According to the BBC (full story here), ornithologists say they have found the oldest known puffin in Europe on an island off the west coast of Scotland.
Naturally, we had a few doubts about this story, mostly because of the following details:
The experts who were on a bird-ringing expedition in the Shiant Isles in the Hebrides said they have discovered a puffin first ringed over 34 years ago.
Pardon me if I tend to over-anthropomorphise, but surely it’s quite possible for puffins, like humans, to pass their jewellery — their ‘bling’, if you prefer — down from one generation to the next. Who, then, can say that this puffin is the one that was originally ringed? Maybe this one is only a teenager. Put yourself in the puffins’ place and imagine the conversations they might have:
First puffin: Ooh, that’s a nice ring. Where did you get that?
Second puffin: Family heirloom. It was my grandmother’s, if you must know.
First puffin: It looks nice on you, I must say. Oh, look out, here come those pesky birdwatchers again. Gotta dash. I’ll come round for supper later if that’s all right. Are you having anything nice?
Second puffin: Fish again. See you around eight o’ clock. Ta-ta!
Go on then. Somebody prove me wrong!
