Each year, around 200,000 seabirds flock to the islands to reproduce, including the puffs, nicknamed the “ocean clowns” for their colored beaks and their eccentric behavior.
The National Trust guards currently have reproductive couples to assess the trends in the population, a crucial task after years of threats due to global warming, overfishing and avian flu.
Although experts report that avian flu has recently decreased, concerns remain. Macareurs are still threatened by climate change, food shortages and marine pollution.
The islands, which house 23 species of sea birds, remain a bastion for the “clowns of the ocean” thanks to rich waters and the absence of predators such as rats and cats.