Latest news with #seabirds
CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
Arctic birders combat impact of climate change and avian flu on delicate ecosystem
Seagulls sit in boxes of a so called Seagull Hotel at the harbour in Vardo, Norway, on July 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Tommi Ojala ) VARDO, Norway — In one of the top Arctic birding destinations in the world, environmental and health challenges are threatening some of the seabirds that are part of Norway's unique coastal ecosystem. The population of kittiwakes has decreased by 80 per cent since the 1990s along the Scandinavian country's coast. The small seagull species, among others, is under siege from climate change, predation, local fisheries and the bird flu. So the town of Vardo, on the remote Vardoya Island in the Barents Sea, has stepped up to help the migrating visitors. Three years ago, local fisherman Jan Vidar Hansen built a 'seagull hotel' out of crates for kittiwakes and other seabirds to nest in safely. The hotel has the added bonus of limiting the spread of unwelcome smells, dirty nests and droppings that have become a nuisance for the island's human population. 'The first year there was 55 nests. Last year it was 74, and this year we have 76,' Vidar Hansen said. He hopes the local council will agree to build a bigger seagull hotel in the future. Seabirds have long been an important part of the identity of Vardo — so much so that the local museum has an exhibition dedicated to them. The town is known for its birding tourism as much as its radar station, which provides critical data to the U.S. Strategic Command thanks to its location nearly 60 kilometres (37 miles) from Russia's military hub on the Kola Peninsula. The Gulf Stream Norway's northern coast is an ecologically diverse area due to its topography as well as the Gulf Stream, which brings warmer water up from the Gulf of Mexico and then mixes with the cold Arctic air and water. This warmer water keeps the Barents Sea free from ice even though it's north of the Arctic Circle, and brings tons of fish larvae and other biomass up the Norwegian coast. But the Gulf Stream is affected by climate change and is now bringing water that is too warm into the Barents Sea, changing the rich composition of the species there. It affects congregations of seabirds, marine mammals and, of course, many fish species. Fish that need colder water are being pushed further north, while others that require the mix of warmer and Arctic water — like the small schooling fish called capelin — are seeing their migration patterns disturbed. Capelin, for instance, are a major part of the diet for surface-feeding seabirds like kittiwakes, according to Tone Kristin Reiertsen, a researcher with the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. When capelin either swim deeper into the sea to get to colder water, or migrate further north, seabirds cannot get to them, she said. That in turn impacts the success of seabirds' breeding because they depend on capelin to bring to their chicks. Boris Belchev, a bird guide and ranger on the nearby Hornoya Island, says it's a frightening domino effect. 'I was seeing birds that usually eat fish on the tundra start eating berries because they don't have their normal food,' he said. With fewer seabirds surviving, those who remain are easy targets for predators like white-tailed eagles, Reiertsen said. Plus, fisheries situated close to the coastal cliff nesting sites can disturb the dynamics of the colonies. And then there's the threat of bird flu. In 2023, a large outbreak killed some 25,000 kittiwakes alone along the northern Norwegian coast, Reiertsen said. 'It felt like an apocalypse,' she said. Empty nests Vidar Hansen's seagull hotel in Vardø is one of seven such kittiwake hotels along the Norwegian coast, Reiertsen said. 'It's not an easy task to get the kittiwakes to move in to these hotels,' she said with a laugh. But it's working. The small seagulls in recent years have migrated deeper into Vardo's center in search of protection from predators. There were roughly 300 kittiwakes nesting in various buildings in the town and now the population there is roughly 1,300, she added. Before the Vardo hotel, there were 'many empty nests around the whole city,' Vidar Hansen said. Reiertsen said kittiwakes and other seabirds are crucial to the region's ecology. Their droppings bring important nutrients into the sea, and further decreases in their population could be dangerous to the entire ecosystem. She said officials need to change their mindset from monitoring the problem to figuring out how to fix it. A potential idea, she added, could be limiting or prohibiting fisheries and boat traffic near nesting colonies. 'We don't have much time,' she said. 'We have to act quickly.' Economic drivers The seabirds are also key to Vardø's economy. Just a short boat ride away from Vardø lies Hornøya Island, a birdwatchers' paradise. Thousands of visitors flock to the uninhabited Hornoya, which is home to some 100,000 seabirds nesting there during breeding season, including much-loved Atlantic puffins, common guillemots and razorbills. But the island's seabird population has also declined dramatically in recent years. There haven't been any recorded common guillemot chicks there since 2018, Belchev said. 'Last summer, I was shocked. 'What's going on here? Where are all the birds?'' he said. If Norway's government closes the island to the public, or birds stop nesting there and the birdwatchers stop coming, it could have a huge impact on Vardøya Island. 'Every small business in the town, it's depending on the tourists to come and visit the island and stay in the town and shop and use the gas station and use the small restaurants,' Belchev said. Heli Sivunen And Stefanie Dazio, The Associated Press Dazio reported from Berlin. Tommi Ojala in Vardø, Norway, contributed to this report.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Georgia's last shorebird and seabird colonies threatened by people, pets, rising tides
