Puffins have begun arriving back at RSPB Bempton Cliffs near Bridlington on the East Yorkshire coast and the nature reserve’s conservationists are celebrating their renewed hope for this most iconic of bird species.
Whilst much loved by the visiting public, many people may not know that the Puffin is on the red list of conservation concern, which means it is one of our most rare and threatened seabirds.
RSPB Bempton Cliffs is home to the UK’s largest mainland seabird colony, of national and international importance.
Around half a million seabirds, including Gannets, Kittiwakes, Guillemots and Razorbills as well as around 3,000 Puffins breed here each year, on the dramatic 400 feet high chalk cliffs.
Bempton’s internationally important seabird population means it has special protection. It is both a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and its European importance is recognised in its designation as a Special Protection Area (SPA).
Puffins gather on average around ten Sandeels their beaks from a single foraging trip (the record though being 83), however, today it is not often they will come back carrying so many. Now there is new optimism that Puffins will once again be returning to their chicks with many more fish packed into their brightly coloured beaks. Sandeels, the main food source for Puffins, are a vital link in the food chain and play an important role in the North Sea ecosystem, but their numbers have been rapidly declining.
Following the much-celebrated announcement by DEFRA to stop Sandeel fishing in UK waters from 1 April 2024, conservationists have been waiting with excitement to see these iconic birds arriving back at Yorkshire’s RSPB Bempton Cliffs.
The Puffins will continue arriving throughout April, stay to raise their Pufflings (one egg is laid per Puffin) and then leave at the end of July. They winter out at sea and whilst it’s not known exactly where, it’s believed they are widely dispersed out in the North Sea and wider Atlantic Ocean.
The most recent *seabird census, Seabirds Count, published in November 2023, suggests over the last 20 years that shockingly around one in four Puffins have been lost from across the UK since 2000. Part of the reason for this is thought to be the decline in populations of Sandeels, a vital food source for some of the UK’s most vulnerable seabirds, such as the iconic Puffin and Kittiwakes, also a red listed bird, and marine mammals.
Seen touching down on the chalky cliffs, the return of Puffins this year will be a welcome sight, not least to those who have tirelessly campaigned to protect their main food source. Tens of thousands of people, including RSPB supporters, called for an end to the fishing of Sandeels in UK waters last year.
Now, with the Sandeel fishing closure in place, seabirds, including Puffins, have been thrown a lifeline.
