Bedraggled puffin rescued from Storm Arwen returned safely to the water at Seahouses

A storm-battered seabird has been returned safely to the water after being rescued from the ravages of Storm Arwen.

Seahouses skipper Andrew Douglas, who runs trips out to the Farne Islands on his Serenity Boats, was asked for assistance by a member of the public, who found an exhausted, sand-covered young puffin on the shore nearby on Sunday.

One look told Andrew, who knows something about puffins, having worked around their Northumberland breeding ground for many years, that the bird was in a "mess" and needed help.

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Andrew said: "The puffin was full of sand, it was really really battered. It was like looking at a wet dog, I looked at it and it was just shaking, it had no fight about it at all

"Usually they would bite you if you got near, but this one was just exhausted."

With the weather still "horrendous", Andrew knew the little bird wouldn't survive if left to fend for itself that evening, needing time to recover its strength before facing the sea again. He brought the bird home, where it was able to clean the sand off its feathers and spend the night in a warm, covered box.

He said: "I gave it a little bit of whitebait, let it rest and the next morning it was a bit more feisty. We gave it an hour or so, just to make sure it was better so I could take it back and put it in the sea."

The puffin was found covered in sand and unable to fly on the beach (Andrew Douglas - Serenity Boats)

Back at the beach on Monday morning, the little bird was able to shake its wings and set off much more confidently into the water.

With the devastation of the storm's aftermath still affecting people and wildlife across Northumberland, Andrew said he'd been pleased to share a small piece of positivity from what was a very difficult weekend for many.

He said: "It was lovely, really really lovely to be able to help it. The kids loved it as well, as they've never seen a puffin up close.

"It was good to have a little piece of good news compared to what's been happening."

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