Cutting edge technology is shedding light on the daily flight paths of puffins around the National Trust’s Farne Islands, off the Northumberland coast, and providing clues that could be vital to the seabirds’ survival.

Over the last year, scientists have used the technology to build up a picture of where the puffins are heading for when they take off from the Farne Islands each day. This shows that they are making a beeline for feeding ‘hotspots’ 20 miles out to sea.

Along with their established and protected breeding grounds on the islands, these hotspots may be important areas to conserve in order to ensure the puffin’s future survival.

Since last year, after a dramatic 30 per cent decline in puffin numbers had been recorded in 2008*, a team of researchers from Newcastle University have been working with National Trust wardens on Brownsman Island and deploying a whole raft of puffin technology to track their every move.

David Steel, National Trust Head Warden on the Farne Islands, said: “This new research and our ongoing puffin count are finally piecing together a complete picture of puffin behaviour.

“The puffins seem to be recovering slowly from the 2008 crash, with a five per cent increase in numbers recorded both this year and last.

“Technology is helping us to understand what steps need to be taken to secure their future, and that of all the seabirds that find a safe haven on the Farne Islands each year.”

Dr Richard Bevan from Newcastle University, who is leading the research, said: “The technology has come into its own here on the Farne Islands. Knowing where these seabirds go to feed is a vital factor in their survival.

Via EPR Network
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