Tuesday 30th April comments: Its been a busy two days as yesterday morning a joint team comprising of NatureScot and UKCEH staff started a full census of the Puffin population on the island.
The mammoth task is the first time it’s been undertaken in seven years and is involving thirteen team members. The island is surveyed across all areas and every presumed occupied burrow is counted (as this is a pair of birds). The signs of occupation are often obvious with feather, droppings or freshly dug dirt indicating that an underground burrow is in use by a pair of Puffins. On occasions we have to investigate further when its undecided especially as we also have rabbits on the island. Following the complete count of the island, a correction factor is adapted as we have eight large plots which are sampled to see accuracy of the count with adjustments made if required.
The process (as you could imagine) takes a while as we’ve started at 8am and been walking and counting through to 7pm at night. The concentration levels have to be maintained as walking on burrows can be hazardous and the last thing we want is homeless puffins! So two days down and we’ve achieved a lot but plenty more to go… we’ll keep you informed of progress and results.
Isle of May National Nature Reserve 
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