19 Aug 2025

Photo by Yomex Owo   The Scottish Government’s new seabird conservation action plan has received a mixed reception from conservationists, with leading wildlife groups welcoming the strategy whilst warning that recent offshore wind farm approvals could undermine its effectiveness. The Scottish Seabird Conservation Action Plan, launched on 13 August at the Scottish Seabird Centre in […]

05 Aug 2025

Photo of Gannets on Bass Rock by Kristin Snippe   The Scottish Government has approved one of the world’s largest offshore wind farms, the Berwick Bank project, despite fierce opposition from conservation groups who warn it could drive vulnerable seabird species toward extinction. The 4.1 gigawatt development, located 23 miles off Scotland’s east coast in […]

02 Jul 2024

NatureScot and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) have completed a count of burrows on the Isle of May National Nature Reserve (NNR) in the Firth of Forth, a protected and internationally important habitat for seabirds. Based on their all-island count this summer, scientists estimate there are around 52,000 occupied puffin burrows, compared […]

07 Aug 2018

The fortunes of seabirds around the UK at present are prompting different coverage. In two articles the worrying nature of sea bird populations off Shetland is highlighted whilst Defra announced new protection for Yorkshire’s seabird colonies. Changes to water temperature, plankton and sand eel populations are having very significant effects on different seabird colonies.   […]

25 May 2018

Puffin numbers on the Farne Islands, Northumberland may have fallen by an average of 12 percent since the last census. Grim news for the struggling seabird according to early figures in the Natural Trust five-yearly census. Initial numbers suggest the population has fallen by up to 42 per cent on one of the islands – […]