Puffins thriving after herbal toilet paper removed

Posted on: 04 Jun 2016

More than 2,000 Puffins are estimated to be nesting on the island of Fidra in the Firth of Forth this spring, following years of work to remove an invasive plant.

The island, an RSPB Scotland nature reserve in East Lothian, had been overrun by Tree Mallow, which was probably planted by lighthouse keepers in the 1700s for its medicinal qualities and as a kind of 'grow-your-own' toilet paper. Tree Mallow is native to southern England and Continental Europe, but has caused huge problems for Puffins and other seabirds on islands throughout the Firth of Forth.

RSPB Scotland’s Allison Leonard, who is the warden of Fidra, said: “Tree Mallow in the Forth is a bit of a mystery. It sat quietly for years and then suddenly started spreading rapidly, possibly due to warmer temperatures associated with climate change, or with the level of nutrients in the soil.

“It quickly became rampant and caused real problems for the Puffins, as it blocks the entrances to their nest burrows. In 1996, Puffin numbers on Fidra dropped to a low of only around 400 occupied burrows. This year, we’ve got over 1,000 burrows occupied, so it’s really good to see them bouncing back after all the hard work.”

The work on Fidra was carried out by RSPB Scotland staff and more than 20 volunteers as part of SOS Puffin, a Tree Mallow removal project run by the Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick, East Lothian.

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Gannet colony on Bass Rock is world’s largest

The colony of Northern Gannets at Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth has been confirmed as the world’s largest colony with around 75,000 occupied sites, an increase of 24 percent since the last count in 2009.

Stuart Murray, who carried out the count in conjunction with the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology said: "The colony was photographed from the air on 23 June 2014. Conditions were excellent, with no wind and a high cover of thick cloud which obscured the sun, reducing the glare from all these startlingly white birds. The images were later viewed on computer screens for counting and each occupied site was blocked-out as it was counted.

"Interestingly, the most dramatic increase is between the old lighthouse keepers’ garden and the summit of the Rock. We counted around 10,000 sites in this area compared with 6,500 five years ago." 

Sarah Wanless, from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, said: “It is particularly heartening to see them doing so well when so many other seabirds in Scotland appear to be in trouble, however, the Bass Rock is a small island and the gannets have now filled most of the available nesting habitat. The colony now has only very limited capacity for further increase.”

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RSPB Scotland farmland flood plan a bonus for birds

 By JULIA HORTON 

Published on Sunday 17 March 2013 00:00

HUNDREDS of acres of saltmarsh and mudflats could be restored to the shores of the Firth of Forth under ­plans to improve flood ­defences.

The proposals will be unveiled this week as part of an RSPB Scotland vision of how the floodplain between Stirling and Bo’ness can be regenerated to create natural flood defences and lost ­habitat.

The Inner Firth of Forth Futurescape project plans to return walled-off farmland, which was reclaimed from the sea, back to its natural state.

Architects of the project are working with councils and communities on how to adapt or move man-made defences that have divided the sea from the land for hundreds of years in a way that allows tidal ­waters to permeate coastal land again.

The RSPB planners believe returning the land to its natural state will make it better able to absorb climate change-related high tides and heavy rainfall while also regenerating the landscape for wildlife.

Last year, record downpours and flooding swamped much of the country costing millions of pounds in repairs, insurance claims and lost business, especially for farmers whose crops were destroyed.

The Forth area is one of the worst affected, with one in 13 homes and businesses at risk of flooding, compared to one in 22 homes and one in 13 businesses nationwide.

Continued:  http://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/rspb-scotland-farmland-flood-plan-a-bonus-for-birds-1-2841478