Record number of chicks ringed at Forvie after strong breeding season
More than 1,260 chicks, including over 1,000 Sandwich Terns, have been ringed at Forvie National Nature Reserve following a successful breeding season.
A record 1,264 chicks have been ringed at Forvie National Nature Reserve in Aberdeenshire following a highly productive breeding season for the reserve's tern colonies.
NatureScot staff working with the Grampian Ringing Group ringed more than 1,000 Sandwich Tern chicks and over 100 Arctic Terns, together with smaller numbers of Common Terns and Black-headed Gulls.
Forvie supports around half of Scotland's breeding Sandwich Terns and about 20% of the country's breeding Black-headed Gulls. Arctic Tern is currently Red-listed as a bird of conservation concern.
Each breeding season an enclosure is erected in the southern part of the reserve to protect nesting terns, gulls and Eiders from disturbance. NatureScot says the combination of fencing, monitoring and restrictions on visitor access appears to have helped the birds this year.
The birds have had a really good breeding season, with high chick productivity, which is great to see.
NatureScot reserve manager Catriona Reid said ringing the young birds would allow conservationists to follow their movements and survival, providing important information as seabirds face pressures including climate change and marine pollution.
She also thanked the Grampian Ringing Group volunteers and visitors who observe the seasonal closure of south Forvie, helping to minimise disturbance to the breeding colony.
7 Aug 2026
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