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sbisson ([personal profile] sbisson) wrote2005-07-15 05:33 pm
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There ain't nuffin' like a puffin

Puffins have started breeding on Lundy again. The first chick since 1972 has been spotted...

The RSPB estimates it will take about 10 to 15 years to get the birds back to big numbers, but it says the sighting of the chick means the first steps of the process have been taken to secure the long-term future of puffins on Lundy.
After a massive population decline, various conservation bodies collaborated to help give one of the few UK breeding sites for the brightly coloured little birds a new future. With predation a major problem - rats were eating the young and the eggs - eradication was the only solution. No rats have been seen for over a year now, and the puffins have started to return - and breed.

[identity profile] marypcb.livejournal.com 2005-07-16 12:50 pm (UTC)(link)
rats and stoats are a big problem for New Zealand birds; shame for the eradicated rats if it wasn't them - and for the puffins too!