A Firth of Forth island which has seen an increase in its population of eiders is to feature on BBC’s Springwatch.
The Isle of May’s nesting eider ducks will be documented in the BBC Two show which is presented by Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan.
Staff on the national nature reserve have hailed the rise in numbers as hugely significant as colonies elsewhere dwindle.
Springwatch will feature two short films about the nesting eiders, whose neighbours on the island include around 200,000 seabirds including puffins, kittiwakes and guillemots.
In his blog, Scottish Natural Heritage reserve manager David Steel said the result of the popular count conducted in late May was fabulous news.
He said: “The number of incubating female eiders has increased on the Isle of May with 1,183 nesting birds, an increase of 4% since our last count in 2016.
“It may not sound much but it is hugely significant as a number of other colonies are reporting declining populations down the east coast.
“This figure represents almost 5% of the British breeding population and is the third highest ever counted on the island.
“It’s great news for the species despite the impacts of the early spring weather and predation.”
