Starving seabirds being found across Scotland and Northern Ireland.

11/03/2007 00:00:00 Staff at RSPB Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage are concerned about the number of common guillemots that have been found dead or dying on sites across the west coast of Scotland. Large numbers of the birds were found on Loch Fyne and Loch Gilp, where almost 120 guillemots and also several razorbills were found within just a few miles on the shoreline.

Several guillemots have also been reported from highly unusual inland locations including the centre of Glasgow, Crianlarich and Loch Awe, and some birds also reportedly seen attempting to swim upstream of small burns.

There have been similar reports from Northern Ireland, and both RSPB Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage are assessing the extent of the Scottish situation in Argyll especially.

Common guillemots only lay 1 egg each year and breed all around the coast of Scotland. They have suffered a severe decline in numbers over recent years as their key food source may have been depleted through over-fishing and warming seas.

Monitoring has shown that guillemots had suffered from low productivity during the 2006 breeding season, with many colonies failing to raise young on east and west coast breeding sites such as the Isle of May and Ailsa Craig. Tests on guillemots found in Northern Ireland and Scotland revealed that many of the birds were severely underweight and had empty stomachs, suggesting a lack of food to be a key factor. Young guillemots searching for food may also explain sightings further inland from their usual feeding areas.

Dr Norman Ratcliffe, Senior Research Biologist with RSPB Scotland said: ‘Although post-fledging deaths of guillemots such as those reported in recent days are typical in any year, this is a particularly high number of birds in a more unusual area – indicating that a bad season has perhaps been worse than first thought. Hopefully, there will still be a sufficient number of surviving young guillemots to breed as adults when they reach maturity in six years time’.

Kara Brydson, Marine and Coastal Policy Officer with RSPB Scotland added: ‘Seabirds such as guillemots are the ‘coalmine canaries’ of our seas, giving us an indication of the health of the oceans and much of the wildlife that depends on them. Incidents such as these guillemot ‘wrecks’, although not uncommon, suggest that factors such as climate change maybe having an effect’.