SEABIRD DECLINES MAY BE SLOWING

The decline in Scotland’s breeding seabird numbers may be slowing down, according to the latest biodiversity indicator published by Scottish Natural Heritage. It looks at the numbers of 11 species of breeding seabirds, including guillemots (left), common and Arctic terns, the Arctic skua, herring gull, and great-black backed gulls. The results show that, having declined by more than 30% from 1986 to 2011, population levels have since remained fairly stable. Seabirds are not only vulnerable to changes in the seas, but also rats and American mink, which are predators during the breeding season. www.nature.scot