Islands' puffin population falls

It is the first downturn in the Farne Island puffin population for 30 years

A decline in numbers of breeding puffins on Northumberland's Farne Island has surprised conservationists.

A three-month National Trust survey found the population had dropped from 55,674 pairs in 2003 to 36,500 in 2007.

Experts say there were good stocks of sandeels, the birds' staple food, and a lack of ground predators, so believe many may not be surviving at sea.

It is the first downturn in 30 years on the islands, which are home to the fourth largest puffin colony in the UK.

The birds spend eight months of the year at sea.

David Steel, National Trust head warden on the Farne Islands, said: "Extensive monitoring work shows that good numbers of young puffins are successfully fledging each year but it would appear they're just not coming back to the Islands the following years.

"Presumably fewer birds are surviving over winter than are needed to maintain current numbers."

John Walton, property manager for the Farne Islands and Northumberland coast, said: "In almost 30 years of working with the Farne puffins this is the first downturn in the population I have witnessed.

"With such a dramatic fall in numbers of breeding puffins on the Islands we need to do some further work to find out why things are changing and whether this is a long-term trend.

"We'll be carrying out sample surveys next year on some of the Islands to build up a more detailed picture of what is happening."