A sad story from this month, this is a bird pellet presumed to be from a great skua which was found on a clifftop between Gunnawark and Troili in Fair Isle. Included in the pellet are lots of feathers which are believed to be from a juvenile common gull, known prey of great skuas. What you will also notice is there are a variety of different plastic fragments within the pellet.

Plastic pollution poses a major threat to seabirds as they can often mistake floating plastic debris for food. Ingestion of plastic can have major lethal and sublethal effects on seabirds, including inflammation of the digestive tract, toxic effects and starvation. Seabird populations in Scotland are in long-term decline and face a number of different pressures.

One way we can all help to address plastic pollution is to make sure all plastic waste is disposed of properly and recycled where possible. Also, by making efforts to clean up existing plastic waste in our natural environment and coastal areas.

Regular beach cleans take place in Fair Isle coordinated by FIMRO’s seasonal education officer and plastic is usually the most common type of litter collected. This valiant effort by community members and visitors help to remove plastic waste from Fair Isle’s shores which is then recycled. The different types of litter collected are recorded which to help us to monitor the different types and identify potential sources of marine litter.

Jonnie Fisk