Selfie-hunters at Saltee Islands caused breeding to plummet

Tourists interfering with habitats often lead to Great Northern Gannets such as these leaving their nests temporarily opening the way for predators to steal the gannets’ one and only egg. Picture: Medford Taylor/National Geographic/Getty Images

Reproduction rates among northern gannets were hit by 60% at one of the country's beauty spots because of people taking selfies.

Research by a student of the Environmental Research Institute at University College Cork looked at the disturbance to birds at Great Saltee Island in Co Wexford, which is one of the most important seabird colonies in Ireland.