Welsh building project defers to Puffin power

The Welsh market town of Brecon (Welsh: Aberhonddu) is having building work undertaken on the 177 year old Brecknock Museum and Art Gallery. It is all part of a £13m project to create a new community facility known as Y Gaer, that will include a library, cafe, community space and function rooms. Work started in 2016, but as reported by BBC Wales, it has had to be delayed because of breeding Puffins. This is because stone needed for the project could not be quarried as it was close to a Puffin sanctuary. 

Puffins are very distinctive birds and have predominantly black or black and white plumage, a stocky build, red and black eye-markings, bright orange legs and large brightly coloured beaks during breeding season. Puffins breed in colonies on coasts and islands. They form long-term relationships. The female lays a single egg, and both parents incubate the egg and feed the chick. The decision not to disturb breeding Puffins for the sake of delaying the project in Brecon was the correct one. Atlantic Puffins are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species for birds. They are threatened by human activities and are rare in many areas where they were once abundant. As a result, it is important to protect critical puffin breeding and feeding habitat.