An attempt to use cameras to find out why puffins along the Purbeck Coast in Dorset are failing to breed has proved inconclusive, meaning a further decline in numbers is feared.
Without knowing the reason why the nesting puffins aren’t producing any surviving chicks or pufflings, it’s impossible to intervene to save the colony at the National Trust’s Dancing Ledge, just along the coast from Swanage.
A puffin caught on camera but no signs of any predators
Reason remains a mystery
It was hoped that a scheme in spring 2024 to position cameras on the cliffs near nesting areas would reveal what was happening but despite capturing extensive footage, the reason remains a mystery.
There were 85 puffins recorded in Purbeck in 1958 but by 1975 the numbers had reduced to just 23. Now there are only three nesting pairs and no fledglings have been spotted for many years.
The most likely cause is that rats or crows are attacking the eggs or the newly hatched pufflings but without proof there’s little that can be done.
The cameras were installed on the cliffs at Dancing Ledge in April 2024
Dr Richard Caldow leading the investigation
“Probably facing extinction”
The investigations have been led by marine ornithologist, Dr Richard Caldow, who has been researching Purbeck’s puffin colony.
His monitoring of the site, along with a team of volunteers, showed that in 2023, the puffins were carrying fish to their nests for three weeks but then stopped abruptly. This suggests that the pufflings had died suddenly.
In 2024, they again began nest-building, but weren’t seen to deliver any fish, probably because their eggs didn’t hatch.
Richard Caldow said:
“It’s disappointing that the cameras didn’t reveal exactly what the problem is – because if they had, we could potentially take action to increase the puffins’ chances of rearing chicks.
“This is important because it’s the last known regular nesting site for puffins on the mainland of southern England.
“Puffins were once abundant on this coastline – with some 85 birds recorded in Purbeck in 1958. In recent years, only three nesting pairs of puffins have been seen here, along with a few adolescent birds.
“For many years no fledglings have been spotted. Sadly, this severe decline means that without intervention, they are probably facing extinction here.”
Great close ups from the cameras but not any clues
Volunteers combed through more than 70,000 photos
New plan for 2026
There are now plans to reinstate the cameras in 2026, but with better equipment located exactly where each pair nests.
These locations will be mapped following land-based monitoring by volunteers, as well as footage gathered by boat operators – the best views of the ledge are from the sea.
Rivers and coast project officer for the National Trust, Ben Cooke said:
“Despite not giving a definitive answer, the cameras did give us useful information about what we need when we repeat the exercise, hopefully in 2026.
“Next time we can further refine the placement and quality of the camera equipment, optimising our chances of recording the puffins’ behaviour and the presence of any predators.
“It’s crucial to gather as much evidence as possible about what’s happening with the puffin colony, then we can assess if there is anything we can do to help. Along with our partner organisations, we’re committed to doing whatever we can to prevent the loss of this iconic, much-loved species.”
A puffin but no rats or crows to be seen
The project has been a collaboration between Dr Richard Caldow, the National Trust and Dorset Wildlife Trust, with volunteers from the Purbeck Natural History Forum sorting through the pictures
What was discovered
Although the cameras didn’t show any predators, they did reveal some fascinating facts about the puffins – and how they interacted with other sea birds.
- The number of photos showing one pair of puffins carrying nesting material in mid-April indicated that they laid an egg around that time, but it’s not known whether it hatched
- The male and female puffins took turns to incubate the egg, with each shift being 10 to 20 hours but, unlike the razorbills, they never appeared together on camera
- Puffins and razorbills were nesting very close together. The puffins seemed to avoid getting close to the much-bigger razorbills, which often threatened them when they did
- The puffins often appeared at the ledge as soon as the razorbills left, so razorbills may be influencing the puffins’ nesting activity
- Puffins are sometimes active at their nest site in total darkness, between 1 am and 4 am, but are most active between 5 am and 8 am
Watch the cameras being installed in 2024 by the National Trust
Further information
- More about spotting puffins at Dancing Ledge and Spyway
