Puffin Wreck Update

Tue 2nd Apr, 2013

In the last ten days members of the public and local bird groups have reported over 200 Puffins found dead or dying along the Yorkshire coast from Scarborough south to Withernsea. Smaller numbers of Razorbills and Guillemots have also been found amongst a wide variety of washed-up seabirds.   Many more birds are likely to have perished at sea.  Those that have been washed ashore are emaciated with little body fat.  These birds must have been exhausted or starved to death.  It also means that many birds will be in poor body condition at the start of the breeding season unless they can fatten up over the next week or two.  This is the worst Puffin wreck since the terrible easterly storms of 1947. 

Initially, there appeared to be a fifty:fifty split between immature and adult birds but in the latter  days more adults were found, although no systematic analysis was carried out  - some birds were still undergoing extensive wing moult with some birds being flightless.  If any new birds are found it would be useful to obtain wing measurements, age and moult scores. 

It is likely that c. 10% of the Puffin population at the Flamborough/Bempton colony may have perished. 

This wreck has been reported along the length of the North Sea eastern seaboard from Aberdeen to Withernsea, involving thousands of birds. 

Thankfully, fewer dead birds were reported over the Easter weekend as the wind strength dropped.  However, small numbers are still being washed up at Filey and Fraisthorpe this morning – although the ones I saw at the latter site were several days old. 

Whilst this is a natural event it highlights the pressures these birds are under and the importance of locating and safeguarding their main feeding areas – you have to ask the Government why none of the proposed Marine Conservation Zones on the Yorkshire coast have been recommended for designation! 

Keith Clarkson, RSPB Bempton