Thousands of puffins return to Northumberland islands as vulnerable seabirds tracked

Thousands of puffins return to Northumberland islands as vulnerable seabirds trackedThousands of puffins have flcoked back to Britain despite climate change, bird flu and overfishing threats Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Add us as preferred source Comments By Steph Spyro, Deputy political editor and envionment editor 07:00, Sun, May 31, 2026 The Express visited Farne Islands to see how the seabirds are faring (Image: Andy Commins)Puffins are tiny, colourful and increasingly vulnerable. window.scriptsToLoad.push({url:'https://live.primis.tech/live/liveView.php?s=118222&vp_content=plembed3a6btjknzwqh&cbuster=%%CACHEBUSTER%%&playerApiId=v118222',triggeredBy:'tcfLoaded',delay:1500,containerId:'ovp-primis',title:"Primis player",beforeLoad:()=>{window.top.addEventListener('primisPlayerInit',e=>{try{if(e.detail&&e.detail.playerApiId==="v118222"){if(window.document.getElementsByClassName('jwplayer')[0]){e.detail.float('disable')}}}catch(e){}})},}) But tens of thousands of the charismatic seabirds have flocked back to the rugged Farne Islands, off the Northumberland coast, after months battling the open sea. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT Get the day's biggest headlines in UK and World news and more Subscribe Invalid emailWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy PolicyConservationists believe the return of around 80,000 “parrots of the sea” offers hope for the species despite growing threats from climate change, disease and overfishing.The National Trust’s Farne Island Ranger Sophia Jackson said they had started the yearly count of the animals last week, with a “good number visually back”.The census, which takes place from around May to July, is a vital tool in environmentalists’ arsenal to understand ho...