RSPB buys Scottish islands to safeguard ‘awe-inspiring’ seabird sanctuaries

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has bought two islands off Scotland’s east coast to safeguard their “awe-inspiring” seabird colonies.

The charity has acquired Bass Rock and Craigleith islands in the Firth of Forth from the Dalrymple family, with the support of £586,000 in public money channelled through the National Heritage Memorial Fund, which was set up to buy the nation’s greatest heritage and boost public access.

Home to gannets, puffins, guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes and various gull species, the islands are rare as seabird sanctuaries that are close to the mainland and famously inspired Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel Catriona.

As breeding season peaks, it is estimated that Bass Rock’s population of gannets reaches around 100,000 while neighbouring Craigleith could be home to as many as 10,000 puffins.

Thousands and thousands of birds can be seen sheltering among crags, soaring overhead, swooping down towards the sea surrounding Craigleith or hovering around Bass Rock’s lighthouse and the remains of a medieval castle.

However, the bird populations are facing a multitude of growing threats, including pollution, overfishing, offshore industries and wind turbines, invasive species such as tree mallow, and avian flu, which killed a huge number of gannets on Bass Rock in 2022.

It comes against a wider backdrop of major declines in Scotland’s seabirds, with conservationists finding 70% of species are seeing numbers decrease.

Duncan Orr-Ewing, RSPB Scotland’s head of reserves, told the Press Association: “It’s just a seabird spectacle. It is one of the true spectacles of the wildlife world.

“Owning a place like the Bass Rock is an absolute privilege as a world-renowned seabird site, which is very unique for its proximity to the mainland.

“Most of our best seabird sites are on remote islands or places that are difficult to get to, but this site is within sight of Edinburgh, the Lothian coast and a large part of Scotland’s population, and people travel from all over the world to see it.

“We will use the skills that we’ve got from managing seabird sites elsewhere in Scotland and the rest of the UK to keep this in top condition and protect it from threats that are out there.”

Black-backed gulls and guillemots, Craigleith Island, Scotland Adobe Stock

The Dalrymple family, which had owned the island for more than 300 years, has long worked with the Scottish Seabird Centre, based in nearby North Berwick, to carry out conservation work, such as removing tree mallow and other invasive species.

Sir Hew Dalrymple said he said that his family has had the “great privilege” of being custodians of the islands for centuries but “unprecedented challenges” to the seabirds are growing.

Speaking to PA, Sir Hew said he is passing stewardship of the islands as the organisation best equipped to protect the wildlife with conservation expertise as well as political advocacy, working alongside the Scottish Seabird Centre.

“If we don’t protect the wildlife around us, I think ultimately there will be catastrophic consequences for the planet,” he said.

“It’s hard in this day and age for an individual to stand up and be listened to,” he said.

“The RSPB and Seabird Centre have taken a stand, trying to prevent this damage and I felt they were much more able to protect the colonies.

“Therefore, it was a rational rather than emotional decision.”

The RSPB and Scottish Seabird Centre will carry out a new co-ordinated conservation plan involving monitoring and research, working with volunteers to help the species thrive, and engaging with MPs over the challenges seabirds and Scotland’s marine environment face.

They want to roll out a series of initiatives to boost public access to the islands, including a new immersive 360-degree viewing theatre in the Scottish Seabird Centre that will allow people to watch species in real time without disturbing their habitats and inclusive boat trips.

There will also be school workshops and a project to compile community memories of the islands for their rich histories and depictions in art and literature, as well as their role as seabird strongholds.

This will all be supported by an additional £372,000 in development funding from the National Lottery’s heritage fund, with the potential for a further £589,000 from money raised by lottery players.

Simon Thurley, chairman of the National Heritage Memorial Fund and The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “It’s a really proud day for us when we add another asset to the collection.

Speaking about Bass Rock, he said: “This is something else really. It’s tremendously impressive and it’s a wonderful feeling that you can secure it for the public and the people of the UK.”

Mr Thurley also said it marks a “fantastic example of our vision for supporting nature’s recovery and enabling people to connect positively with the world around them”.

Harry Huyton, chief executive of the Scottish Seabird Centre, said: “Bass Rock and Craigleith are among the world’s most awe-inspiring natural wonders, and their integration into the RSPB’s nature reserve network is a historic day for Scottish nature.”