Artificial intelligence used to count tens of thousands of puffins on Isle of May

For years, the answer was by hard graft, with rangers checking burrows and nests for birds and eggs, and observers forced to sit for hours at a time armed with clipboards and no little patience. But in a marriage of nature and cutting edge technology, the arduous task of establishing the puffin population on the Isle of May is being carried out using artificial intelligence, machine learning, and image recognition software. Those behind the project believe it could help minimise disruption to birds' breeding and feeding habits, particularly when faced with developments such as offshore windfarms. The initiative uses four cameras placed in stainless steel boxes at various points of the island in the Firth of Forth in order to capture live footage of the puffins. Each box has a condensation heater as well as a backup power supply.