Pufflings: the low-down

Published on 14/07/2012 12:00

Pufflings look very different from their adult counterparts, displaying shades of grey rather than the distinctive black and white, and with grey beaks rather than the bright colours of the adults.

Wildlife tour guide at the Scottish Seabird Centre, Maggie Sheddan, said every year the pufflings are attracted to North Berwick by the lights after they leave their burrows at Craigleith island in the Firth of Forth – which is around half a mile from the town.

She said: “It’s a combination of heavy onshore seas – they can’t fly that well and probably get washed ashore – and also being attracted by the light.

“Once they’re on land, they just get totally disorientated and they really don’t know where they are – they’re just kind of lost.

“Craigleith is literally half a mile from North Berwick, so that’s why they often end up here.”

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