Early Return of Puffins to the Farne Islands

The mild weather is thought to be behind an unusually early return of Puffins to the Farne Islands Puffins have been spotted on the Farne Islands this week in what is possibly the earliest ever sighting of the birds in the region. It is believed they have arrived at their Northumberland coast habitat weeks before they are normally seen because of the mild weather the region has been enjoying. Already there have been sightings of over 500 puffins on the Farne Islands It marks an amazing turnaround in fortunes for the birds on the Farne Islands. Last year was a horror story, as hundreds of dead birds washed ashore along the east coast from Northumberland up to Aberdeenshire in Scotland. Scientists feared thousands of puffins may have died of starvation, due to severe weather conditions in the North Sea. It is thought the birds were unable to feed due to storms at sea. The death of such large numbers of seabirds in a single incident is known as a “wreck”. Experts at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology said it was more than 60 years since such a large puffin wreck was recorded. It is hoped this mild spell of weather will be a sign of things to come and the Puffins and other seabirds of the Farne islands - which are open to the public from April 1 - have a successful year. The islands are home to 40,000 pairs of Puffins during spring and summer