Will cameras solve mystery of failing puffin colony?

The motion sensor cameras captured some 70,000 images, not just of puffins but other birds like razorbills, gulls and rock pipits. The volunteers are tagging each image using specialist software. To date, they have only got as far as when the puffins started carrying nesting material into the narrow ledge. Sadly, observations by volunteers on land indicate that no chicks fledged again this year.

In the early 1900s, puffins were abundant in Purbeck and along the Dorset coastline, but they have declined severely over the last century or so. The colony in Purbeck is now tiny and isolated – the nearest being Alderney on the Channel Islands or the Isles of Scilly off the Cornish coast.

Leading the initiative is marine ornithologist, Dr Richard Caldow. who observed in 2023 that the three nesting pairs of puffins were taking fish into the nests, but that no chicks fledged. He said:

"The adult birds suddenly stopped taking fish into the ledge, too soon for the chicks to have already fledged. This indicated that the chicks had died - maybe because of predation by rats, gulls or crows. The reason we installed the cameras this year was to see if we could find out more about what happens within the narrow ledge.”

The project is being supported by Dorset Wildlife Trust which has provided expertise and advice, and sourced cameras and other equipment. Two of the cameras are on a free loan from NatureSpy. The cameras to monitor the seabirds were lowered approximately 20 metres down a sheer cliff face, and have been fixed into place with masonry screws. The precarious installation was carried out by trained rope access conservators from SSHConservation.

Ben Cooke, Area Ranger for the National Trust in Purbeck, said:

“We are hoping that the cameras will be key to helping us plan for the future of these special, rare seabirds. They’ll help collect really important evidence of what’s happening with the puffin colony, then we can assess if there is anything we can do to help. For example, if rats are the problem, we can look at ways to protect the nests from them. Along with our partner organisations, we’re committed to doing whatever we can to prevent the loss of this much-loved species.”

Dancing Ledge is a highly popular spot on the south Purbeck coastline, used by walkers, climbers and other activity groups. Because of the inaccessible location of the puffin nests, the easiest way to spot them is from the sea – there are guided boat trips run in the summer by Durlston Country Park and Birds of Poole Harbour.

Ben added: “While enjoying this spectacular landscape, we ask that people take their rubbish home with them, including left-over food. If rats are identified as the main problem for the puffins, then discarded food will exacerbate the issue.”