The comeback is the result of a seabird recovery project, begun in 2017 by the nature conservation charity, which involved the removal of invasive brown rats, the biggest threat to seabird eggs and chicks, from the tiny island.<\/p>\n
A programme of winter grazing has also been implemented to keep vegetation low to reduce cover for the rats.<\/p>\n
![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/KTVRT3IQ5XP722Q5OFVLQZYAIQ.jpg\")
Two puffins were captured on camera coming out of a nesting burrow on grassy cliff ledges on the Isle of Muck this summer. Photograph: Ronald Surgenor\/PA Wire <\/p>\n
Ulster Wildlife said rats are a big problem for many seabird islands, and similar eradication projects elsewhere have proved vital in protecting breeding sites and helping seabird numbers bounce back.<\/p>\n
It said the signs of recovery at the Isle of Muck have been visible for some time. Annual surveys began to record steady increases among eider ducks, guillemots, herring gulls and lesser-backed gulls on and around the island.<\/p>\n
There was a breakthrough last year when five puffins were spotted prospecting the island.<\/p>\n
Two puffins were captured on camera coming out of a nesting burrow on the grassy cliff ledges this summer \u2013 a positive sign that the birds are breeding.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor decades, there had been whispers that puffins once bred on the Isle of Muck, a story that felt more like folklore than fact,\u201d said Andy Crory, nature reserves manager with Ulster Wildlife.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut now, thanks to years of hard work creating a safe haven for thousands of seabirds, that myth is becoming a reality.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/FEXPBMEVBXT5GLSCNZQ2DPV3IE.jpg\")
A puffin at the Saltee Islands off the Co Wexford coast. Photograph: Niall Carson\/PA Wire <\/p>\n
Mr Crory said seabirds face \u201cimmense challenges globally\u201d, with 24 of the 25 breeding species at risk of local or global extinction.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, while a handful of puffins on a tiny island may seem small, this moment is huge \u2013 it proves that seabird restoration works,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur hope is that the Isle of Muck will become a thriving stronghold for puffins and, in time, tempt back other lost species like the Manx shearwater.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said those involved in the project were \u201cwaiting with great excitement to see if the first pufflings\u201d (baby puffins) appear on the cliffs next summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat truly would be the icing on the cake.\u201d<\/p>\n