A baby puffin, known as a puffling, has been spotted on the coast of Dorset for the first time in three decades, raising hopes for the survival of the region's struggling puffin colony. The sighting occurred on the Purbeck coast near Swanage, the last known regular nesting site for puffins on the mainland of southern England.
Marine ornithologist Richard Caldow, who coordinates volunteer efforts through the Purbeck Natural History Forum, described the moment as a great thrill. 'Every chick matters. One puffling alone won't save this colony but one is a whole lot better news than none,' he said.
Decline and hope for the colony
In the 1950s, approximately 80 puffins nested along this stretch of coast. However, numbers plummeted to just three breeding pairs in recent years, with no definitive sightings of fledglings for 30 years. The fear was that the colony was heading toward extinction.
This summer, 13 volunteers spent 15 weeks monitoring the cliffs, a challenging task due to difficult access and precarious vantage points. In April, six adult puffins were recorded at the colony. Within weeks, volunteers observed puffins carrying fish into at least two separate nesting locations, indicating that more than one pair may have been attempting to raise chicks. Most feeding activity ceased after 12 June, suggesting some chicks did not survive, but deliveries continued to one spot, eventually leading to the puffling's appearance.
Perfect timing and future prospects
Caldow noted that the team timed their observation perfectly. 'We knew its parents had been feeding it since about 29 May until 5 July so by then it was 38 days old. By then it was likely to come into the open occasionally, usually if a parent was there too. That was most likely in evening so we chartered a boat on 7 July to anchor in the right spot from 4 till 8pm. It took three hours but just after 7pm it popped out behind its parent. Great to see.'
The puffling likely fledged that same night. 'Where it is now we have no idea. It will be well out at sea somewhere on its own. The parents don't look after it once it fledges. It won't come back for at least two years and won't breed till 2030 at the soonest. It may come back here but it could go somewhere different,' Caldow explained.
Conservation efforts and challenges
Caldow, who has nearly 40 years of experience researching coastal bird populations, expressed delight at the sighting. 'It tells us that Purbeck puffins can still lay fertile eggs, hatch them and, at least in some years, find enough food to rear a chick and escape the attention of predators.'
The National Trust has been investigating why the colony has failed to produce chicks in recent years. Possible factors include rats, peregrine falcons, and the climate emergency. Motion-sensor cameras powered by solar panels have been installed by high-rope experts to capture activity inside the nesting crevice, where puffins nest about 2 meters back from the entrance. The cameras will be retrieved after the breeding season, and volunteers will review thousands of images.
Understanding the missing piece
Ben Cooke, rivers and coast project officer for the National Trust in Purbeck, said: 'The images should hopefully reveal more of the nesting, feeding and fledging activity of the puffins. Understanding what is happening inside the nesting crevice is the missing piece of the puzzle. If we can identify the reasons why chicks and eggs are being lost, we can begin to explore what conservation measures might help. Puffins are such an iconic bird, we want to do everything in our power to help them survive in Purbeck.'
The National Trust also offers live puffin and clifftop webcams on the Farne Islands in north-east England, streaming daily from dawn until dusk between May and the end of July as part of its Window to the Wild project.
