Puffin webcam out of service after storm damage

PUFFINS may be back at Sumburgh Head but the webcam which offers people from across the world a closer look at the popular birds remains out of action after storm damage.

Shetland Webcams’ ‘Cliff Cam 2’, or ‘PuffinCam’ is it is often known, usually provides viewers a look at the cliffs below the Sumburgh Head lighthouse building.

This is where puffins, and other birds, often congregate.

But a notice has been placed on the Cliff Cam 2 livestream, saying that the service is on pause.

It adds that due to “unforeseen issues with safety we are unable to make this stream live”, with work ongoing to find a new location.

Shetland Webcams’ Andy Stevens said the camera needed replacing after storm damage last year.

“It needs some additional engineering work to allow us to install this safely and, more importantly, allow us to recover and/or maintain it without disturbing the nesting birds,” he explained.

“We just ran out of time to deal with it before the birds returned to the cliffs due to the Shetland weather.”

The hope is to instal the new camera at a location near to the original one.

Despite the difficulties, the two other ‘cliff cams’ at Sumburgh Head remain in full flow.

The first tammie norries of the season were reported by the Sumburgh Head Lighthouse team on 7 April.