Puffins return to nature reserve to start nesting

Some special visitors with bright orange beaks have been spotted along the east Yorkshire coast for the first time this year.

The RSPB says that puffins have started to land at its nature reserve in Bempton, which they use as their nesting grounds every year.

According to the National Trust, once puffins arrive at their nesting grounds, they start preparing for the arrival of their fluffy babies - which are called pufflings - by cleaning their burrows and making fresh nests.

More than 500,000 birds, including around 3,000 puffins, live at Bempton Cliffs, making it the home of the biggest seabird colony on UK mainland.

Even though thousands of puffins arrive at Bempton Cliffs every year, usually between April and July, the RSPB says that the seabirds are classed as an endangered species.

Dave O'Hara, who is a manager at the Bempton Cliffs nature reserve, said: "These birds have faced real challenges in recent years, but there is hope."

He explained that the RSPB have been trying to protect puffins by campaigning to stop the industrial fishing of small fish called sand eels, which are an important source of food for puffins.

But overfishing is just one of the "many pressures" faced by seabirds, explained Katie-Jo Luxton, who's in charge of conservation at the RSPB.

She said that others threats included bird flu and changing habits due to climate change, adding "we therefore cannot take the arrival of puffins and other seabirds back to our shores for granted."