Removal of stoats sees isles bird species population soar

THE curlews of Orkney are bouncing back following an effort to reduce the numbers of an invasive predator, experts have said.

- By Ryan McDougall

According to a new report from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), the curlew population has grown after an initiative to reduce the number of stoats on the islands came into force.

The small, carnivorous mammals were first recorded in Orkney in 2010.

Five years ago, a survey of wading birds in Orkney revealed that the number of curlews in the isles had declined by more than 50% in a decade.