Atlantic storms take toll on Irish seabird populations

The violent Atlantic storms of last winter took their toll on Ireland’s seabirds with almost half of some species (41%) wiped out, a study has shown.

The country’s western seaboard experienced the worst weather in living memory between last October and March, with storms often coming at a relentless rate of two per week.

Birdwatch Ireland says the severity of the weather, coupled with little recovery time in between the storms, proved too much for some seabird species to withstand.