Watch puffins hatch live on 'Puffincam'

After a winter out in open water, Scotland's favourite brightly-hued auks have returned. To celebrate, the RSPB has re-instated it's popular ‘Shetland puffincam', a webcam set up by the charity in a nesting burrow, to monitor the arrival of this year's chicks. Eagle-eyed viewers can catch all the action live from the Shetland's Sumburgh Head Reserve at any time of the day, from anywhere in the world. The camera will follow the laying, brooding and rearing of a clutch of eggs.

‘Already a pair appear to be settling in the burrow', said Newton Harper, RSPB Scotland's South Shetland Assistant. ‘We're urging viewers to keep their eyes open for signs that the birds are laying, which will come in handy as we don't want to miss any of the action.'

One of a series of webcams reinstated by the charity after the popularity of last year's scenes, viewers can also watch razorbills, guillemots and fulmars on ‘Cliffcam', which sits watching the birds' nesting site.

The puffins can be spotted now at www.rspb.org.uk/shetlandsummer. And if anyone catches anything interesting, the charity would love you to tell them about it, by emailing shetland@rspb.org.uk, or using #puffincam on Twitter.