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The Conversation
The Conversation
Environment
Richard Gregory, Honorary Professor of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, UCL

Seabirds: 40% of UK species in trouble – bird flu, climate change and overfishing to blame

Nesting northern gannets, guillemots and razorbills at the RSPB Bempton Cliffs reserve on the Yorkshire coast. Robert Simmons

A visit to a seabird colony in summer is an assault on the senses. First there’s the noise, then the overwhelming ammonia smell that stains the memory, and then the swirl of colour and activity on the white-washed cliffs.

When you’re standing hundreds of metres above the crashing sea, there can be hundreds or thousands of breeding seabirds in the air or on the sea below, or precariously perched on poorly made nests or ridiculously narrow ledges.

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