11 November 2015
Seabirds have had
mixed fortunes during this year's breeding season at RSPB Scotland's nature
reserves.
The charity had expected
a cold and wet summer to badly affect the birds.
However, increased
numbers of guillemot were recorded in Tiree and more kittiwake nest sites were
documented at Troup Head in Aberdeenshire.
More puffin
burrows were also active at sites on the Firth of Forth, but numbers of the
birds and other species fell in Orkney and Shetland.
As well as
recording individual birds, burrows and cliff face nest sites, RSPB Scotland
staff identified a puffin with a condition called leucism, which causes a loss
of pigment in feathers leaving them pale or white.
The puffin was
spotted on the Shiant Isles, which lie four miles (6km) off the coast of
Lewis. The small islands are home to 10% of the
UK's puffin population.
No comments:
Post a Comment