Marine & Wildlife

Wild Puffin Nesting Burrow Welfare

Puffin nesting burrows on cliff tops and island grasslands require specific conditions that are threatened by vegetation change and predator introduction.

Key Facts

Puffins excavate burrows 50-100 cm long in soft soil on cliff tops and island grasslands
Suitable soft soil above hard rock is the primary nesting habitat requirement
Vegetation change including bracken encroachment reduces available burrowing habitat on some islands
Introduced rats and mink devastate puffin colonies through egg and chick predation
Mink eradication has enabled dramatic puffin and other seabird recovery on several Scottish islands

Welfare Considerations

Puffin nesting welfare requires both suitable soil conditions and freedom from introduced ground predators. Mink eradication on key islands has been one of seabird conservation's greatest welfare successes.

What You Can Do

Support Mink Eradication projects on Scottish islands through donation
Visit puffin colonies responsibly at designated public viewing sites
Record puffin presence and breeding activity through RSPB seabird surveys