Islanders advised to be mindful of puffins returning for breeding season

Puffins return to the cliffs of the internationally protected Ramsar site each year to raise their offspring. Credit: ITV News Channel

People in Guernsey have been advised to be mindful of pairs of puffins who are returning for the breeding season.

The reminder is for sailors in particular who will need to watch out for the birds in waters close to Herm.

A special life buoy has been put in place reminding boats of the speed limits.

The "Puffin Awareness Buoy" is visible adjacent to Puffin Bay where they can be seen resting on the waves, to remind visiting vessels of a 6 knot speed limit inside the area.

Puffins return to the cliffs of the internationally designated Ramsar site each year to raise their offspring.

Male and female puffins mate for life, and return to the same nest every year to lay one single egg.

Both the male and female take turns to incubate the egg, and once the egg has hatched the parents leave the chick in the burrow, whilst they go out to search for sand eels to eat.

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