- This topic is empty.
Puffins in Decline?
-
Thought this news article from Sky News might be of interest – especially to everyone who spent ages looking for puffins on the Saltees the other week:
The numbers of Puffins nesting at one of the biggest colonies in Britain has dropped by an alarming 34%, prompting fears that one of Britain’s most iconic seabirds could be in terminal decline.
National Trust Wardens will attach GPS transmitters to some of the puffins
The Farne Island colony is the fourth largest in Britain. Five years ago, when the last census of Puffin numbers was taken, there were over 55,000 breeding pairs. This years survey shows that number has plummeted to 36,500.
The puffin is one of Britain’s most recognisable birds, with their black and white plumage and large colourful beak. They are creatures of habit who pair up for life, and always return to the place of their birth to nest.
For over 70 years the population on the Farne Islands, just off the Northumberland coast, has been steadily growing. Now the decline is prompting serious fears for the bird’s future.
David Steel, Head Warden for the National Trust, who have managed the islands since 1925, told Sky News: “The results from this survey have completely surprised us as we were predicting another rise in the numbers of breeding pairs.
“Extensive monitoring work shows that good numbers of young puffins are successfully fledging each year but it would appear they’re just not coming back to the Islands the following years.”
What is happening to the birds during the eight months of the year they spend in the open ocean remains a mystery. Experts think food shortages, possibly caused by an intensification of storms as a result of our changing climate, could be responsible.
Now the team of National Trust Wardens who carry out the survey are planning to count the birds every year instead of every five, and to attach GPS transmitters to some of the puffins, in a bid to solve the mystery.
The puffins will all have left the island within the next few days, leaving the conservationists with an agonising eight month wait to see how many birds return to their nesting sites next April.
For more information on the Farne Islands and its seabirds, go to http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/farneislands
I went to the Saltees about 6 weeks previous to the PI outing and a guy from our club said that he’d never seen as many puffins in all the years he’s been going there so they may be moving, not declining.
Alan.
I saw the report on Sky news and from what they say they do return to their birth place each year so it may not be as simple as that…but it was what I was thinking!
Alan
Gordon Ramsey is apparently going to be catching and eating puffins on his show this coming week so maybe they’ll be endangered soon enough if he can convince people they’re tasty.
That’s a bit old hat…Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s already been there, done that. :lol:
peterasmith wrote:
Maybe the ones from the Farne Islands have emigrated to Ireland!
:lol:I can see the soundbites from some of the more excitable members of the Irish loony right: “These foreign national puffins, are coming over here taking our jobs, our women, our sandeels, and being given free burrows at the expense of the Irish taxpayers….”
:) :)John
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