Four miles from the marshy shores of Richmond Hill's Fort McAllister Historic State Park sits the Ogeechee Bar: a four-acre sandy oasis just barely above the high tide line, full of tidal pools and Spartina grass. Thousands of royal terns, least terns, sandpipers, American oystercatchers—and their shrieks—fill the air upon our arrival, leaving behind their confetti-speckled green, lavender and white eggs exposed in dimples they dug in the sand. But their departure means that we can't stay for long. The 90-degree heat can cook the chicks unable to regulate their own body temperatures. They need their parents to squat over them for shade, says Georgia Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist Fletcher Smith. 'Five to 15 minutes of the birds being off the nest can kill the whole colony.' But the chicks battle more than heat. This bird haven has already been overcome by king and high tides twice this year that washed away two previous rounds of eggs. Four dead black skimmer chicks lay near the water, three of which are surrounded by a dog's paw prints. 'It's very suspicious,' says Smith, as he and a couple volunteers carry poles and rope to section off about 100 more nests from wandering people and pets. The Ogeechee Bar is one of the last remaining sites for breeding shorebirds and seabirds along the Georgia coast, along with the Brunswick Bird Island, Cumberland Dividings, and Little Tybee Cabbage Island Natural Area. The DNR is now proposing to list these four islands under the protection of the Bird Island Rule enacted in 1998 to shelter five of Georgia's bird breeding islands from human disturbance. But now that these five islands are already compromised, adding these four islands is necessary to protect vulnerable eggs and chicks—especially from pets. 'Someone out here with a dog could wipe out most of the productivity from the state of Georgia and America,' says Georgia DNR program manager Timothy Keyes. The original bird islands Georgia's coast has long served as a rest stop along the Atlantic Flyaway for birds migrating at least a few thousand miles between South America and Greenland, or in some cases, as far as the Arctic Circle. Many of those migrating birds historically nested on Georgia's beach fronts but have left as swaths of shorelines were overtaken by tourism, development and terrestrial predators. When they turned to natural sand bars that formed at the mouths of rivers, those disappeared, too. 'In the last 15 or 20 years, we've had much more erosion and loss than we have had accretion,' says Keyes. And 'sea level rise on the coast doesn't help.' But it appeared that five islands could still provide nesting nooks offshore. In 1998, the DNR enacted the Bird Island Rule to protect the entirety of St. Catherines Island Bar Natural Area, Egg Island Bar Natural Area and Satilla River Marsh Island Natural Area, and restricted parts of the Pelican Spit Natural Area and Williamson Island from human activity. On all, pets are prohibited. For 30 years, this rule has stood without change. But these islands have since succumbed to hurricanes, rising sea level, erosion and infiltration by predators—rendering them inhospitable for nesting. 'All of them are not as good as they were in the late '90s,' says Keyes. The new islands While the law may be outdated, the birds have already moved on. 'These birds are adapted to changing environments,' says Keyes. 'If the bar emerges is high enough, birds will try to use it.' One of the bars just barely high enough for birds to nest is the Ogeechee Bar—a naturally created island made of sediments carried by Ogeechee River, full of fish that get picked up by birds and deposited into the mouths of chicks. Horseshoe crabs also spawn on this island—a critical food source for the 4,000 migrating red knots, a federally threatened species. Another is Brunswick Bird Island—a 9-acre sand pile built by the Army Corps of Engineers looking for a place to dump sediment when dredging the Brunswick port in 2007. A cheap option for the Corps ended up sheltering the largest shorebird and seabird nesting colony in coastal Georgia, partially due the island's 14-foot height that can withstand king tides and so far, some storms. Imported rocks lining its edge prevent sand from slipping into the water. Birds began nesting on Brunswick Bird Island almost immediately after it emerged, and they now seem quite cozy with their roommates—or at least, have an amicable understanding of who goes where, and who gets along with whom. 'Least terns and skimmers always nest together,' Keyes says, as do royal terns and sandwich terns. 