Northern Ireland’s seabirds experience mixed fortunes: Rathlin’s cliffs are groaning with Guillemots but Fulmar are in free-fall.
09 Mar 2022 | No. 2022-08
The latest report from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Northern Ireland Seabird Report 2021, charts the most recent ups and downs of country’s seabirds and it shows a mixed bag.
The latest report from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Northern Ireland Seabird Report 2021 charts the most recent ups and downs of country’s seabirds and it shows a mixed bag.
The BTO looked at the current seabird abundance on Rathlin Island under work for the INTERREG VA funded MarPAMM project, finding that the Island’s dramatic cliffs now host the UK’s largest colony of Common Guillemot, alive with 149,510 breeding birds. This impressive count is an increase of 56% since the last UK-wide census.
In contrast with the UK as a whole, some of the gull species are doing better in Northern Ireland with Great Black-Backed Gull, Herring Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gull all recovering well after historic declines. But it isn’t all good news; Fulmar are vanishing from around the coast, and familiar auks, such as Razorbill, Black Guillemot and Puffin have all seen their breeding numbers fall at key colonies.
Katherine Booth Jones, BTO Northern Ireland Senior Research Ecologist, said, “As top predators, seabirds are useful and charismatic indicators of the state of marine ecosystems and it is thanks to our wonderful surveyors that we have a fuller picture of how they are doing, and as expected there is both good and bad news.”
She added, “It is great to see some of our gulls showing a positive trend, in particular our most marine gull, the Kittiwake, with the overall theme in recent years being one of growth here in Northern Ireland, but concerning to see Black Guillemot continuing to decline on Rathlin Island.”
Neil McColloch of NIEA, who support the publication of the report, said; “Despite its relatively small size, Northern Ireland holds a significant proportion of the UK’s internationally important seabird populations. The observations of both volunteer and professional fieldworkers that contribute to the Northern Ireland Seabird Report are therefore extremely important in recording the trends in seabird numbers that reflect the general health of our seas."
He added, "The results from 2021, including those from our largest seabird colony, Rathlin Island, show that while some species, especially Kittiwake, are doing better in Northern Ireland waters than elsewhere in the UK, there are still several species, such as Fulmar and Puffin, in decline. The outstanding efforts of the Northern Ireland Seabird Network, particularly by volunteer observers, in monitoring our seabirds is vital in highlighting where problems need to be addressed as well as showing where there have been conservation successes”.
The report is the outcome of the work of the Northern Ireland Seabird Network of volunteers, NGO and agency staff, overseen by the BTO on behalf of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.
To read the whole report, please visit www.bto.org/ni-seabirds-2021
Contact Details
Paul Stancliffe (BTO Media Manager)
Mobile: 07585 440910
Email: press [at] bto.org (subject: News%20release%20enquiry)
Mike Toms (Head of Communications)
Mobile 07850 500791
Email: press [at] bto.org (subject: News%20release%20enquiry)
Images are available for use alongside this News Release. These can be downloaded from this link for which you will need to enter the password Glacialis202208 alternatively, please contact press [at] bto.org quoting reference 2022-08
The Northern Ireland Seabird Report 2021 is the published outcome of the work of the Northern Ireland Seabird Network - a network of volunteers, researchers and organisations, coordinated by the BTO Seabird Coordinator, and funded by NIEA
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