How Birds Use Our Waters – Part 3: The High Seas

Written for UK Youth For Nature's Oceans Campaign (20/06/2021)

This past month at UK Youth for Nature we have been celebrating our oceans and the incredible diversity of life which depends on them, including us. I have focused on birds as often overlooked inhabitants of the marine environment, heavily dependent on it as we are for food, the air we breathe, and the regulation of our climate. This time we complete our journey, finally arriving in the ‘High Seas’, the parts of our ocean beyond national jurisdiction which cover a staggering 50% of our planet’s surface area! Along the way we have discovered how a great wealth of bird species rely upon the UK’s coastlines and territorial waters all year round, including our overseas territories, and we have talked about how our country has a huge responsibility to protect globally important bird populations.

However, most of these birds are not just tied to one country but are international in their lifestyles. For example, almost the entire world population of Manx shearwaters (Puffinus puffinus) breed in the UK, but they only spend part of the year on our shores. From July to March they migrate and winter in the South Atlantic, mainly off the coasts of Brazil and Argentina. Even during the breeding season they can feed many hundreds of kilometres away if conditions are right, way beyond the national jurisdiction of any country. Whilst we can try to protect birds at their breeding grounds or within territorial waters, in order to ensure a stable future for all bird species this needs to happen in all of the areas which are important for them, including the High Seas.

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How Birds Use Our Waters – Part 2: UK Territorial Waters

Written for UK Youth For Nature's Oceans Campaign (28/05/2021)

In my last blog post for UK Youth for Nature’s oceans campaign, I looked at how our coasts are crucial in supporting a huge diversity of bird species all year round. This time I’ll be travelling further out into our territorial waters, to see how the fate of the seabirds which call our shores home are inextricably tied to the health of our oceans.

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How Birds Use Our Waters – Part 1: Coastal Birds

Written for UK Youth For Nature's Oceans Campaign (15/05/2021)

When thinking about animals which use the marine environment, birds might not be the first to come to mind. However, the UK is responsible for globally important numbers of birds which use our shores and seas in some way. As part of UK Youth for Nature’s oceans campaign, I’ll be journeying from our coastlines, into territorial waters, and finally beyond to the high seas, to show how birds rely on these environments as well as the threats they face.

For this first post, I’ll be looking into the species which live along our shores. With over 31,000 kilometres of coastline, there is plenty of habitat available for our coastal birds, and they are alive with activity all year round.

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