Eggstra Eggstra! Life through a lens

Last modified: 30 April 2012

The birds are back, the webcams are on, the nest is ready, all that is needed now is an egg in the world’s most famous puffin burrow at Sumburgh Head RSPB reserve.

To mark the return of its popular Shetland Puffincam, RSPB Scotland is urging virtual visitors to help them monitor a pair of breeding puffins.

The birds look set to be the stars of this year’s live webcam footage, which lifts the lid on the secret lives of this colourful species as they attempt to raise their young.

Newton Harper, RSPB Scotland’s South Shetland Assistant Warden, said : “Puffins have been back on the island for a few weeks now and already a returning pair appear to be settling in the burrow. The egg was laid around this time last year , so we’re urging viewers to keep their eyes open for signs that the birds are laying. The extra eyes will come in handy as we don’t want to miss any of the action.”

The Puffincam is part of the wildlife charity’s ‘Date With Nature’ at Sumburgh Head, one of many UK-wide projects aimed at giving people up close and personal experiences with nature.

This year as well as an intimate look into burrow life, viewers will be able to follow the antics of fulmars, guillemots and razorbills, courtesy of Cliffcam, a camera positioned on the reserve’s clifftops.

Since 2010, thousands of people around the globe have logged on to watch the webcams, Andy Steven of Promote Shetland hopes this year will be no exception: “Just like any good reality show there is always plenty of excitement and drama , and it’s easy to become a bit hooked, especially when you are getting a privileged insight into the important first few months of a chick’s life. Sumburgh Head has some amazing wildlife, and although nothing beats experiencing it in person, it is great that we can share just a small part of this with visitors to our websites.”

Puffincam can be viewed at www.shetland.org/puffincam and www.rspb.org.uk/shetlandsummer , where more information about the Date With Nature can be found.

If anyone spots the egg or any interesting behaviour throughout the season, please email shetland@rspb.org.uk or use #puffincam on Twitter

Puffincam is a partnership project between RSPB Scotland and Promote Shetland and sponsored by Northlink Ferries.

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