First Purbeck puffling sighting in 30 years
- Published:
- 22 July 2026
- Last updated:
- 19 March 2026
For the first time in 30 years, there has been a confirmed sighting of a puffin fledgling – known as a puffling – in Dorset. The young bird was spotted on the cliffs near Dancing Ledge, Purbeck, by the Trust team and volunteers who have monitored the colony.
The puffling was peeping out from a deep crevice on the sheer cliff, where the last breeding colony of puffins on mainland England’s south coast is clinging to survival. The sighting followed more than 15 weeks of monitoring by volunteers who 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. He is supported by volunteers from the Purbeck Natural History Forum.
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."
The puffling has now left the ledge and its parents, and will spend the next several years alone at sea. If it survives, it may return to Purbeck, although puffins do not usually breed until they are around four years old.
Although six adult puffins were recorded at the colony, the other two pairs aren't thought to have produced fledglings. They were initially seen carrying fish, but these deliveries stopped before the chicks could have reached fledging age.
Dr Caldow continued:
“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, Rivers and Coast project officer for the National Trust in Purbeck, 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.”
In March 2026, we renewed our 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 after 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.