PEOPLE HELP YOUNG PUFFINS
Puffins are birds that spend most of their lives in the sea. For most of the year, they swim, catch fish and sleep there. But every summer, millions of these birds fly back to the island where they were born. They build nests there. Soon each nest has a chick in it.(lines 1–5)
The parents of the chicks work hard to take care of them. Every day, the adult puffins feed fish to their chicks at least five times. After six weeks, the chicks are almost as big as their parents. Then the chicks are strong enough to take care of themselves. So the parents fly away and do not return.(lines 6–10)
Now the chicks must fly to the sea to catch fish. So they leave their nests and fly for the first time. Usually, they do this at night. It is very dark, and the chicks don't know where to go. Then they see bright lights that are in a town on the island. They fly to these lights and not to the sea.(lines 11–14)
When the chicks reach the town, they fly around the buildings there. Then they get tired and land* on the streets. The sea is not far away. But the chicks are lost and don't know how to find it.(lines 15–17)
Fortunately, many families in the town want to help the chicks. Parents and children leave their houses and look in the streets for the chicks. Sometimes it is difficult to find these birds because they hide under cars. When people find chicks, they carry them to the sea. Then the birds know where to fly.(lines 18–21)
One of the children who helps the young puffins is 12-year-old Eric Jonson. At night, he and his father look for chicks together. "I love helping these chicks find the sea," Eric says. "Maybe when they are adults, they will return to our island and build their own nests."(lines 22–24)