Stornoway hosts record number of Iceland gulls 22/1/12
RSPB Scotland is reporting that a recent influx of Iceland gulls into the Western Isles has broken all records.
RSPB conservation officer Martin Scott said: “We first noticed unusually large numbers of Iceland gulls around the coast a week or two ago. But since then they have just kept coming.
“I counted no fewer than 51 individuals in Stornoway harbour recently – that is a UK record. In fact, that is more Iceland gulls in one place than is usually found in the whole of the British Isles.
“The reference to Iceland in the name reflects the fact that these birds are often found in Iceland during the winter months. They actually breed much further away, around Greenland and Arctic islands north of Canada.
“ It’s funny to think that the birds bobbing around the fishing boats in the harbour were just a few months ago up in the Arctic probably scavenging from the kills made by polar bears. That’s a long way from picking up the remains from a fish and chip wrapper in Stornoway!”