‘A great thrill’: baby puffin is first one seen on Dorset coast in three decades
A baby puffin, or 'puffling', has been spotted on the Dorset coast for the first time in three decades. Volunteers have been monitoring the site, which is the last known regular nesting ground for puffins on the southern English mainland, to help prevent the colony's extinction.
Why it matters
The sighting provides a glimmer of hope for the recovery of a critically endangered local bird population and highlights the importance of conservation efforts.
0:31 First ‘puffling’ sighting in three decades give hope for Dorset's struggling puffin colony – video Birds ‘A great thrill’: baby puffin is first one seen on Dorset coast in three decades Puffling excites volunteers trying to save the last known regular nesting site on mainland of southern England
Prefer the Guardian on Google For years, volunteers have craned their necks and tested their patience to peer into the crevices of the cliffs hoping for a glimpse of fluffy joy.
Finally it all paid off as a puffling – baby puffin – poked its way into the sunshine, becoming the first to be spotted on the coast of Dorset in southern England for three decades.
“Seeing the puffling was a great thrill,” said the marine ornithologist Richard Caldow. “Every chick matters. One puffling alone won’t save this colony but one is a whole lot better news than none.”
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