Puffin chick egged on by live web audience

THOUSANDS of people have watched a puffin chick hatch in Shetland live on the internet.

The event was filmed and broadcast live by the RSPB’s “puffincam” at its Sumburgh Head nature reserve on Shetland.

The webcam is designed to give a intimate view of the breeding season of the seabird.

Promote Shetland’s Andy Steven said: “This could be the most addictive web TV in the world at the moment, with over 5,000 eager viewers from as far and wide as the USA, Germany, Australia and Sweden tuning to see the live birth of the puffin.

“An impressive 11,000 page views were clocked up throughout the day, with many viewers telling us they are hooked to their screens for hours at a time watching puffincam.”

Helen Moncrieff, RSPB warden on Shetland, said: “We have been watching puffincam non-stop for over a month and are so pleased to see the chick.

“We are asking the public to help us monitor the live stream for any interesting activity, particularly when the chick is being fed, using networking Twitter and the hashtag #Puffincam.”

“With so many seabird colonies struggling, we are happy to see this family doing well.”