Rescued 'exhausted' puffin released back into wild

A puffin that was was found "in a very weak condition" after washing up on a beach in Redcar in January has been released back into the wild at a reserve in East Yorkshire after weeks of rehabilitation.

Staff at RSPB Bempton Cliffs said it had likely fallen victim to the stormy winter weather, but had since made a good recovery.

It was released by the reserve's visitor experience manager, Poppy Rummery, who described it as "a wonderful experience".

"We had a fair few visitors on site, so they got to witness the moment, and it flew off really well," she added.

Commenting on when the puffin was found, Rummery said: "It was pretty much exhausted, so had a couple of months in the care of a wonderful lady called Caron, and then we were contacted to see if it would be possible to bring the bird over for release.

"The puffins have started to return for the season, so it seemed like a good opportunity to release it when there were other birds present as well," she said.

Last month, the RSPB said storms and bad weather could have caused the deaths of dozens of puffins washed up on beaches in nort-east England.

Rummery said: "With recent storms there has been a lot of puffins washing up, so it's good this one was found and rehabilitated and we could reintroduce it back into a colony and into the wild for it to find its own way."

According to the RSPB, puffins spend the winter months out at sea before returning to nest in burrows.

Bempton is home to the UK's largest mainland seabird colony, with more than 500,000 birds, including about 3,000 puffins.

Listen to highlights fromHull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North.

Download the BBC News app from the App Storefor iPhone and iPad orGoogle Play for Android devices