A canal bank beneath a busy flyover might not rank as paradise . But for this puzzled puffin – apparently suffering a navigation malfunction and pining for the Atlantic – it was welcome sanctuary . The confused bird was seen swimming in the Grand Union canal earlier this month after apparently flying into London along the Thames . This puzzled puffin was spotted flying into London along the Thames , close to the A4 flyover at Brentford . The distinctive bird with an orange beak was spotted by an eagle-eyed canal boat resident . The puffin was given some fish and wrapped in a blanket , before being handed to a specialist centre in Dorset to recuperate . More commonly seen in Iceland and the North Atlantic , it was spotted near the A4 flyover at Brentford . Its holiday came to an end when a canal-boat resident caught sight of its distinctive beak and alerted the appropriate authorities . Steve Knight , of the Swan Sanctuary in nearby Shepperton , caught the bird , which has now been handed over to a specialist centre in Dorset , where he is being nursed back to full health . ‘ I ’ ve never rescued a puffin before but these birds dive very quickly so you ’ ve got to be quick about it , ’ he said. ‘ . '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 . The puffin was spotted swimming in the Grand Union Canal ( left ) while the species normally reside in Iceland . ' I gather they normally eat sand eels but there aren ’ t too many of them in the Grand Union , so we gave him some whitebait. ’ Sanctuary founder Dot Beeson added she believes the puffin got lost or was blown off course by recent winds .
Bird was spotted near the A4 flyover at Brentford after flying along Iceland . Eagle-eyed canal boat resident saw the puffin and contacted rescue agency . Puffins most commonly found in Thames , but this bird 'blown off course '