'Pelicans typically just nest with pelicans.' Lone ospreys, eagles, and turkey vultures circle overhead to snatch up a chick, but the thick canopy of thousands of birds diving towards their offspring with mouths full of shrimp and fish make hunting difficult. The more birds on the island, 'the more eyes are out looking for predators,' says Keyes. The deadliest predators are four-legged But there are some predators that the birds cannot protect their chicks and eggs from. Short nonnative crowfoot grass covers the top of Brunswick Island like a green and yellow buzzcut, which the DNR is attempting to control with prescribed burns and herbicides sprayed during the winter months, to avoid attracting mammals like hogs and coyotes that can swim for miles from the mainland to the island, Keyes says. And when a predator wreaks havoc one season, the birds 'won't come again,' says Smith, which is what happened on Williamson Island and Little Egg Island with raccoons. They will remember 'for a lifetime, and these birds can live for 20 to 30 years.' As for dogs, the DNR and partner organizations can only rope off sensitive areas of the island, and hope people comply. 'Virtually every time we come out here on a weekend, somebody is bringing dogs,' says Smith. 'For now, we tell them to try to keep their dog on the leash... and keep them away from the seabird colony.' The dogs scare off the birds from their nests, leaving them exposed to heat and predation. Chicks, too, must make risky treks to the water's edge to cool off. Keyes says he has seen plenty of dogs kill birds on the Ogeechee Bar and Georgia's beloved American oystercatcher chicks on Little Tybee Island. As for now, signs are erected on these islands to discourage pets, and sometimes, boats from landing on the island itself, as is the case with Brunswick Island during nesting season from May to August. But DNR's law enforcement team can only penalize people for trespassing the second time they are caught, Keyes says. With the new changes to the Bird Island Rule, people can be penalized the moment they disregard the stated rules, depending on the island. "It's hard for our law enforcement to enforce a closure without this site explicitly listed,' says Keyes. Implications Not only will the DNR add four new sites in the proposed rule change, but it will also be able to add or remove future islands when needed. Like the tides, islands and sand bars will continue to fluctuate through further erosion and storm events, and possibly, predator intrusion. While the DNR is also looking at solutions for beach renourishment and island stability, those may only be temporary fixes. 'We're hoping to build into the rule flexibility, so that we don't have to do this over [again],' Keyes says. In the meantime, the DNR and partner conservations organizations like 100 Miles and Manomet are working to educate the public to stay away from these unlisted sensitive sites with signage, volunteerism, and public forums. Keyes also speaks with ecotourism guides whenever he sees them on the water. 'I give them information about the island,' he says. 'I'll email them the nest counts for the year.' Some guides also voluntarily complete Manomet's certification program, in partnership with the University of Georgia Marine Extension. 'We don't want to take away good recreation opportunities from people,' says Keyes. 'We just want to be able to protect the most vulnerable sites.' After three rounds of public comment, the state Board of Natural Resources is expected to consider the amendments on September 23, 2025. Public Comment The next public hearings for proposed changes to the Bird Island Rule are scheduled for 6 p.m., July 19 at Crooked River State Park, 6222 Charlie Smith Senior Highway, St. Marys, Ga., and at 6 p.m., Aug. 6 at Skidaway Island State Park, 52 Diamond Causeway, Savannah, Ga. The deadline for comments is 4:30 p.m., Aug. 22. Written statements sent by mail must be postmarked by Aug. 22 to Tim Keyes, Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division, Wildlife Conservation Section, One Conservation Way, Suite 310, Brunswick, Ga., 31520. Jillian Magtoto covers climate change and the environment in coastal Georgia. You can reach her at jmagtoto@ This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Four islands to be protected for Georgia's last shorebird colonies Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Arctic birders combat impact of climate change and avian flu on delicate ecosystem
Norway Seabirds VARDØ, Norway (AP) — In one of the top Arctic birding destinations in the world, environmental and health challenges are threatening some of the seabirds that are part of Norway's unique coastal ecosystem. The population of kittiwakes has decreased by 80% since the 1990s along the Scandinavian country's coast. The small seagull species, among others, is under siege from climate change, predation, local fisheries and the bird flu. So the town of Vardø, on the remote Vardøya Island in the Barents Sea, has stepped up to help the migrating visitors. Three years ago, local fisherman Jan Vidar Hansen built a 'seagull hotel' out of crates for kittiwakes and other seabirds to nest in safely. The hotel has the added bonus of limiting the spread of unwelcome smells, dirty nests and droppings that have become a nuisance for the island's human population. 