Photograph of rare bird on Uist sparks plastic bags plea

RSPB Scotland has urged people to discard unwanted plastic bags carefully after a rare bird was photographed with one caught in its beak.

The red-throated diver was photographed by a visitor to a lochan in a remote part of North Uist.

The birds are on the RSPB's amber list after a recent decline in numbers.

Jamie Boyle, site manager of the RSPB's Uist reserves, said plastic bags can kill birds if they eat, or become entangled, in one.

He said: "We urge people to take great care in the way they dispose of plastic bags or, indeed, any other rubbish, particularly balloons and Chinese lanterns.

"They pose a direct threat to our wildlife and it is depressing to think that plastic bags are even reaching remote lochans in a place like North Uist."

Mr Boyle added: "Marine birds such as red-throated divers are particularly at risk both at sea and on their breeding grounds where they can mistake the bags for fish or mistakenly use it for nesting material."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-28243554

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.”

Continued