Donate to the National Trust
A donation today will directly support the nature we all love and need
Window to the Wild
Across our nations, nature and precious landscapes are under pressure from threats such as climate change. But our ranger teams are working hard to restore habitats to help more species survive and thrive – and we need your help to do more of this work.
Your support
Thanks to National Trust wildlife live cams, we hope you've been enjoying tuning in to see various species in their natural habitat.
Your support can spark recoveries like this across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Your donation today will help the National Trust restore meadows, plant woodlands, protect watercourses and give wildlife the resilient, thriving future it deserves.
The wonders of nature in real time
Throughout 2026, ‘window to the wild’ wildlife live cams will bring you closer than ever to puffin and seal breeding seasons, wildlife releases - including beavers and water voles - and remarkable moments from across National Trust places.
You can even catch the action on screens in major cities, bringing nature’s magic right to the heart of our communities.
Support the nature we all love and need
A donation today can make a real difference
Could plant and establish one tree sapling – helping to grow Britain's future woodlands
Could plant a metre of hedgerow that will provide food and shelter for pollinators and mammals
Could restore 120 square meters of wildflower meadows – a vital home for threatened species
Could maintain and monitor beaver habitats ensuring their wetlands, dams and lodges remain safe and protected
Could restore 1,000 square metres of peatland, helping to lock away carbon in this natural store
Could pay for twenty river-silt traps that filter pesticides and pollutants, helping to improve water quality
Puffins – why they matter
Puffins are a keystone species in their ecosystems, meaning that they are key indicators of ocean and marine health.
They are a vital part of the biodiversity of our seas and oceans and are found on rocky coasts and offshore islands.
Atlantic puffins are listed as a vulnerable species on the global IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and as endangered on the equivalent European Red List. Their plight underscores the importance of protecting our oceans.
The Farne Islands lie 1.5 miles off the coast of Northumberland. Cared for by the National Trust they are home to one of the most significant puffin colonies in the UK with around 40,000 pairs of puffins returning to breed on this 28-island archipelago each spring.
Puffins – fun facts
- Puffins are members of the auk family, as are guillemots and razorbills.
- Male and female puffins look almost identical, though the male is often slightly larger.
- Puffins can swim to a depth of up to 60 metres, and steer underwater with their feet and their wings become flippers, propelling them through water at great speed.
- The puffin sheds its striking orange, yellow and blue beak each year to reveal a dark beak in the winter.
- Puffins can live to 30 (one of the oldest known on the Farne Islands is over 20 years old) and grow to about 30cm tall and typically weigh around 500grams.
- Puffins can see UV light, making their beaks glow.
- Sandeels make up the highest proportion of the puffin’s diet on the Farne islands although they will also eat small squid, herring and sardines.
- Puffins dig burrows typically between 60-150cm to lay their egg and return to the same burrows every year. They lay one egg per season and are very clean birds, regularly kicking out any dirt from their burrows.
- Puffins mate for life but most separate over the winter, coupling up again on returning to the islands each year. They reinforce their bond by ‘billing’ – rubbing their bills together.
- Puffins incubate their egg for around 40 days. A baby puffin is called a ‘puffling’, and the seabirds are often affectionately referred to as being the ‘clowns of the sea’.
A donation today will help restore threatened species like beavers to healthy, flourishing habitats.
We need your support to help restore nature
Only 14% of England’s rivers are in good health
80% of butterfly species have declined since the 1970s
Nearly 1 in 6 of UK species are threatened with extinction
7% of Britain’s native woodland is in good ecological condition
97% of our wildflower meadows have been lost since the 1930s
40% of butterfly species are now at risk of extinction