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Puffin seabirds with bright red orange beaks standing on grass slope. Two Atlantic Puffins "Fratercula arctica" on Great Saltee Island, Ireland. Alamy Stock Photo
ISLE OF MUCK
Puffins have made a return to a tiny, remote island off the Antrim coast
Ulster Wildlife has said the discovery is a “major milestone” in the recovery of the vulnerable seabirds in Northern Ireland.
PUFFINS HAVE BEEN found nesting on a Co Antrim nature reserve for the first time in 25 years.
It said: “The discovery, made during routine surveys, marks a major milestone in the recovery of one of Northern Ireland’s most iconic and vulnerable seabirds.”
The vulnerable seabirds were discovered by Ulster Wildlife on the Isle of Muck Nature Reserve, off Islandmagee, during the summer.
Atlantic Puffins are a breed of seabirds found in Ireland, Scotland, and other regions of Northern Europe.
They can be found nesting along the west coast of Ireland. The Skellig Islands and Skellig Michael in Co Kerry are well known nesting spots for the protected species.
Ulster Wildlife said the discovery is due to a recovery project started in 2017 t0 remove invasive brown rats – the main threat to seabird eggs and chicks – from the island.
The number of other seabirds has also increased thanks to the programme. Surveys have recorded increases in eider ducks, guillemots, herring gulls and lesser-backed gulls on and around the island, year on year.
In 2024, five puffins were spotted “prospecting the island”, but it wasn’t until this summer that two puffins were caught on camera coming out of a nesting burrow on the grassy cliff ledges.
The charity said the footage indicates the birds are breeding on the island.
Andy Crory, Nature Reserves Manager with Ulster Wildlife, said: “For decades, there had been whispers that puffins once bred on the Isle of Muck, a story that felt more like folklore than fact. But now, thanks to years of hard work creating a safe haven for thousands of seabirds, that myth is becoming a reality.”
“Seabirds face immense challenges globally, with 24 of the 25 breeding species at risk of local or global extinction. So, while a handful of puffins on a tiny island may seem small, this moment is huge – it proves that seabird restoration works.
“Our hope is that the Isle of Muck will become a thriving stronghold for puffins and, in time, tempt back other lost species like the Manx shearwater. For now, we’re waiting with great excitement to see if the first ‘pufflings’ – baby puffins – appear on the cliffs next summer. That truly would be the icing on the cake.”
The Isle of Muck Nature Reserve is not accessible to the public, and crossing the tidal tombolo when it becomes visible at low tide is extremely dangerous.
Ulster Wildlife is urging people to keep away and admire the island from a safe distance to give the returning puffins the best possible chance to settle and breed successfully next summer.
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