Snaps shed light on puffins’ decline

Thousands of photos submitted by the public are helping to explain the fast decline of puffins in the UK.

As part of the RSPB’S Project Puffin, experts have analysed more than 1,400 pictures of the birds in search of a reason for their plummeting numbers. It is feared that without help, more than half of the population could disappear within the next 40 years.

The charity asked people to send photos of puffins carrying fish to try to understand what they are feeding their young. More than 12,000 fish have been identified from photos and early results suggest some puffin colonies north of the British Isles are struggling to find an abundant supply of large, nutritious fish.

In the northern isles of Orkney and Shetland, where puffin declines have been seen, the birds appear to be consistently finding smaller prey compared with other areas.