Puffin flies to London instead of the Atlantic (pictures)

An exhausted puffin was rescued from the River Thames after being found hundreds of miles from its natural habitat.

The stranded bird was fished out of the Grand Union Canal in Brentford after flying along the River Thames.

Jen Page, who lives on a houseboat in Brentford Dock, spotted the puffin and told the Daily Express: "I'm besotted with puffins and have puffin wind chimes on the boat but it was very bizarre to see one here."

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Steve Knight at The Swan Sanctuary, said: "I've never rescued a puffin before but these birds dive very quickly so you've got to be quick about it.

"All he knew about it was a big net coming over him and that was it. He looked pretty exhausted and hungry, and he seemed to have lost weight."

It is believed the puffin was blown off course by strong winds earlier this month.

According to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), the closest puffins to London live in England's west coast or in the north east, around Hull.

Dorothy Beeson, founder of The Swan Sanctuary, told Get West London that the puffin was doing fine and was transferred to a specialist in Dorset.