Puffin Population Collapsing At Main North Sea Nesting Site - Down 30% -Telegraph

A dramatic drop in the population of puffins at their main North Sea breeding site has alarmed scientists. After almost 40 years of breeding success puffin numbers on the Isle of May have plummeted by 30 per cent.



It is not known whether the sudden decline is merely a blip or whether the tiny iconic bird has joined the list of sea birds in long term decline in the North Sea. The sudden drop in numbers was revealed in a survey carried out every five years on the island off Scotland's east coast by scientists from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.

The Isle of May is home to the largest colony of puffins in the North Sea and has been the centre of the UK science community's research into the bird for over three decades. Numbers have increased dramatically from a handful of pairs 50 years ago to more than 69,000 pairs at the time of the last count in 2003. Scientists had expected numbers to soar to more than 100,000 pairs this year and are baffled by the loss of almost one in three birds.

Professor Mike Harris, Emeritus Research Fellow at the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, who has studied puffins for 36 year, said: "Something worrying appears to have happened over last winter and probably the one before. "Puffins appear to be joining the ranks of other seabirds in the North Sea that are suffering reduced breeding success and decline in numbers."

EIT

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