The Common Scoter is the only breeding species of duck in the UK to be classed as threatened as breeding numbers have suffered more than a 50% decline over the last 25 years.
Background
In Northern Ireland the Common Scoter is now extinct as a breeding species. This dramatic decline in numbers has been caused by factors such as predation, pollution and reduced food availability.
During the breeding season, when the birds move onto favoured moorland heather nesting sites, the Scoter and its young are vulnerable to their main land predator, feral Mink (its presence the by-product of human actions). These same nesting areas have also been taken over for forestry planting, often with trees packed in right to the water’s edge, denying the birds access to historical nesting sites.
Water quality is also widely affected by afforestation, as rainwater run-off from lakeside pine plantations is highly acidic and affects the quality of water and hence the quantity and quality of food available to the birds.
WWT conservation action
Because of its threatened status in the UK, a Biodiversity Action Plan for the species has been produced by the UK Government for which WWT is one of the lead partners in its implementation.
One of the great difficulties in securing the Common Scoter’s future is that its habits remain something of a mystery. We have no idea where our breeding birds winter, nor where our wintering birds breed. This information is crucial if the targets of the UK Common Scoter Biodiversity Action Plan are to be met. Yet, it seems that this plump, black sea duck is a fighter, and WWT’s Threatened Species team aims to solve some of these mysteries and unlock the secrets of the Common Scoter’s lifecycle and use that knowledge to halt its sorry decline.