Highland research project will study one of the UK's smallest and most elusive sea birds
European storm petrels secretive behaviour makes them difficult to monitor.
A major new research project near Ullapool will investigate one of the UK’s smallest and most elusive sea birds which weighs the equivalent of just three £1 coins.
European storm petrels spend almost their entire lives at sea, returning to hidden burrows on remote islands only under the cover of darkness to breed. Their secretive behaviour makes them exceptionally difficult to monitor.
The research, involving UHI North, West and Hebrides and led by Atlantic58, focuses on the Summer Isles and aims to improve understanding of the birds and how best to monitor and protect them, while testing techniques that could help seabird conservation across other island archipelagos.
The storm petrel is understood to land during the summer months and breeds on offshore islands and a few isolated headlands.
Although it has an estimated breeding population in the UK of around 30,000 pairs it is an extremely difficult species to see during the breeding season, only coming to land during the hours of darkness often staying at sea at night.
A little bigger than a sparrow, the Storm Petrel appears all black with a white rump.
In flight it flutters over the water, feeding with its wings held up in a 'V' with feet pattering across the waves. It gets its name from this habit of fluttering closely over rough ocean waves.
At sea, it often feeds in flocks and will follow in the wake of ships, especially trawlers.
Previous studies of the species have demonstrated the bird has a long life span, with some individuals living for over 30 years.
The latest research project – also involving The Tanera Project and local landowners - will also look at how the islands can be better protected from invasive predators, building on work already carried out by the volunteer-led Summer Isles Mink Control Initiative.
It is hoped that the information gathered will help to aid long term storm petrel conservation plans.
The large majority of the population breeds on islands off the northern coasts of Europe, with the greatest numbers in the Faroe Islands, United Kingdom, Ireland, and Iceland.
Dr Elizabeth Masden, Research Fellow at UHI North, West and Hebrides’ Environmental Research Institute, said: "This project provides us with the opportunity to really think about how we monitor sea birds in these habitats, and how we can improve methods to provide more informative data to aid sea bird conservation."
The project is led by Dr Ruth Jeavons, Senior Ecological Consultant at Atlantic58, with funding from the Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund (SMEEF).
Dr Jeavons added: "Conservation starts with having the right information, which the Taking Flight fund from SMEEF allows us to gather.
“The Summer Isles are a special place, with internationally important wildlife and a community committed to its conservation.
“Bringing those strengths together gives us a unique opportunity to develop approaches that could improve not only how we monitor European storm petrels, but also how biosecurity is delivered across island archipelagos, helping reduce the impact of invasive mammalian predators on vulnerable seabird populations.”
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.