Puffins added to the list of endangered species!

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"Puffins and turtle doves at risk of being wiped out, say experts"

The crash in Atlantic puffin numbers in Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands, which together hold 80% of the European population, has been linked to climate change and fishing practices. In Britain there have been significant losses on Fair Isle and Shetland, though elsewhere in the UK numbers are better.
Though puffin numbers remain in their millions in Europe, there have been worryingly high breeding failures at key colonies. Dr Richard Gregory, the RSPB’s head of species monitoring, said: “The red listing is driven by the declines in Europe, where most of the population is, particularly in Iceland and Norway.”

The small bird faced a “long list of threats”, he said. Research showed puffins were particularly susceptible to shifts in sea temperatures, thermal mixing and extreme weather, all affecting their prey species of sand eels, sprats and other small fish.
Gill net fisheries and invasive predators such as rats, cats and mink on the islands where they breed, as well as fishing of their prey species, have also contributed to the decline, he said.
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http://www.theguardian.com/environm...-turtle-dove-extinction-uk-endangered-species

Probably one of my favourite little birds, would be a dreadful shame if we weren't able to see these around our shores :(
 
Very worrying Roger and seems to be more and more species each year added :(
 
it is a bit shocking . There is no suggestion that Welsh puffin populations are decreasing but it looks like there may be problems further north. So the global warming argument might be difficult to support.....

I do sometimes wonder whether what we are seeing is part of a natural ebb and flow of bird populations.
 
That doesn't sound good. I wonder if they are going to get any special protection measures and if they would affect visiting Puffin colonies like the ones off Wales or the Farne Islands?
 
I would certainly hope not ... the main problem seems to be in Europe rather than the UK ATM but you can't help wondering if it will spread as there seems little progress in improving the environment.
 
rob-nikon said:
That doesn't sound good. I wonder if they are going to get any special protection measures and if they would affect visiting Puffin colonies like the ones off Wales or the Farne Islands?
Click to expand...

I can't imagine it would affect visiting the colonies as the problem seem to stem from lack of food. But who knows.....
 
Interesting post on facebook by The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales. It's seems Skomer and Stokholm buck the trend and numbers have increased on last year.

The facebook post:

Puffins have been included in this latest IUCN red list because of their recent very poor trends in the north of Britain, and elsewhere in northern Europe.

They have had some catastrophic breeding seasons in these areas and have seen significant population declines. This is thought to be linked to climate change reducing the availability of their preferred food source (sand eels) and fishing practices.

So far this effect has not been manifest on WTSWW’s Skomer and Skokholm Islands, and Skomer remains the best place to see puffins in southern Britain. We can be confident that we are not yet seeing any declines because of the intensive monitoring of the total numbers and breeding success that our wardens undertake on both islands every summer.

Puffin populations on The Wildlife Trust’s Skomer and Skokholm islands are actually continuing to show an increasing trend that has been recorded fairly continuously over recent decades. The only impact we have seen locally that may be attributable to climate change is the effect of heavy storm events causing increased mortality; events such as these may increasing in frequency.

Our puffin monitoring in 2015 gave a peak count on Skokholm of 6665 individuals (5070 in 2014) and 21,349 individuals on Skomer (18,237 in 2014).

The threat faced by puffins globally means that we need to be extremely vigilant and work hard to address the large scale threats posed by both climate change and fishery management, and at an international scale.

We also need to be aware that funding for seabird monitoring is currently highly threatened. The importance of the Skomer and Skokholm puffin populations, and the Wildlife Trust’s ability to be able to continue our detailed monitoring, and maintain long term datasets, cannot be over-stated if we are to address the threats currently facing the species.

Dr Lizzie Wilberforce, Conservation Manager for WTSWW. @WildlifeTrustsWales Gwent Wildlife Trust
 
Good news 'locally' then :)
 
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