Unfortunately, the future of the puffin is far from secure. In earlier years, predation for food probably had an impact but in recent years the decline in the number of sand eels (the principal food for the chicks) is of great concern. Warmer sea temperatures seem to result in fewer fish at the critical time and therefore fewer puffins. The true extent of this problem will not be known for some years as puffins, which pair for life, can live 30 years or more. Although only anecdotal, our experience is of more dead chicks and fewer nesting birds at the sites we visited this year.
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