World-famous Isle of May puffins in good health ( www.eastlothiancourier.com )

The Isle of May has seen its puffins numbers increase by around a third since 2017.

Home to one of the UK’s largest colonies, the habitat has been monitored by NatureScot and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), released their findings last week.

Based on their all-island count this summer, scientists estimate there are about 52,000 occupied puffin burrows, compared to 39,000 in the last survey in 2017, showing a 33 per cent increase.

However scientists and field workers on the island remain concerned about the ongoing impact of food supplies and climate change on populations.