Puffin found 110 miles off course in Herefordshire

The puffin is likely to have come from a colony in Pembrokeshire, Wales

A puffin has been discovered 110 miles (177km) off course in a garden in Herefordshire.

The animal was found near Stoke Lacy and taken to Vets for Pets.

Practice owner Elliot Goodwin said: "We suspect it is a simple case of her just getting lost, most likely from Skomer or Skokholm Island out in Pembrokeshire, Wales, as that's our nearest puffin colonies.

"She was probably just heading back to her nest and got blown off course and then here we are. As simple as that we suspect."

Mr Goodwin added: "Sometimes it doesn't just happen to one, so it's possible there could be more in the area."

The practice was contacted by one of its clients who had found the puffin.

Mr Goodwin said: "As you can imagine, we get phone calls about all sorts of wildlife and sometimes people get a bit confused and think some things are something different than what they actually are.

"So we didn't quite believe it was going to be a puffin but no, sure enough, she came in with the puffin."

The puffin is nearly half the weight it should be

Discussing the animal's health, Mr Goodwin said: "She's very tired, she's exhausted. So normally, these guys would weigh somewhere around 400g but she weighs 218g.

"She seems fairly bright but the challenge with all wildlife is they're so good at concealing when they are unwell.

"But we're very hopeful she will be OK but it's a sad reality that it will be a long way to get her to the point of recovery and release."