The Skerries
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Birds & fish recorded
Birds
| Species | Season |
|---|---|
| oystercatcher | Breeding |
| oystercatcher | Passage |
| puffin | Breeding |
| puffin | Passage |
| red-breasted merganser | Breeding |
| red-breasted merganser | Passage |
| rock pipit | Breeding |
| rock pipit | Passage |
Description
Description A group of small rocky islets used by seabirds and grey seals. The Skerries used to be one of the major breeding sites for terns particularly arctic terns in the British Isles. Numbers declined from the several thousand pairs recorded in 1905 to being completely deserted in the 1960s. However arctic terns have returned and 150 pairs bred there in 1983. A gullery principally of herring and lesser black-backed gulls -650/700 pairs in 1983 is also present. Other breeding species include puffin (150 pairs), shag oystercatcher, red-breasted merganser and rock pipit. Bird migration studies have shown that the islands are a significant station for autumn migrants. Grey seals use the islands principally as a hauling out place.
Species mentioned
Show the 5 species mentioned in the description, with red-list status| English name search for this in other sites |
Latin name search with Google |
IUCN / Red List | Type | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| puffin | Fratercula arctica | CR (Breeding) | bird-auk | alcidae |
| red-breasted merganser | Mergus serrator | VU (NonBreeding) | bird-duck | anatidae |
| shag | Gulosus aristotelis | VU (Breeding) | bird-frigate | fregatidae |
| rock pipit | Anthus petrosus | LC (Breeding) | bird-pipit | motacillidae |
| oystercatcher | Haematopus ostralegus | LC (Breeding) | bird-wader | haematopodidae |