Safeguard our sea life

Offshore wind will play a crucial role in the UK’s efforts to reach net zero, this was a key message at the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow. However, installing this technology at the scale and pace needed to decarbonise our energy systems is no easy task. Policy Officer, Samuel Wrobel, explains how hopeful conversations at COP26 show the beginnings of a green energy revolution. 

Northern gannet, two individuals…

In the race to reach net zero we must not forget nature, like the puffins and kittiwakes calling our cliffs and seas home. Unfortunately, the technology set to play a vital role in the shift from fossil fuels is being planned in a way that jeopardises both nature and net zero – so, how can we achieve a net zero future without harming our seabirds?

Atlantic puffin on cliff top – Ben Andrew (rspb-imges.com)…

For decades our seas have been subjected to fishing which does not leave enough food for wildlife. Policy Officer Jacques Villemot explains why now is the time to turn the tide for our seabirds including the much loved puffin.

The UK is home to over 8 million seabirds. These birds return to our shores every summer nesting on cliffs, beaches and islands. They rely on our seas for food to feed their chicks (puffin chicks…

We’ve reached the halfway point of this year’s Invasive Species Week and today our Nature Policy Officer, Sarah Hudson, is focussing is on the marine environment.

Why we should be worried about invasive non-native species

Non-native species are species living outside their natural range which have arrived there by direct human activity, deliberately or accidentally. Invasive non-native species (INNS) are those…

Blog post by Isobel Mercer, RSPB Senior Policy Officer

Last week, rather quietly and with no formal announcement, the Flamborough and Filey Coast Special Protection Area (SPA) was officially classified. The designation of this internationally important site for seabirds is an important step towards the delivery of the UK Government’s vision of clean, healthy and well managed seas and is welcomed by the RSPB.

The…

The RSPB’s Nature Policy Officer Sarah Hudson tells us about a recently completed exciting new project tracking four species of seabirds. The study identifies the vital at-sea foraging areas of kittiwake, guillemot, razorbill and shag from colonies all around the UK.

The results build upon and complement an existing RSPB paper Wakefield et al. 2017 that developed sophisticated models to predict where these species…

In recent weeks, a number of kittiwakes have become trapped in netting on buildings on the Newcastle Quayside, which has caused lots of concern locally.

Helen Quayle, the RSPB’s Marine Conservation Officer and Chair of the Tyne Kittiwake Partnership, explains how the RSPB and the Partnership have been working to protect kittiwakes and how people can help.

It’s been extremely upsetting for me to see these kittiwakes…

RSPB’s senior policy officer Gareth Cunningham is back with another tale of his seabird journey. In this blog post, Gareth braves the elements to see eider ducks.

After an exciting day in St Bees Head, I was looking forward to my visit to Coquet Island. The third day started with a relatively straightforward trip complicated only by the weather. A strong wind was blowing in from the East which although dry, meant…

RSPB’s senior policy officer Gareth Cunningham is back with another tale of his seabird journey. In this blog post, Gareth visits the beautiful St Bees Head in Cumbria.

Back in May I travelled across England to visit a few of our best seabird sites. Some of these we asked to be included in the Government’s proposals to protect current Tranche 3 Marine Conservation Zone consultation (for a bit of background, have…

In late May, Yorkshire’s seabirds received some special visitors seeking to learn more about this special coastline and its inhabitants. Despite the fog, the cliffs of Bempton and Flamborough provided a spectacular setting to discuss how marine planning can help our sealife.   

The visit by marine planners from the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), was hosted by the RSPB, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust (YWT) and Flamborough…

As the Government gears up towards the latest round of protected marine zone consultations, RSPB’s senior policy officer Gareth Cunningham has been touring England’s best sites for seabirds. He’s ditched the formal trousers for leathers and hopped on his bike, on an exciting journey to highlight some of our amazing coastal wildlife.

Spring is a fantastic time to live in the UK, especially if you love…

Every year thousands of seabirds return to our shores to breed on cliffs and beaches but some of them travel further inland to our towns and cities where ledges on buildings and bridges provide suitable places to nest. Kittiwakes started nesting along the Tyne in 1949 and have been here ever since. The RSPB’s Helen Quayle, Tyne Kittiwake Partnership Chair, tells us more about these unique inland seabird colonies.…

Gulls have long been associated with coastal towns, particularly herring gulls, however, this proximity to people can lead to conflict exacerbated by misconceptions and ineffective management measures. The RSPB’s Helen Quayle reports on gulls nesting in Scarborough, responds to concern over netted birds and calls for positive action.

