Blogs and Podcasts

The Firth of Forth is perhaps not the first place you’d think of to find whales and dolphins. However, as our knowledge grows, it’s becoming apparent that this area is a really important place to many marine mammal species. Read our latest blog by Emily Hague, to find out more about the marine mammals we can find locally in the Firth of Forth.

Researchers from the University of Leeds have been studying the behaviour of northern gannets on Bass Rock for over two decades. Read our latest blog, by Jude Lane to learn all about their research, use of satellite tracking devices and their invaluable findings.

As Sarah Lawrence, Biosecurity Officer with the Biosecurity for LIFE project explains in our latest blog, animals like rats, mink, and even stoats can have a devastating impact on seabird colonies if they find their way onto remote, predator-free islands. This means that we take biosecurity (actions taken to prevent invasive predators reaching these habitats) very seriously on the seabird islands that we help to manage. We are also very careful to be vigilant on the islands for signs of ground-predators, where possible placing non-toxic wax surveillance blocks in various locations to check for tell-tale tooth marks...

The UK is home to an internationally important breeding seabird population, including 20% of the world’s razorbills, 55% of the world’s gannets, and an incredible 80% of the world’s Manx shearwaters. More than 5 million of these seabirds nest here in Scotland, and the vast majority are found on islands. Find out why protecting the biosecurity of these islands is so critical in our latest blog by Biosecurity for LIFE, Biosecurity Officer, Sarah Lawrence.