Poorly puffin in GSPCA’s care
A POORLY puffin was rescued from Grandes Rocques on Thursday and is in the GSPCA’s intensive care ward.
The bird has been named Oscar Puff and he was discovered by Kaelan Le Page, who was out dog walking and noticed a small bird sitting on a rock.
‘I do a bit of work with birds, and when I approached Oscar, he wasn’t moving at all. I knew he needed help,’ they said.
They called the GSPCA for assistance, and while waiting, took care of Oscar until the team got there.
‘He nuzzled right down in my arms to get warmer. It was very sweet.
‘He’s really stolen a little piece of my heart.’
The GSPCA Wildlife Unit picked Oscar up, and the team is attempting to nurse him back to health in an incubator.
It is believed that Oscar could be between two and three years old, and it is hoped that he will be able to return to the wild to live a long life. The average wild puffin can often live 20 years or more.
‘The last time we rescued a puffin was in February 2014 and prior to that over 16 years ago. We help over 1,500 sick and injured wild birds each year and with stormy weather we never know what to expect. We are all keeping our fingers and toes crossed for Oscar Puff,’ said GSPCA manager Steve Byrne.
For this time of year, Mr Byrne said it was unusual to see a puffin near the coast. The puffin colonies come to nest on land in the Bailiwick in March and April and leave again in mid-August.
The vulnerable birds usually spend the winter far from coast in either the North Sea or further south to the Bay of Biscay.
