Are you interested in seeing some of the stunning seabirds in the Firth of Forth?
Why not consider the RSPB's Seabird Cruises which are available during the summer?

South Queensferry Cruises
Join the RSPB aboard the Maid of the Forth for a 3 hour fun and fact filled trip around the islands of the Forth. 

Starting under the iconic Forth bridges we will sail east past Inchgarvie, Inchcolm and Inchmickery out to our turning point at Inchkeith.  Along the way we are sure to see many of the birds that make up the fantastic seabird colonies found in the forth including puffins, fulmars, eiders and shags as well as seals hauled out on buoys, terns fishing and we may even catch a glimpse of peregrine falcon hunting. 

With in-depth commentary from RSPB experts bringing the environment to life, it’s sure to be a fun and fact filled cruise!

Cruises sail on Sunday 4th June and Sunday 2nd July at 6pm.

North Berwick Cruise
Hop aboard the ‘Seafari Explorer’ catamaran for a two hour trip around the fascinating Forth islands. 

Sailing from North Berwick harbour we will first head west towards Fidra, said to the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s treasure island and now a RSPB nature reserve, before turning to head back towards Craigleith and on towards the Bass rock, the world’s largest colony of Northern gannets and ‘one of the wildlife wonders of the world’. 

We will see gannets fishing, seals basking and puffins galore as we see hear and smell the wildlife spectacle that helps make the forth such a special place.

Cruise sails on Saturday 17th June at 6pm.

Cost?
The North Berwick cruise is £20 for adults (RSPB members £18) and £12 for children.
The South Queensferry cruise is £18 for adults (RSPB members £16) and £7 for children. Family tickets (two adults and two children) are £40.
 
To book, visit maidoftheforth.co.uk or for more information call 01324 832853

Today's guest blog is by Lizzy Green and the Sandeel literature review she has been working on:

"I’m a Species and Habitats Officer on the Roseate Tern Life Project in the Nature Recovery Unit and have been working with the RSPB since January 2017.

The main objective of my role is to improve our understanding of tern diets around the British Isles by gathering and synthesising information from the peer-reviewed and grey literature. This involves collating information on what terns are eating, how this varies spatially, temporally and between species, and how this variation in diet affects tern breeding success. I am also analysing the impacts of diet on tern productivity using a long-term data set of Arctic tern chick provisioning from two sites on Anglesey. However, another crucial aspect of my role is gathering ecological information about key prey species for terns, such as the lesser sandeel (Ammodytes marinus).

The lesser sandeel is one of the most important prey species for seabirds around the UK, providing a high-lipid food source that, due to its long, thin body shape, is easy for chicks to swallow. However, the availability of sandeels fluctuates between years and can have severe impacts on seabird breeding success, particularly for populations with little or no access to alternative prey. Further, adult sandeels demonstrate limited dispersal ability and high habitat specificity, rendering this species vulnerable to local depletion and climate-driven reductions in their zooplankton prey.

In this literature review I collate information on the ecology, status, and distribution of the lesser sandeel, consider the drivers of inter-annual variation in populations, summarise evidence demonstrating the importance of the species for seabirds and discuss the current and potential impacts of climate change, fisheries and other factors on sandeel populations."

Drone Footage of the newly created nesting bund on a chenier in Lymington, gives us an amazing bird's eye view!

It's a good sign that the hand-made and painted common tern decoys are visible from the sky as it means the prospecting terns will also be able to see them and will hopefully consider this place a suitable safe haven to nest!

We'll keep you posted!