Perilous times for our puffins
- Published:
- 19 March 2026
- Last updated:
- 19 March 2026
We are renewing our efforts to understand why the last remaining colony of puffins on mainland England’s south coast is failing to produce chicks. Already under threat, there was further concern for the colony in Purbeck following recent reports of thousands of dead puffins washing up on Europe’s beaches during this winter’s storms.
Puffins were described as being ‘as thick as grass’ in Dorset in the 1930s, and more than 80 were counted at Dancing Ledge in the 1950s. But the colony has dwindled to just three pairs. Although these birds have shown signs of nest building, they have not successfully raised any fledglings in recent years.
Ben Cooke, Rivers and Coast project officer for the National Trust in Purbeck, said:
“Our puffins are already under threat. With the colony being so small we fear that even if just one of the Purbeck birds were lost to the storms this winter, it would be another step closer to the loss of the whole colony. The puffins spend the winter far out at sea, returning to their nesting sites in late March. So, we are waiting with some trepidation to see if all six birds reappear this spring.”
Before the return of the puffins, the National Trust commissioned high ropes experts from JP Conservation to install motion-sensor cameras on the narrow fissure on the cliffs where the seabirds breed. This is a repeat of an exercise carried out in 2024, which captured fascinating insights into the behaviours of puffins and other seabirds, but didn’t reveal why no chicks are surviving to fledge.
The project is being led by marine ornithologist, Dr Richard Caldow, who has been monitoring the colony since 2023, helped by a team of volunteers from the Purbeck Natural History Forum. In 2023, the team observed the puffins carrying fish into the nesting fissure – only to stop abruptly before the chicks would have been ready to fledge, suggesting they may have died suddenly. In 2024 and 2025, birds were seen nest‑building, but no fish deliveries were seen, indicating the eggs may not have hatched.
Dr Richard Caldow said:
“If we are to do anything to help this puffin colony to survive, we need to establish what is going wrong. Puffins were once abundant on this coastline – with some 85 birds recorded in Purbeck in 1958. It has now plummeted to just three pairs and a couple of adolescent birds. Our suspicion has long been that predators such as rats or crows are taking the puffin eggs or chicks.”
The cameras were first installed at the start of the 2024 breeding season. Later that year, volunteers combed through over 70,000 photos – but no predators were recorded in the breeding ledge.
Ben Cooke said:
“The cameras did show us exactly where the puffins were nesting, so this time we have placed robust, high spec solar-powered cameras in key locations to film deeper into the ledge. There was some concern that the cameras might disturb the puffins, but this wasn’t the case – in fact, we got 12,000 shots of puffins in front of one camera and many shots of puffins and other seabirds sitting right beside the other cameras!”
There has been speculation locally about whether human activities, such as coasteering, rock climbing or boating are adversely affecting the puffin colony, but the monitoring team believes this is unlikely.
Ben Cooke said:
“The cameras revealed that the puffins are most active in or near their nests between 5am and 8am, when human activity is minimal. The climbing community has a code of conduct that restricts them from using the cliff during the bird nesting season, and likewise the licenced coasteerers are required to keep away from that area. Boaters are urged to keep a sensible distance from the cliff.
“Puffins are such an iconic bird, we want to do anything in our power to help them survive in Purbeck. We are hugely grateful to Richard Caldow for his tireless efforts in researching the puffins and what might be affecting them, and to his team of volunteers from the Purbeck Natural History Forum 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.