As you may have seen, we have installed a new raft in Loch of Kinnordy.
The purpose of this raft is to give the black headed gulls a safe place to nest, away from predators.
Black headed gulls are in decline. They are classed as an amber list species and are considered a conservation priority. Numbers of black headed gulls breeding at Kinnordy have been declining rapidly, in the mid 90s there was a peak of approx. 6000 pairs, in 2015 we had just 16 pairs and 0 chicks were fledged.
The raft has perspex sizes, so mammalian predators such as mink and otter will not be able to get to the eggs and chicks. The raft also has some shelter for the young birds. By creating a floating island we hope to encourage black headed gulls to breed, nest and fledge successfully.
If you have any questions, or you see anything using the raft I would be delighted to know! So please contact me, Anna, Tayside Reserves Assistant Warden on 07795 978 246 or anna.jemmett@rspb.org.uk