Our seabirds need you!

Help us respond to the devastating impacts of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) on internationally important seabird colonies in the Firth of Forth, including the worlds largest Northern gannet colony on the Bass Rock.

Summer should be peak breeding season for Scotlands seabirds. Instead, we received the news that HPAI had reached the worlds largest Northern gannet colony on the Bass Rock, East Lothian. This was a prolonged and severe outbreak leading to unprecedented levels of mortality in these spectacular seabirds.

The images below show the shocking impact on Bass Rock gannet numbers before and after the arrival of HPAI.

Gannets are long lived seabirds, they do not reach maturity until around 4 years old and breeding pairs will raise only one chick each year. To understand the long-term effect of this disease on future generations of the internationally significant Bass Rock gannet population its vital we establish a multi-year survey programme.

We don't have evidence that indicates that the nearby seabird colonies of Craigleith and the Lamb have been affected by HPAI. It is, however, important to extend our monitoring and survey work across all three islands, to better understand the health of these colonies.

Your donation will help pay for this essential survey work, to assess the scale and impact of the disease on the Bass Rock, learn from its effects and monitor recovery in future years. On islands such as Craigleith and the Lamb it will help us establish an early detection method for threats to our seabirds, including diseases and/or invasive species, enabling us to respond quickly.

At a time when Scottish seabirds are already under pressure from climate change, unsustainable fishing practices, pollution and invasive species, HPAI is a terrible blow.

(Image credit Maggie Sheddan)

Please consider giving whatever you can afford to help us learn from this situation and support our seabird colonies to recover for the future.

Any funds raised above the target will support our continuing conservation activities and research on local islands that help increase the resilience of seabird colonies to human pressures.

Thank you.