Project launched to protect birds
from foreign marauders
Scottish Natural Heritage
Project launched to protect birds from foreign marauders
A mink control project in Sunart, Lochaber is being launched
as part of a range of biodiversity improvements in the area.
The £90,000, three year project will judge the effectiveness
of mink control and will be managed by Scottish Natural Heritage.
The European Agricultural Guidance Fund (EAGGF) will also
provide money to the project. Additional funds will come from
partners in the Sunart Oakwoods Initiative, including Forestry
Commission, Highland Council and Lochaber Enterprise.
During the ground nesting bird season, none-lethal traps
will be set and checked regularly and trapped mink will be
dispatched humanely.
Worrying trends in declining bird populations on the Sunart
islands and coastlines have been recognised by the Sunart
Oakwoods Initiative. Common tern nests had totalled 330 whereas
in 1998 just two nests were found. The invasion of American
mink has been identified as one of the main reasons for the
dramatic drop in bird breeding success. In 1998 there were
20 pairs of breeding common gulls spread throughout the Loch
Sunart islands, but not one bird fledged from the nests. A
report in that year by J Craik also revealed that birds which
were familiar breeders in the loch have now almost or completely
disappeared.
American mink are not native to Scotland. They escaped from
fur farms in the 1960s and have been breeding in the wild
for some time, causing brutal damage to wildlife and domesticated
fowl. Swimming considerable distances, sizeable sea bird breeding
colonies become their favoured foraging grounds. They are
relentless in their pursuit for food.
In five years arctic tern colonies are three times higher
in production where mink removal was focused. Four years of
monitoring during mink control in the l990s in and around
Loch Sunart and its islands also proved conclusively that
continuous mink control benefits the bird colonies. The targeted,
removal of mink plays a very important role when protecting
and enhancing breeding seabird colonies and other wildlife.
Brian Eardley, SNH Area Officer in Fort William is pleased
with the project. He said: "Helping to keep the Sunart
islands and coastlines mink free should not only help alleviate
mink problems at the fish farm but also give a real boost
to the success of ground nesting birds and other natural heritage
to be found on the island. Some local people have already
been making a valuable contribution to controlling the mink
population during the key ground nesting bird breeding season.
It is a problem which needs a concerted and focused effort
and it would be fantastic to get terns back to nesting on
the islands and coasts."
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