Within Scarborough there are two types of gull; kittiwakes and herring gulls…

Blue Planet 2 has been the most watched television programme of the year, and for good reason, with its stunning cinematography and charismatic cast of characters. Steph Winnard, International Marine Project Manager for the RSPB, discusses the highlights of the show for her, and why the stories of the human impact are the scenes she won’t be forgetting.

Over the last few weeks Blue Planet 2 has led us on an incredible…

Jonathan Hall, RSPB Head of UK Overseas Territories Unit, talks cheeky penguins, kelp forests and marine reserves in our latest sealife blog.

The ‘green seas’ featured in the latest spell-binding episode of Blue Planet II were dazzling. And the fact that many of these habitats, from shimmering sea-grass beds to epic underwater forests of kelp, are actually found in British waters is amazing.

This isn’t necessarily…

The aging albatross parents fledging their last chick was a bitter-sweet moment in last night’s amazing Blue Planet II episode. Not mentioned however was that this was on a British island, for over a third of the world’s albatross breed on British islands in the southern seas. Jonathan Hall, Head of UK Overseas Territories Unit, and Kat Holmes, RSPB's Marine Policy Officer reflects on Blue Planet II's latest…

Gareth Cunningham, RSPB Senior Policy Officer, reports from Cork in the Republic of Ireland where an important review of the health of our seabirds and the wider marine environment has been released.

This year celebrates 25 years of the OSPAR commission, a mechanism by which 15 Governments and the EU cooperate to protect the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic (see OSPAR map). Established in 1992, OSPAR helps…

In 2015, the red-listing of puffin as vulnerable to global extinction rang alarm bells for everyone interested in the health of our oceans, writes Euan Dunn, RSPB Principal Policy Officer.

In response to that challenge, seabird, plankton and fisheries experts will gather this week in Reykjavik. Along with oceanographers from Europe, the USA and Canada, the biologists will explore the causes behind eye-watering rates…

Today's blog is by Kat Holmes, Policy Officer. In her recent trip to our Bempton Cliffs reserve, she reflects on what Brexit will mean for the future of our fisheries policy and how that will affect our precious seabirds.

The first seabirds are beginning to return to our coastlines and this week I was lucky enough to be at Bempton Cliffs to see some of the first gannets soaring past the cliffs. I watched gannets…

RSPB Scotland Marine Policy Officer Peadar O'Connell brings us this new blog on the successes we've seen in marine conservation in Scotland and why we need to keep pushing for more action to protect seabirds.

As the sun rises on a dark stormy morning, the sea raging below, a puffin sits on the edge of the world. Taking to the skies she sets out on a familiar journey. The little clown braves the wind and rain…

I ddarllen y blog yma yn y Gymraeg, cliciwch yma

Every third breath you take comes from the ocean – or more specifically the millions of tiny plant life that live there. Our seas support billions of life forms, including humans, but they’re under threat. It is vital that we protect them.

Recognising this situation, the state of our seas is currently high on the political agenda and the Welsh Assembly have…

Our seabirds are struggling and need help. If you live in England, can you support our special seabirds campaign by contacting your MP and telling them how important Marine Conservation Zones are for our wonderful wildlife

The coastline is a constant draw for holidaymakers and day-trippers, especially during the summer months. Sandcastles and forts are built on beaches, whilst intrepid explorers clamber over rocks, peering…

Kittiwakes on the Tyne

The River Tyne is now home to an important breeding population of nearly 1,000 pairs of kittiwake, including a colony of over 700 pairs on the Newcastle and Gateshead Quayside. This is thought to be the furthest inland breeding kittiwake colony in the world and is a unique part of the cityscape enjoyed by many local residents and visitors. Kittiwakes are a truly oceanic seabird usually breeding…

The RSPB has been working with salmon netsmen in Filey Bay, Yorkshire, to tackle seabird bycatch in their fishery. I’m pleased to present a guest blog by Rory Crawford from the BirdLife International Marine Programme, who introduces (and stars in!) a film showcasing this work and the stunning wildlife of our Bempton Cliffs reserve.

Some of you will be familiar with our work in Filey Bay, Yorkshire, including that…

This is a copy of a blog post I've done for our EU partners in BirdLife Europe, examining how spatial planning at sea can deliver for the environment and economic prosperity, particularly renewables and meeting our climate change targets. Remember to add your voice to over 250,000 others calling for the Nature Directives mentioned below not to be opened up by clicking here.

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1979 was a year to remember. It was…