PUFFIN numbers are plummeting as they struggle to find a source of food, new research has revealed.
The RSPB said global puffin numbers have dropped in recent years with scientists predicting that without help more than half of the population could disappear within the next generation.
The charity set up Project Puffin asked people to send photos of puffins carrying fish to try to understand what they are feeding their young and early results suggest some puffin colonies in the north of Scotland are struggling to find an abundant supply of large, nutritious fish which could be linked to their population declines.
Coastlines around Scotland come alive each spring with the sight, sound and smell of puffins nesting and raising their young, known as pufflings.
Herald View: Public flock to help ease the plight of the puffin
With their bright orange bills and distinctive eye markings people from around the world visit puffin hotspots here, in the rest of the UK and in Ireland to photograph the bustling colonies.
Over 80 percent of the British and Irish population of puffins is found in Scotland.
In the summer RSPB scientists set out to understand more about the differing fortunes of puffins around our coasts.
By enlisting the help of the public1402 photos of puffins bringing food to their chicks were sent to the team, including 517 from sites in Scotland.
Herald View: Public flock to help ease the plight of the puffin
Early results suggest that the diet of puffins vary significantly around the UK - in the northern isles of Orkney and Shetland, where serious puffin declines have been seen, puffins appear to be consistently finding smaller prey compared to most other colonies.
Traditionally puffins feed on a mixture of fish, but with nutritious sandeels making up a high proportion of their diet.
The photos from puffin colonies in northwest Scotland show that sandeels are making up about half of their diet compared to the two-thirds at colonies in southern Scotland, northern England and Wales.
Ellie Owen, RSPB Conservation Scientist leading the Project Puffin team, said: “Puffins colourful bills and unique eye markings make them a favourite bird to photograph. The huge response to our appeal for photos has been incredible, with more than a thousand submitted.
Herald View: Public flock to help ease the plight of the puffin
"It’s taken the team of staff and volunteers more than three months to go through them all.
“For a young puffin waiting in its burrow, its life hangs on whether its parents return with enough food.
"An abundant supply of large, nutritious fish such as sandeels, sprats and herrings is key to healthy colonies.
"The public response means we’re getting data on a scale that we’ve never been able to collect before; showing what puffins are managing to find to feed their chicks around our coastline.
Herald View: Public flock to help ease the plight of the puffin
"The next stage of the project is to look more closely at the diet of puffins compared to their breeding success to pin down what part diet plays in the decline of some puffins.”
Pictures came from almost 40 colonies around the UK, including many in Scotland such as the Isle of May, Fair Isle, Lunga, and Noss National Nature Reserve.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel