puffins in serious trouble

[justine]

Well i am not much of a bird watcher although i was a member of the R.S.P.B as a child, and i came across this sad story...So many creatures that are affected.What can be done to help these poor bird i know not but i hope that they can help them....They sure could use it...


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/6933378.stm:~(

[Gleber2]

Well i am not much of a bird watcher although i was a member of the R.S.P.B as a child, and i came across this sad story...So many creatures that are affected.What can be done to help these poor bird i know not but i hope that they can help them....They sure could use it...


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/6933378.stm:~(
After fifteen years watching puffin numbers at Dunnet Head I have never seen so few. Razorbills and guillemots are also greatly reduced. Heartbreaking indeed.

[Seabird]

I'm sorry to say this year looks worse than last.
So we can expect to see starving birds washing onto the shore later in the year.
Unfortuntely there is nothing that can be done in the short term.
It was thought over fishing of sand eels was the problem, but that now is thought unlikely because the birds on the West coast are also in trouble and Sand eels are not fished on that side.
The warm water is moving farther North and this is pushing the sand eels further North.
Birds always nest in the same spot every year unaware their food as moved.
It's a very sad situation set to get worse.

Colin

[justine]

I'm sorry to say this year looks worse than last.
So we can expect to see starving birds washing onto the shore later in the year.
Unfortuntely there is nothing that can be done in the short term.
It was thought over fishing of sand eels was the problem, but that now is thought unlikely because the birds on the West coast are also in trouble and Sand eels are not fished on that side.
The warm water is moving farther North and this is pushing the sand eels further North.
Birds always nest in the same spot every year unaware their food as moved.
It's a very sad situation set to get worse.

Colin

unfortunately it does not stop with the puffins.Warmer waters and less food is also causing this..I came across this the other day and i really do feel for the poor birds..
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/6929738.stm

[Seabird]

Great Skuas feed on small birds, one of their favourites is the Puffin.
I suspect this could be a case of local adaption to a food source.
Hunting at night could be wide spread or it could be restricted to just that one location.
Storm Petrols are quite nocternal so the local Skuas may have adapted to that situation.
It will be interesting to see the final results of the study.


unfortunately it does not stop with the puffins.Warmer waters and less food is also causing this..I came across this the other day and i really do feel for the poor birds..
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/6929738.stm

[northener]

The guillemot and kittiwakes around Stroma have had a really bad breeding season, virtually no chicks. Strangely, the Shags appear to have done OK but I'm not sure about the puffins - plenty whizzing about but difficult to assess how successful they've been.

Regarding the bonxies taking petrel, I don't think this is caused by a lack of food as they've been doing in this for a long time. As was stated in this thread, more like local adaptation.

Hell of a lot of gannets off Duncansby Head on wednesday, I'd estimate 60-70 in one group alone. Saw one gannet turn round and give a bonxie a pasting the other day!.... nice.

[Kenn]

Can any one confirm that there is also a gannet colony out to Dunnet Head?