There’s fresh hope that Purbeck’s dwindling colony of puffins may be saved, after a young puffin – known as a puffling – was spotted at Dancing Ledge near Langton Matravers in Dorset.
While the six remaining puffins have laid eggs in the past, it’s not thought any chicks have survived for several decades, however a group on a bird watching boat trip were lucky to spot a fledgling emerging from its nest on the cliff in July 2026.
The puffling has a grey beak rather than the distinctive orange of an adult puffin
Puffling peeped out from a crevice
Fortunately one photographer on the boat was quick enough to capture the puffling peeping out from a crevice on the sheer cliff, making this the first confirmed sighting in 30 years at Dancing Ledge – the last breeding colony of puffins on mainland England’s South Coast.
The sighting followed more than 15 weeks of monitoring by volunteers on the National Trust-owned stretch of Purbeck coastline.
They watched the adult puffins courting, mating, carrying nesting material and, since late-May, repeatedly delivering fish to the nests hidden deep within the crevice.
The monitoring project is being led by Dr Richard Caldow, who holds a PhD in seabird ecology and has nearly 40 years’ experience researching and conserving coastal bird populations through roles with the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and Natural England. He is supported by volunteers from the Purbeck Natural History Forum.
Puffins at Dancing Ledge are an iconic sight
Dr Richard Caldow has led the project to monitor the puffins at Dancing Ledge
“One puffling alone won’t save this colony”
Dr Richard Caldow said:
“With only three breeding pairs remaining, every chick matters. One puffling alone won’t save this colony, but one is a whole lot better news than none.
“We first observed fish being taken into the ledge on 31st May, with the last fish delivery recorded on 5th July. Based on this, we estimated the puffling to be 38 to 40 days old.
“Puffins typically fledge between 38 and 44 days after hatching, so it had reached the minimum age at which it could leave the nest.”
The puffling is expected to leave the ledge and its parents under the cover of darkness and spend the next several years alone at sea.
If it survives, it may return to Purbeck from around two years of age, although puffins do not usually breed until they are around four years old.
There was relief when all six puffins safely returned to Dancing Ledge in 2026
Regular fish deliveries
The 2026 monitoring started in April when six adult puffins were recorded returning to the colony.
By early June, volunteers had observed puffins carrying fish into at least two separate nesting locations on the cliff, giving hope that more than one pair may have been attempting to raise chicks.
However, only one pair was regularly delivering fish to a nest site visible from the monitoring point – the location where the puffling was later seen.
While other puffins were also observed carrying fish to different parts of the ledge, these deliveries stopped after 12th June, suggesting that any chicks in those nests did not survive to fledging.
A puffin spotted with nesting material
“Seeing the puffling was a great thrill”
Dr Richard Caldow added:
“Seeing the puffling was a great thrill, the first puffling that’s been recorded in Purbeck for a long time.
“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.”
Ben Cooke from the National Trust which manages the coastline at Dancing Ledge
“Fantastic news”
The 13 volunteers took turns to observe the nesting ledge, contributing around 150 hours of their time. Additional puffin sightings were provided by commercial boats run by Durlston Country Park, Birds of Poole Harbour and Pierhead Watersports.
Rivers and coast project officer for the National Trust in Purbeck, Ben Cooke said:
“This is fantastic news for everyone who has been monitoring and supporting this colony.
“There have been anecdotal sightings in the past, but this puffling was witnessed and photographed by some of our most experienced volunteers.”
Cameras were installed on the cliff in March 2026 before the puffins arrived to record their activity once they returned
It’s hoped the monitoring cameras will have captured images of the puffling
Motion-sensor cameras should reveal more
In March 2026, the National Trust renewed its efforts to understand why the puffin colony has been failing to produce chicks.
Motion-sensor cameras, powered by solar panels, were installed by high ropes experts, positioned to take images of movement within the deep fissure – the puffins nest about two metres back from the entrance.
The cameras will be recovered at the end of the seabird breeding season, and volunteers will then review the thousands of images taken.
Ben added:
“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. We are hugely grateful to Dr Richard Caldow for his tireless efforts in researching the puffins and what might be affecting them, and to his team of volunteers for the hours they spend monitoring them.”
Due to the inaccessible location of the puffin ledge, the best way to see these birds is from the sea. There are guided boat trips in the summer available through Durlston Country Park and Birds of Poole Harbour, although the puffins, guillemots and razorbills leave the cliffs by mid-July.
Further information
- More about Purbeck’s puffins
