Where can i see puffins in the uk

If you see one circling above the sea, they might be just about to plunge. Bempton Cliffs is great for gannet-spotting. Check out this video about gannets there's a brilliant slo-mo dive at 1. The stumpy, striped beak marks out this rather fierce looking black and white bird.

The largest colonies are in Scotland. They nest in caves, crags and even rabbit burrows. Unfortunately, puffins are now endangered and have been put on the Red List of Threatened Species. Like puffins? Then why not bake some puffin muffins? They look pretty delicious. Looking a bit like penguins but with wings that fly , guillemots can be found off the coast of Wales, Cornwall, Yorkshire and the North East. Did you know there's a British indie band called Guillemots?

Not only did they name themselves after the bird, but they sometimes feature birdsong in their music. Unlike their bold, urbanised cousins the herring gull, kittiwakes generally prefer a life at sea, coming back only to breed in tight clusters on cliffs - though you might see them in some seaside towns.

Patrik Aberg, Xeno-canto. They can be found near all suitable cliffs and are most abundant along Scottish coastline, especially on the Northern Isles. Martin Harper Blog. How nature can help protect our homes Following the floods this winter, watch how one area is using nature as a natural protector.

See some of the ways you can get into green living. Marshside This fantastic wetland site is located north of Southport town centre and has some of the best wildlife in the region. Lytchett Fields The reserve has seen more than thirty species of wading birds. Arne Heathland home to more than species. Get out, get busy and get wild! Fun factoids for all the family Find out more about the nature and wildlife outside your window.

Puffin summer plumage. Puffin first-winter plumage. Key information Puffins are unmistakable birds with their black back and white underparts, distinctive black head with large pale cheeks and their tall, flattened, brightly-coloured bill. What they eat: Fish, especially sandeels. Measurements: Length: cm Wingspan: cm Weight: g. UK breeding is the number of pairs breeding annually.

UK wintering is the number of individuals present from October to March. Feather colour: Black Grey White. Leg colour: Orange. Natural habitats: Marine and intertidal. Similar birds:. Little auk. Where and when to see them. Puffins are one of just a few birds that have the ability to hold several fish in their bills at one time.

Their rough tongues allow them to have a firm grasp on fish during one foraging trip. Puffins can dive for up to a minute, although they generally stay underwater for about thirty seconds.

When in the water, they can dive as deep as sixty metres. Puffins are strong flyers. They can beat their wings up to times a minute and move through the air at 88km an hour. In winter, puffins shed their outer bills, leaving smaller, duller ones behind. Their brighter red and grey plates are grown in again ahead of breeding season to attract potential mates.

Although Puffins are not an endangered species their numbers are on the decline. The main threats include overfishing, which can result in a shortage of food for the puffins, and pollution, in particular oil spills. Not only does the oil make the birds sick, but it also damages their waterproof feathers, which are essential for their survival.

Another factor contributing towards the drop in bird numbers is climate change; rising sea temperatures affect their food sources, namely the sand eel, which lives in a cool water environments. The wild and windswept Farne Islands lie two miles off the Northumberland Coast. Each year puffins return to their shores to breed between April and late July.