16 May 2013 Last updated at 23:21 ET <\/p>\n
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A team of rangers will check thousands of puffin burrows on eight islands <\/p>\n
A puffin \"census\" has started on the Farne Islands in Northumberland. <\/p>\n
National Trust rangers will carry out a survey of how many breeding pairs of the birds live on the habitat over the next three months. <\/p>\n
The count takes place every five years. The last survey indicated numbers had fallen by a third. <\/p>\n
Head ranger David Steel is hopeful of an increase this year but admitted cold weather could have had a negative impact on numbers. <\/p>\n
\"The extreme winds affected the their ability to feed as they made their way back to their summer breeding grounds,\" he said. <\/p>\n
The 2008 survey recorded 36,835 pairs of puffins compared to the 55,674 pairs living on the islands in the 2003 census. <\/p>\n
A team of 11 rangers will check thousands of burrows on the eight islands in search of nesting birds. <\/p>\n
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Farne Islands 'puffin census' starts<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 16 May 2013 Last updated at 23:21 ET Please turn on JavaScript. Continue reading