‘PUFFARAZZI’ HELPING TO SOLVE PUFFIN MYSTERY
The RSPB’S Project Puffin has started to solve the mystery of why some Puffin colonies in the UK are in dramatic decline, after scientists analysed more than 1,400 photos sent in by the public. Some estimates say that without help, more than half the global Puffin population will disappear within the next 40 years. Last summer, RSPB scientists asked the public to help build up a snapshot of what Puffins are feeding their young, at as many colonies as possible. With the aid of these ‘Puffarazzi’, 1,402 photos of Puffins bringing food to their chicks were collected. These have helped identify areas where Puffins are struggling to find the large, nutritious fish needed to support their chicks. Early results suggest that the diet of Puffins vary significantly around the UK – in Orkney and Shetland, where serious declines have been seen, they appear to be consistently finding smaller prey than in most other colonies. Traditionally, sandeels make up a high proportion of their diet, but photos from colonies in north-west Scotland show them making up only 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: “The huge response to our appeal was incredible. It’s taken the team of staff and volunteers more than three months to go through them all. The public response means we’re getting data on a scale that we’ve never been able to collect before.” Pictures came from almost 40 colonies around the UK, including those on the Farne Islands, Skomer and the Isle of May.