Significant seabird census completed at St Kilda

Seabirds have long been synonymous with St Kilda, and have even affected the islands’ architecture with the construction of the unusual stone buildings (cleits) to store produce and fowling equipment. Before the evacuation of the last remaining 36 St Kildans in August 1930, thousands of people had lived on the island over the centuries – farming, fishing and, most importantly, harvesting seabirds and their eggs.

To carry out the census, the team counted seabirds from land and sea. They hiked to every nook and cranny of Hirta, the main island in the archipelago, and then took to the waves, using binoculars from boats to count seabirds on the cliffs of the smaller islands. The census took around 1,400 hours to complete during the first three weeks in June. Three members of the Trust team, including St Kilda’s Seabird Ranger Craig Nisbet and Senior Seabird Officer Ellie Owen, were joined by six highly skilled volunteers and other Trust staff.

Susan Bain, the Trust’s Western Isles Manager at the National Trust for Scotland, said: ‘The decline in seabirds on St Kilda is not only concerning from a natural heritage point of view but also from a cultural heritage point of view. The exploitation of seabirds was integral to the community that lived on St Kilda; it is what allowed them to settle and live on such a small island for thousands of years. They ate the meat and eggs, used the oil for light and ointment, and traded the feathers. Many of the few songs that have survived tell of fowling expeditions and the dangers associated with it.’

Ellie Owen, the Trust’s Senior Seabird Officer, commented: ‘The census took a lot of time and resource to complete but it’s incredibly important that we capture this data to identify how wildlife is faring across the places our charity cares for. It’s only by identifying the declines and trends in our seabirds that we can begin to consider how to help them. We’re grateful to our supporters, including Tim and Kim Allan who sponsored this census, for enabling us to continue to understand, care for and protect our natural heritage.

‘We don’t have a full picture of what has led to the decline on St Kilda, but climate change has certainly played a part, affecting elements such as the food supply in the surrounding sea. Declines in natural prey such as sandeels are likely also impacting seabirds, and closing Scotland’s waters to the foreign-based sandeel fishery would be a powerful step to helping our seabirds. We also need to work with the government and fisheries to reduce the accidental bycatch of fulmars on longlines, using available mitigation measures.

Ellie continued: ‘With over 1 million seabirds at places in our care, we know how important taking action is – whether it’s following the Check, Clean, Close rule that keeps islands safe from people accidentally introducing predators such as rats, or giving seabirds space from both people and dogs when visiting colonies or beaches.

‘People can also become an active part of the research effort by taking part in seabird citizen science projects, like our charity’s Seabirds, Camera, Action initiative. Here, we are asking our supporters to take and submit photos of seabirds carrying fish at any of the Trust’s places to help us monitor what food seabirds are feeding their chicks. And one of the best ways to help currently is to get involved in any number of wildlife campaigns – from sharing responses to the Scottish Government’s sandeel fishing consultation, to supporting the Trust’s Save our Seabirds campaign.

‘Visitors to St Kilda and our other coastal places will enjoy incredible wildlife experiences. There are now 20,712 fulmars on St Kilda alone ... but there used to be 66,934. It’s vital that we don’t just accept this and that we all do everything in our power to help nature flourish, and to help conserve and protect Scotland’s seabirds.’

The Love our Nature project is supported through funding from players of People’s Postcode Lottery, who have now raised more than £1 billion for thousands of charities and local good causes. This includes a total of over £2.5m for the National Trust for Scotland since 2014, to support our work to enrich and protect Scotland’s landscapes and wildlife, for which we are very grateful.

The role of the National Trust for Scotland’s Senior Seabird Officer and activity is supported by Tim and Kim Allan, members of the National Trust for Scotland’s Patrons’ Club, a generous group of donors who support our conservation charity.