A LITTLE puffin had a lucky escape after being rescued from the North Sea by a passing canoeist.
Lucky Jim was found bobbing in the sea near Bempton Cliffs.
He was taken to RSPB Bempton Cliffs, where staff cared for him until he found a temporary new home, with Scarborough Wildlife Rescue Volunteer, Jim Ward.
Jim, 79, said: "He is very lucky to have survived.
"I have looked after and taken in a number of puffins over the years, but have never had one this young.
"It is a miracle he has survived."
Jim believes the puffin was just a fortnight old when he was found in the water.
He said: "He was just a little ball of fluff when I first saw him but now he is going through the various stages of growing up.
"He is losing his fluff now, but he won't get his orange and yellow beak until he is quite a bit older."
Lucky Jim was named after the volunteer, who will nurse him back to full health.
Jim is on hand to provide 24-hour support to the puffin, who he says enjoys nothing better than eating fish slivers and watching Coronation Street on an evening in his living room.
Keith Clarkson, site manager at RSPB Bempton Cliffs, said: "It's very unusual to find a young puffin this late in the year, but this is almost certainly due to the storms that occurred in the spring – something that, with climate change may become more frequent."
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