National Trust Reports Puffin Sat-Nav Helping To Solve Mystery Of Feeding Flight Paths
Released on: July 10, 2010, 4:50 am
Author:
National Trust
Industry: Travel
Cutting edge technology is shedding light on the daily flight
paths of puffins around the National Trust’s Farne Islands, off the
Northumberland coast, and providing clues that could be vital to the
seabirds’ survival.
Over the last year, scientists have used the technology to build up a picture of
where the puffins are heading for when they take off from the Farne Islands each
day. This shows that they are making a beeline for feeding ‘hotspots’ 20 miles out
to sea.
Along with their established and protected breeding grounds on the islands, these
hotspots may be important areas to conserve in order to ensure the puffin’s future
survival.
Since last year, after a dramatic 30 per cent decline in puffin numbers had been
recorded in 2008*, a team of researchers from Newcastle University have been working
with National Trust wardens on Brownsman Island and deploying a whole raft of puffin
technology to track their every move.
David Steel, National Trust Head Warden on the Farne Islands, said: "This new
research and our ongoing puffin count are finally piecing together a complete picture of puffin behaviour.
"The puffins seem to be recovering slowly from the 2008 crash, with a five per cent
increase in numbers recorded both this year and last.
"Technology is helping us to understand what steps need to be taken to secure their
future, and that of all the seabirds that find a safe haven on the Farne Islands
each year."
Dr Richard Bevan from Newcastle University, who is leading the research, said: "The
technology has come into its own here on the Farne Islands. Knowing where these
seabirds go to feed is a vital factor in their survival.
"For the first time we can accurately pinpoint where puffins, kittiwakes and other
seabirds are going to forage, work towards conserving and monitoring these feeding
grounds and securing the future of the birds themselves."
Up until now a great deal has been known about puffins' breeding behaviour on the
islands but very little about where they went to forage and how they got there. Even
less was known about where they went when they left the islands in summer for the
long winter ahead at sea.
GPS loggers, using the latest sat-nav technology, have been fitted to 12 birds to
follow their fishing expeditions out from the islands and back. Results reveal that
they now appear to be travelling about 20 miles out from the islands - whereas they
were previously thought to head anything up to 60 miles away.
David Steel added: "All the signs seem to be that the puffin numbers are bouncing
back slowly. There’s plenty of food about for them and despite the harsh winter they
arrived on the islands earlier this year, and their chicks are doing fine."
– ENDS –
Notes to editors
* Records for the breeding pairs of puffins found on the Farne Islands date back to
the 1930s but the first detailed count took place in 1969 when there were 6,800
pairs. In 2008 the figure was 36,500 compared to 55,674 breeding pairs in 2003.
Numbers seems to be slowly but steadily climbing and the next full count will take
place in 2013.
About the National Trust
The National Trust is a charity with a love for preserving historic places to visit and spaces
across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In short, The National Trust is a conservation charity that protects
over 350 historic houses, 160 gardens, 1,100 kilometres of coastline, 254,000
hectares of land of outstanding natural beauty, 6 World Heritage Sites, 28 castles
and 60 pubs - and opens them for people to enjoy on days out.
PR Contact:
Gail McKenzie
Publicist
The National Trust
Heelis
Kemble Drive
Swindon
SN2 2NA
01793 818562
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/
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