Over the last ten days we have experienced the worst Puffin 'wreck' since the dreadful storms of 1947.
Members of the public and local bird groups have reported over 200 Puffins found dead or dying along the Yorkshire coast from Scarborough south to Withernsea with smaller numbers of Razorbill and Guillemot also found amongst a wide variety of washed up seabirds.
It is estimated that around 10% of the Puffin population from the Flamborough/Bempton colony may have perished. Worse still, the wreck has been reported to stretch the length of the North Sea eastern seaboard from Aberdeen to Withensea and involves thousands of birds. Many more birds are likely to have perished at sea.
Those that have been washed ashore are emaciated with little body fat and It's likely these birds died from exhaustion or starved to death.
Initially, there appeared to be a fifty:fifty split between immature and adult birds but in the lately more adults have been found. And although no systematic analysis has been carried out, some birds were still undergoing extensive wing moult with some birds being flightless.
Thankfully, fewer dead birds were reported over the Easter weekend as the wind strength dropped. So we're hopeful that the worst is over. However, those that have survived will be in poor body condition at the start of the breeding season - unless they can fatten up over the next week or two.
Whilst this is a natural disaster, it highlights the pressures these birds are under and the importance of locating and safeguarding their main feeding areas. And it raises the question yet again as to why no Marine Conservation Zones recommend to the government are on the Yorkshire coast.