742 [↩]
3. http://digitalrepository.fws.gov/u?/nctcdiglib,745 [↩]
4. http://digitalrepository.fws.gov/u?/nctcdiglib,746 [↩]
5. http://digitalrepository.fws.gov/u?/nctcdiglib,743 [↩]

While researching the Tufted Puffin I came across these wonderful Tufted Puffin photographs taken on Carroll Island, Washington State in June of 1907. This is an island in Clallam County. These photographs are part of the University of Washington archive. Sources cited below.¹²

1. http://content.lib.washington.edu/u?/wastate,1375 [↩]
2. http://content.lib.washington.edu/u?/wastate,1389 [↩]

Tufted Puffin

Originally uploaded by ap.

The Tufted Puffin has the long eyebrows (really they are feathers but they look like long eyebrows or a slick hairdo). It is found on the West coast of the U.S. and Canada, from California up to B.C. up to Alaska. It can also be found in the Aleutian Islands, Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands and throughout the Sea of Okhotsk.

You can tell the Tufted Puffin from other puffins not only by the long feathers on its head but also by its dark belly.

This is a beautiful bird and happens to live off the coast of my state. However, going to see them is no easy task. They are well protected. This is a good thing for them. =)