As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Thursday 18 July 2013

Red-throated diver dies after becoming tangled in illegal net

The dangers of illegal trout nets were demonstrated this week when a rare red-throated diver was killed and another trapped in the sea off Cunningsburgh.

A member of the public spotted the birds on Monday, which were caught in an almost invisible monofilament net close to the shore at Mail Beach, and reported the incident to the RSPB.

RSPB Northern Isles area manager Pete Ellis said the net was about 20 metres long with little grey floats along its length. The net was “not obvious”, he said, and had it not been for the birds it would have been difficult to spot.

Mr Ellis said: “In my view it was an illegally set trout net, which are incredibly dangerous to birds. Underwater monofilament nets are virtually transparent and the birds don’t see them.”

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