Horned Puffin (Fratercula corniculata) - Smith Island, Puget Sound

Renee Beitzel writes,

We see Tufted Puffins frequently around Smith Island and about 20 miles to the south-southwest on Protection Island, but this was our first sighting of a Horned Puffin in the area and they do not belong this far south!

Moses Tcheripanoff writes:

We defer to our local observers on the presence of wildlife in their specific locations. Generally, however, Horned Puffins are widespread in the North Pacific, nesting on coastlines and offshore islands from British Columbia to Alaska. The The world's Horned Puffin population is estimated to be around 1 million, 85% of which breeds in areas around Alaska. During the winter, Horned Puffins travel south from Alaska to Washington, Oregon, and California, avoiding the fall storms and winter ice. These birds typically prefer to live farther than 80 kilometers (112 miles) from shore. Source: Alaska Species Explorer, Alaska SeaLife Center. Coasstal News Feature, Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST)

Resources:

For more information on migration patterns, feeding ecology and nesting behavior, see the Horned Puffin species profiles at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and at Audubon.