Now you see them, now you don’t – mystery of Sumburgh Head puffins

A puffin at Sumburgh Head. Click on image to enlarge.
A puffin at Sumburgh Head. Click on image to enlarge.

The puffins at Sumburgh Head have made a surprise return after a baffling early departure from the cliffs last week.

Their unusual behaviour has left bird experts scratching their heads, although they are keen to emphasise that this has been the best season for the iconic birds in Shetland for around five years.

Normally there are high numbers on the cliffs at Sumburgh Head until the middle of August, but last week they left en masse. However, thousands reappeared over the weekend.

RSBP South Shetland warden Helen Moncrieff said: “I am baffled by their recent behaviour. It is quite remarkable and adds to their intrigue.”

RSPB assistant warden Rob Fray has established a new monitoring plot at Sumburgh Head to attempt to get an idea of how successful the puffins are.

Mr Fray said: “I’ve spent over a hundred hours observing the puffin colony, recording their activity. The birds were regularly bringing in sandeels and I believe that almost half of the pairs have fledged a chick. It will be interesting to discover how future years compare.”

The story on Fair Isle appears to be similar. Deryk Shaw of Fair Isle Bird Observatory (FIBO) explained: “We have a breeding productivity plot which we monitor annually.

“When it was checked on 20th July we found that the majority of chicks had already fledged, which is a week or so earlier than usual. Productivity is still lower than 10 years ago, but this season has certainly been better than the last five years.”

The RSPB is to host a special “Puffin Party” event on Saturday. Ms Moncrieff said: “Will they show up or won’t they?”

NO COMMENTS

Add Your Comment

Add Your Comment

Please note, it is the policy of The Shetland Times to publish comments and letters from named individuals only. Both forename and surname are required.

Comments are moderated. Contributors must observe normal standards of decency and tolerance for the opinions of others.

The views expressed are those of contributors and not of The Shetland Times.

The Shetland Times reserves the right to decline or remove any contribution without notice or stating reason.

Comments are limited to 200 words but please email longer articles or letters to editorial@shetlandtimes.co.uk for consideration and include a daytime telephone number and your address. If emailing information in confidence please put "Not for publication" in both the subject line and at the top of the main message.

200 words left

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

logo

Get Latest News in Your Inbox

Join the The Shetland Times mailing list to get one daily email update at midday on what's happening in Shetland.