Counts and breeding success of Black- legged Kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla nesting on man-made structures along the River Tyne, northeast England, 1994-2009

Abstract

Numbers of Black-legged Kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla nesting up to 17 km inland on man-made structures along the River Tyne, northeast England, ranged between 72 and 531 successful nests (those raising at least one well-grown chick) from 1994 to 2009, and 465–755 apparently occupied nests in 2000–09. The number of pairs each year was influenced by the availability of suitable nesting sites, in turn affected by man’s efforts to deter birds from certain buildings. While breeding success was influenced by local summer weather in some years, being suppressed by heavy rainfall, it compared favourably with natural colony sites along the coast of northeast England.