Technology may help save the puffins of Farne Isles. We must first understand the puffins and their habits completely before we can help rectify the strains that are leading to decling numbers. This is exactly what they are doing at the National Trust Farnes Isles. Led by Dr Richard Bevan from Newcastle University researchers used up-to-date GPS Logging equipment to track 12 birds,¹

“…birds to follow their fishing expeditions out from the islands and back. Results reveal that they now appear to be travelling about 20 miles out from the islands – whereas they were previously thought to head anything up to 60 miles away.”

This information is vital to scientist and researchers in helping preserve the much-needed feeding areas and helping puffin populations thrive.

1. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/press/feeding-flight-paths,1377651.html [↩]

When you’ve swooped 300 feet into the cold and murky depths of
the Atlantic for your dinner, you don’t give it up without a
fight.

Even when you’re a tiny puffin and the thieves outnumbering you
are three fiercesome black-headed gulls.

This plucky puffin, smaller than a pigeon, braved an ambush by
his hungry enemies to carry a beak full of tasty sand eels back to
his nest.

It is a scene which takes place every year on the Farne Islands
off the Northumberland coast.

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Puffin (Photograph by DK Bhaskar

Visit puffins (and many other great seabirds) on this travel trip to Scotland.
“More than 75,000 puffins breed on these little islands, along with 30 other species of seabirds. Nearly 160 different species of birds migrate through this passage every year,” said Marsh, carefully guiding us along the wooden pathways.

Farne Islands (BBC photo)

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