More survey work needs to be done to see how puffin chicks are surviving in Ireland.
That’s according to Birdwatch Ireland, who says it’s unclear exactly how many pairs of puffins there are currently in the country.
A study carried out on the puffin population on Skellig Michael last month, found over 7,380 individual puffins on the UNESCO world heritage site, on a single day.
Meanwhile on May 6th, over 8,200 (8,236) puffins were recorded on Sceilig Mhichíl and the surrounding waters.
Other sites in the county with puffins include BirdWatch Ireland’s reserve, Puffin Island, where 2250 were recorded ; and the Blaskets which had 2413.
The NPWS says it’s difficult to estimate what the population of the species is in Ireland, and they’re working to increase their level of understanding of the bird.
A spokesperson for Birdwatch Ireland told Radio Kerry that there has been a decline in puffins on a national scale, but this does not appear to be the case in Kerry.
