Alderney's main Puffincam is down

Alderney's main Puffincam is down

On the 16th June the General Services Committee of the States of Alderney took the decision not to allow researchers to land on the island of Burhou during the Puffin Breeding Season.

They made this decision to prevent disturbance to the Channel Island's largest Puffin population under the conditions of the Protection of Wild Birds (Alderney) Ordinance, 2005.   

The AWT supports this decision; however this will mean a break in a 17-year long programme of study into the Puffins on Burhou.  It also means that it will not be possible to undertake the minor repairs needed to re-start the Main Puffin Webcam.   The two remaining Burhou webcams and the Gannet webcam are still operational and well worth a visit (Wildlife Webcams | Alderney Wildlife Trust).

The webcams were initially installed as part of the States of Alderney's Ramsar programme in 2009.  Since then they have  provided millions of viewers a window into the life of Alderney's Puffins.  In 2022 there were more than 200,000 visitors to the webcams from all over the world and the States of Alderney invested more than £2,000 into upgrading the main webcam to improve its use both for research and the general public.

Burhou will open to the public as of the 1st August once the Puffins have departed.

For further information on Burhou and Alderney's Internationally Important Marine Protected (Ramsar) Area go to - Ramsar - Alderney's Internationally Important Wetland | Alderney Wildlife Trust.