Seagull Kite is a fictional Newfoundland character from Puffincove.
He is part seagull, part traveller, part old Newfoundlander, and completely curious about everything around him.
Kite belongs to Newfoundland, but he sees it for the first time every time.
That means an old fishing stage, a plate of salt fish, a winding road, a ferry, a capelin beach or a quiet outport can become a brand-new adventure when Kite arrives.
Before He Had a Name
Before the crew called him Kite, he was simply a seagull. He hatched with his mudder and fadder close by. They kept him fed and cared for him as he grew.
While he was still young, sailors took him aboard a ship. He grew up before he got loose.
One day, George found a grown seagull behind a dory. He had a bump on his head and a rope around him.
“I think you came off a ship,” George said.
“I got loose,” the seagull told him.
George took the rope off, but the seagull didn’t feel right without it. The rope became a bit of security for him.
George introduced him to the others: “This is my friend, who I found behind a dory.” For a while, that was all the crew knew him as—George’s friend, the seagull.
The crew soon learned that Kite couldn’t fly. Nobody had ever shown him how. Walking everywhere made his feet sore, so the crew found an old pair of boots. They were the only pair that fit him.
How Seagull Kite Got His Name
Kite was first known simply as Seagull.
Then he got mixed up in a capelin roll, ended up tied to a safety rope and went sailing through the air.
After that, the name Kite stuck.
He can usually be recognized by his rope belt, one rubber boot rolled down, one boot pulled up, and the look of someone who has just discovered trouble before anyone else noticed it.
Is Seagull Kite a Real Seagull?
Kite is a storytelling character created for Puffincove.
The places, traditions, food, humour and memories around him are inspired by real Newfoundland life.
Kite gives us a playful way to look at familiar things from a different angle.
He asks the questions visitors may be thinking, misunderstands things in the finest possible way, and often finds the heart of a place without knowing he was looking for it.
What Does Seagull Kite Do?
Kite travels around Newfoundland learning about:
- outport communities
- old fishing traditions
- Newfoundland food
- local sayings and humour
- ferries, roads and trails
- capelin, puffins and other wildlife
- family memories
- the small moments that make Newfoundland feel like home
He is not a polished tour guide.
He is more like the fellow who wanders off during the tour, finds something nobody planned to see and comes back with the best story of the day.
Where Is Seagull Kite?
Kite travels through the stories shared on Puffincove.
He may appear in Bonavista, Elliston, Twillingate, St. John’s, Labrador, Shoal Harbour or anywhere else a Newfoundland story finds him.
Nobody always knows where he is.
Sometimes the crew is looking for him too.
The Puffincove Crew
Kite is only one member of the Puffincove harbour crew.
George the Puffin handles maintenance, safety ropes and the steady business of keeping the harbour running.
Wilson the Owl keeps the records.
Sylas the Fox watches the night.
Ralph the Raven scouts ahead.
Selma the Squirrel keeps the harbour store supplied.
Miss Light Keeper carries the quieter stories, memories and reflections.
Everyone has a place in the harbour.
Kite’s place is usually wherever the foolishness started.
What Seagull Kite Represents
Kite represents curiosity, humour, resilience and the part of us that still knows how to look at an old place with new eyes.
He is Newfoundland, but he is also the visitor trying to understand Newfoundland.
He reminds us that the things we have seen all our lives can still surprise us.
Nobody laughs at Kite.
We laugh with him.
Puffincove is not a destination.
That is our Kite.
Follow Seagull Kite
Visit Puffincove on Facebook or explore more Newfoundland stories at Puffincove2025.ca.
Follow Seagull Kite and the Puffincove crew through stories, photos, memories and everyday Newfoundland adventures.
It is a journey — one story, one plank and one memory at a time.