国家地理 冰岛的海雀（在线收听）

On a rocky beach in Iceland, two youngsters are on a mission of mercy. Inside their cardboard box, they have two orphans, fledglings plucked from the streets of town, baby puffins. The children of Heimaey have been saving young puffins called pufflings for generations. In fact, at the end of the summer, releasing them by the hundreds to the safety of the sea has become a local tradition.

在冰岛的岩石海滩上，两名年轻人正在执行一项仁慈的任务。在他们的纸板箱里，有两个孤儿，从街上捡来的雏鸟，海雀宝宝。赫马岛的孩子们世世代代都在拯救被称为pufflings的幼海雀。事实上，在夏末，数百只海豚被释放到安全的海域已经成为当地的传统。

"They have to save the birds, well, if they don't do it, they'll die. They find it very exciting."

“他们必须拯救鸟类，如果他们不这样做，他们会死的。”他们觉得这很令人兴奋。”

Exciting obviously for the kids who get to throw live birds into the air and watch them fly away. But no doubt it's a little nerve-racking for the recently born pufflings. The problem for the pufflings is that when they are old enough, they leave their burrows in the cliffs and head out to sea. But the lights of the town confuse them. Instead of flying out to sea, they fly into town where they crash land and end up on the streets. That's where the puffling patrols come in. Each night, during the month of August, Moms and Dads lead troops of kids through town looking for wayward pufflings. They use flashlights to search the ground near buildings and street lights. The piers are particularly popular place.

对于那些把活鸟扔到空中并看着它们飞走的孩子们来说，这显然很令人兴奋。但对于刚出生不久的海雀来说，这无疑有点伤脑筋。这些海雀的问题是，当它们长大了，它们会把洞穴留在悬崖上，然后出海。但是城市的灯光使他们迷惑。他们不是飞向大海，而是飞向城镇，在那里他们迫降并最终流落街头。这就是海雀巡逻队的由来。在八月的每个夜晚，爸爸妈妈们都带领着一群孩子在城里寻找任性的小鸭。他们用手电筒在建筑物和路灯附近搜寻地面。桥墩特别受欢迎。

"Oh hey guys, look i's there, it's there!"

“嘿，大家看，我在那儿，在那儿!”

When a bird is spotted, the kids rush to scoop it up, and bring it in off the mean streets of Heimaey for the night. It's hard work. The following day all the birds that landed in friendly hands are transported to the seashore, pointed in the right direction, and given their flying orders. The kids seem to be having a great time. Apparently there is a proper way to release the pufflings. First, the proper grip, then, the right technique. With its wings free and flapping, the idea is to cock your arm like a quarterback, and throw a short path. Whether they swim to safety or fly off over the North Atlantic, one wonders what kind of impact all this has on this species as a whole. The world's largest Atlantic puffin colonies are found in Iceland, containing some 8 to 10 million birds. They are still flourishing with a little help from some strong arms and big hearts.

当一只鸟被发现时，孩子们就会赶着把它从赫马岛的街道上捡起来过夜。这是艰苦的工作。第二天，所有落在这些善良人手里的鸟儿都被送到海边，指向正确的方向，发出飞行命令。孩子们似乎玩得很开心。很明显，有一种适当的方法可以释放这些海雀。首先，适当的抓地力，然后，正确的技术。当你的手臂像四分卫一样翘起，然后抛出一条短道时，它的翅膀就会自由地拍打着。不管它们是游到安全的地方，还是飞越北大西洋，人们都想知道这对整个物种有什么影响。在冰岛发现了世界上最大的大西洋海雀群，约有800万到1000万只。在一些强壮臂膀和宽厚的心的帮助下，它们仍然茁壮成长。