I have to say I was saddened but not surprised by the early reports of how the 2012 breeding season has been for our kitttiwakes. The counts reveal a massive 82% decline in the number of breeding kittiwake pairs in just over a decade - from nearly 11,000 pairs in 2000 to under 2,000 this year. I've lost count of the number of regular visitors to Orkney who tell me they have noticed a steady decline in numbers of seabirds breeding in the "seabird cities" at Marwick Head, Noup Cliffs and Mull Head but these figures are truly staggering. In fact the colony at Mull Head on the east side of Orkney appears to have failed altogether as the kittiwakes failed to return.
The alarming news was widely reported this morning on national and local news. For more information about the picture around the UK and about the likely cause of the decline go to http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/322738-fears-for-iconic-seabird-as-breeding-colonies-disappear. And if you want to know what you can do to help have a look at our Safeguard our Sealife campaign at http://www.rspb.org.uk/supporting/campaigns/sealife/index.aspx