'The first year there was 55 nests. Last year it was 74, and this year we have 76,' Vidar Hansen said. He hopes the local council will agree to build a bigger seagull hotel in the future. Seabirds have long been an important part of the identity of Vardø — so much so that the local museum has an exhibition dedicated to them. The town is known for its birding tourism as much as its radar station, which provides critical data to the U.S. Strategic Command thanks to its location nearly 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Russia's military hub on the Kola Peninsula. The Gulf Stream Norway's northern coast is an ecologically diverse area due to its topography as well as the Gulf Stream, which brings warmer water up from the Gulf of Mexico and then mixes with the cold Arctic air and water. This warmer water keeps the Barents Sea free from ice even though it's north of the Arctic Circle, and brings tons of fish larvae and other biomass up the Norwegian coast. But the Gulf Stream is affected by climate change and is now bringing water that is too warm into the Barents Sea, changing the rich composition of the species there. It affects congregations of seabirds, marine mammals and, of course, many fish species. Fish that need colder water are being pushed further north, while others that require the mix of warmer and Arctic water — like the small schooling fish called capelin — are seeing their migration patterns disturbed. Capelin, for instance, are a major part of the diet for surface-feeding seabirds like kittiwakes, according to Tone Kristin Reiertsen, a researcher with the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. When capelin either swim deeper into the sea to get to colder water, or migrate further north, seabirds cannot get to them, she said. That in turn impacts the success of seabirds' breeding because they depend on capelin to bring to their chicks. Boris Belchev, a bird guide and ranger on the nearby Hornøya Island, says it's a frightening domino effect. "I was seeing birds that usually eat fish on the tundra start eating berries because they don't have their normal food,' he said. With fewer seabirds surviving, those who remain are easy targets for predators like white-tailed eagles, Reiertsen said. Plus, fisheries situated close to the coastal cliff nesting sites can disturb the dynamics of the colonies. And then there's the threat of bird flu. In 2023, a large outbreak killed some 25,000 kittiwakes alone along the northern Norwegian coast, Reiertsen said. 'It felt like an apocalypse," she said. Empty nests Vidar Hansen's seagull hotel in Vardø is one of seven such kittiwake hotels along the Norwegian coast, Reiertsen said. 'It's not an easy task to get the kittiwakes to move in to these hotels,' she said with a laugh. But it's working. The small seagulls in recent years have migrated deeper into Vardø's center in search of protection from predators. There were roughly 300 kittiwakes nesting in various buildings in the town and now the population there is roughly 1,300, she added. Before the Vardø hotel, there were "many empty nests around the whole city,' Vidar Hansen said. Reiertsen said kittiwakes and other seabirds are crucial to the region's ecology. Their droppings bring important nutrients into the sea, and further decreases in their population could be dangerous to the entire ecosystem. She said officials need to change their mindset from monitoring the problem to figuring out how to fix it. A potential idea, she added, could be limiting or prohibiting fisheries and boat traffic near nesting colonies. 'We don't have much time,' she said. 'We have to act quickly.' Economic drivers The seabirds are also key to Vardø's economy. Just a short boat ride away from Vardø lies Hornøya Island, a birdwatchers' paradise. Thousands of visitors flock to the uninhabited Hornøya, which is home to some 100,000 seabirds nesting there during breeding season, including much-loved Atlantic puffins, common guillemots and razorbills. But the island's seabird population has also declined dramatically in recent years. There haven't been any recorded common guillemot chicks there since 2018, Belchev said. 'Last summer, I was shocked. 'What's going on here? Where are all the birds?'' he said. If Norway's government closes the island to the public, or birds stop nesting there and the birdwatchers stop coming, it could have a huge impact on Vardøya Island. 'Every small business in the town, it's depending on the tourists to come and visit the island and stay in the town and shop and use the gas station and use the small restaurants,' Belchev said. __ Dazio reported from Berlin. Tommi Ojala in Vardø, Norway, contributed to this report. __ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at Solve the daily Crossword
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Washington Post
Arctic birders combat impact of climate change and avian flu on delicate ecosystem
VARDØ, Norway — In one of the top Arctic birding destinations in the world, environmental and health challenges are threatening some of the seabirds that are part of Norway's unique coastal ecosystem. The population of kittiwakes has decreased by 80% since the 1990s along the Scandinavian country's coast. The small seagull species, among others, is under siege from climate change , predation, local fisheries and the bird flu .
