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In Short: Concerns for the future of puffins have been raised after the number of the birds at one of the UK’s largest colonies fell by about 30% in two years, according to a report by NatureScot.
Concerns for the future of puffins have been raised after the number of the birds at one of the UK’s largest colonies fell by about 30% in two years, according to a report by NatureScot. Based on the all-island count earlier this summer, scientists estimate there were 36,500 occupied puffin burrows, compared to 52,000 in the last survey in 2024, and 39,000 in 2017.
Mark Newell, UKCEH's field manager on the Isle of May, expressed concern that future 'extreme weather events' could affect the breeding ability of puffins and other species. A joint survey also involving the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) suggested violent storms had killed a number of the birds, while rising ocean temperatures had seriously harmed populations of sand eels, their main source of food.
The decline marks a drop of nearly a third from the 52,000 burrows thought to be in use during the last survey of its kind in 2024, according to the BBC. Researchers described the population decline as 'disappointing and concerning.
The concern for puffins and other seabirds is that climate scientists are predicting an increase in the frequency and severity of extreme events in the future, as stated by a report published by NatureScot last week. Scotland’s seabirds are in serious decline, with the average population having halved since the 1980s.
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