Puffin-cam goes live on the Farne Islands as seabirds return in their thousands to breed - National Trust

With the first puffins now returning to the Farne Islands off the Northumberland coast, the National Trust has once again switched on its live, remote cameras.

Streaming from www.nationaltrust.org.uk/farne-islands-webcam, the footage offers viewers a front‑row seat to the charming antics and everyday lives of these much-loved seabirds as the breeding season gets underway.

Another species taking a starring role on the live camera feeds will be the guillemots, with a second camera trained to capture their antics on the cliffs where they roost and nest.

The Farne Islands - an internationally important National Nature Reserve off the Northumberland coast - are home to around 200,000 seabirds, including puffins, Arctic terns, guillemots and kittiwakes. The islands, and the birds which return to breed each spring, have been cared for by the National Trust for over 100 years and have just re-opened for the season with visitor boats now landing on the island, offering the public the chance to experience one of the UK’s most spectacular wildlife gatherings.

Laura Knowles, Visitor Operations Manager for the National Trust, said: “The breeding season is always a special time of year as our ranger teams gear up to monitor the birds daily over the spring and summer months. We’re thrilled to bring Puffin Cam back for a second season. Last year the live cams attracted over a quarter of a million views, and we were overwhelmed by the incredible messages from people across the world who tuned in to watch the puffins go about their daily lives. It was wonderful to see how deeply the live stream connected viewers to the Farnes, especially those who may never have the chance to visit in person. Puffin Cam is a simple but powerful way to share the magic of Farne Islands wildlife with everyone, wherever they are.