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Arctic birders combat impact of climate change and avian flu on delicate ecosystem
In one of the top Arctic birding destinations in the world, environmental and health challenges are threatening some of the seabirds that are part of Norway's unique coastal ecosystem. The population of kittiwakes has decreased by 80% since the 1990s along the Scandinavian country's coast. The small seagull species, among others, is under siege from climate change, predation, local fisheries and the bird flu. So the town of Vardø, on the remote Vardøya Island in the Barents Sea, has stepped up to help the migrating visitors. Three years ago, local fisherman Jan Vidar Hansen built a 'seagull hotel' out of crates for kittiwakes and other seabirds to nest in safely. The hotel has the added bonus of limiting the spread of unwelcome smells, dirty nests and droppings that have become a nuisance for the island's human population. 'The first year there was 55 nests. Last year it was 74, and this year we have 76,' Vidar Hansen said. He hopes the local council will agree to build a bigger seagull hotel in the future. Seabirds have long been an important part of the identity of Vardø — so much so that the local museum has an exhibition dedicated to them. The town is known for its birding tourism as much as its radar station, which provides critical data to the U.S. Strategic Command thanks to its location nearly 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Russia's military hub on the Kola Peninsula. The Gulf Stream Norway's northern coast is an ecologically diverse area due to its topography as well as the Gulf Stream, which brings warmer water up from the Gulf of Mexico and then mixes with the cold Arctic air and water. This warmer water keeps the Barents Sea free from ice even though it's north of the Arctic Circle, and brings tons of fish larvae and other biomass up the Norwegian coast. But the Gulf Stream is affected by climate change and is now bringing water that is too warm into the Barents Sea, changing the rich composition of the species there. It affects congregations of seabirds, marine mammals and, of course, many fish species. Fish that need colder water are being pushed further north, while others that require the mix of warmer and Arctic water — like the small schooling fish called capelin — are seeing their migration patterns disturbed. Capelin, for instance, are a major part of the diet for surface-feeding seabirds like kittiwakes, according to Tone Kristin Reiertsen, a researcher with the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. When capelin either swim deeper into the sea to get to colder water, or migrate further north, seabirds cannot get to them, she said. That in turn impacts the success of seabirds' breeding because they depend on capelin to bring to their chicks. Boris Belchev, a bird guide and ranger on the nearby Hornøya Island, says it's a frightening domino effect. "I was seeing birds that usually eat fish on the tundra start eating berries because they don't have their normal food,' he said. With fewer seabirds surviving, those who remain are easy targets for predators like white-tailed eagles, Reiertsen said. Plus, fisheries situated close to the coastal cliff nesting sites can disturb the dynamics of the colonies. And then there's the threat of bird flu. In 2023, a large outbreak killed some 25,000 kittiwakes alone along the northern Norwegian coast, Reiertsen said. 'It felt like an apocalypse," she said. Empty nests Vidar Hansen's seagull hotel in Vardø is one of seven such kittiwake hotels along the Norwegian coast, Reiertsen said. 'It's not an easy task to get the kittiwakes to move in to these hotels,' she said with a laugh. But it's working. The small seagulls in recent years have migrated deeper into Vardø's center in search of protection from predators. There were roughly 300 kittiwakes nesting in various buildings in the town and now the population there is roughly 1,300, she added. Before the Vardø hotel, there were "many empty nests around the whole city,' Vidar Hansen said. Reiertsen said kittiwakes and other seabirds are crucial to the region's ecology. Their droppings bring important nutrients into the sea, and further decreases in their population could be dangerous to the entire ecosystem. She said officials need to change their mindset from monitoring the problem to figuring out how to fix it. A potential idea, she added, could be limiting or prohibiting fisheries and boat traffic near nesting colonies. 'We don't have much time,' she said. 'We have to act quickly.' Economic drivers The seabirds are also key to Vardø's economy. Just a short boat ride away from Vardø lies Hornøya Island, a birdwatchers' paradise. Thousands of visitors flock to the uninhabited Hornøya, which is home to some 100,000 seabirds nesting there during breeding season, including much-loved Atlantic puffins, common guillemots and razorbills. But the island's seabird population has also declined dramatically in recent years. There haven't been any recorded common guillemot chicks there since 2018, Belchev said. 'Last summer, I was shocked. 'What's going on here? Where are all the birds?'' he said. If Norway's government closes the island to the public, or birds stop nesting there and the birdwatchers stop coming, it could have a huge impact on Vardøya Island. 'Every small business in the town, it's depending on the tourists to come and visit the island and stay in the town and shop and use the gas station and use the small restaurants,' Belchev said. __ Dazio reported from Berlin. Tommi Ojala in Vardø, Norway, contributed to this report. __ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
