Alderney puffin webcams turned back on for spring

Alderney Wildlife Trust's (AWT) puffin cameras have been turned back on for spring.

Visitors to its website will be able to observe the puffin colony on Burhou until July via two live webcams.

One camera covers the main colony area and puffin friendly zone, while the other focuses on individual burrows.

Ecologist Niamh McDevitt said the PuffinCams were an "important asset" for the Ramsar site at Burhou.

She said: "Our PuffinCams are such an important asset in helping us monitor and protect Burhou's puffins without disturbance and I'm very excited to see how the breeding season unfolds."

The infra-red cameras, which also work at night, allow viewers to see nocturnal wildlife such as storm petrels.

Alderney Wildlife Trust said from April puffins would be getting "reacquainted with their partners", bringing back nest material and tidying their burrows.

"From the end of May, you may spot the puffins bringing back sandeels and other fish for their pufflings," it said.

"Pufflings head straight out to sea and won't return to land until they are ready to breed at around five years of age."

The Atlantic puffin is currently listed as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The AWT said its PuffinCams can help with the conservation of puffins by collecting important scientific data.

It said it hoped to raise awareness by giving people the chance to learn about the birds from "the comfort of their own homes."

The webcams are visible on the Alderney Wildlife Trust website or Facebook page.

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