Puffins recover after numbers tumble

England's biggest puffin colony is bouncing back after numbers of breeding pairs tumbled in the last major survey, the National Trust said.

Puffin numbers on the Farne Islands were down by 30 per cent in the last five-yearly survey conducted in 2008.

Small surveys conducted by wardens on the islands off the coast of Northumbria suggest the birds' numbers have risen by 5 per cent in each of the past two years, but researchers say they do not know what caused the last crash and another is still possible.

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They have fitted puffins with "sat-nav" technology to track the birds' movements and find out where they forage for sand eels.

Farne Islands head warden David Steel said information about where the puffins are foraging for food could help protect habitats that are important for them as part of plans to create conservation zones.

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