Iclimbed a low cliff and stationed myself on a bench that overlooked the Firth of Forth. From Kinghorn, the Fife coast and the coast of East Lothian appear to peel away from each other; on the horizon lies the North Sea. There are several islands out in the firth and, as usual, a number of ships were riding at anchor. The ships were connected to the oil industry: the Grangemouth refinery is...
Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 is a known disease in poultry, but now it is scything through wild birds. Last winter it was on the Solway, killing migrant geese. This year it hit the Bass at peak breeding time. Drone footage by Edinburgh University and the Scottish Seabird Centre shows gannets lying dead in their nests, next to their chicks and partners. They’re hanging dead from the cliffs. They’re floating dead on the water, a wreck of feathers. They’re dead on the beaches, all down the coast.