Renewed hope for baby puffins at Isle of Muck Nature Reserve near Islandmagee
There is fresh hope that Isle of Muck Nature Reserve could become home to baby puffins, or ‘pufflings’, this summer after adult birds were seen in the surrounding waters.
The most recent sighting comes after the birds returned to the reserve off Islandmagee in summer 2025, marking their first appearance there in the 25 years Ulster Wildlife has managed the seabird sanctuary.
The discovery, made during routine surveys, marked a major milestone in the recovery of one of Northern Ireland’s most iconic and vulnerable seabirds.
The comeback was the result of an ambitious seabird recovery project to remove invasive brown rats from the tiny island – the biggest threat to seabird eggs and chicks. A programme of winter grazing was also implemented to keep vegetation low to reduce cover for the rats.
Rats are a major issue for many seabird islands across the UK, and similar eradication projects elsewhere have proved vital in protecting breeding sites and helping seabirds bounce back.
Signs of recovery at the Isle of Muck were visible fairly early on as annual surveys began to record steady increases in eider ducks, guillemots, herring gulls and lesser-backed gulls.
But the real breakthrough came in 2024, when five puffins were spotted prospecting the island. Last summer, to the charity’s delight, two puffins were caught on camera coming out of a nesting burrow on the grassy cliff ledges – a positive sign that the birds are breeding.
In a social media post on April 15, Ulster Wildlife confirmed that puffins had returned to the waters around the reserve. “It’s still early days and we won’t know for a little while yet if they’ll breed this season, but seeing them back is a huge moment and a real sign of hope after years of conservation work,” the post added.
“We’ll be watching closely over the coming weeks – could this be the year we see pufflings on Isle of Muck?”
About the site
The Isle of Muck Nature Reserve is not accessible to the public, and crossing the tidal tombolo when it becomes visible at low tide is extremely dangerous.
Ulster Wildlife is urging people to keep away and admire the island from a safe distance to give the returning puffins the best possible chance to settle and breed successfully.