As part of their new campaign and appeal, the island-based charity, which looks after around half of the land across the south-westerly archipelago (700ha), is also delighted to unveil its new logo as part of an ongoing brand refresh.

Oystercatchers are one of Scilly's most iconic island birds. With their striking black-and-white plumage, red legs and carrot-like bill, their shrieks and shrills can be heard on many beaches, headlands and rocks. They gather in groups to roost and feed, can be spotted commuting between the islands and raise their vulnerable chicks on the more secluded spots around our coast.

However, island-wide surveys in 2006 and 2015 suggest that breeding oystercatcher numbers are declining across the Isles of Scilly, dropping from 136 territories in 2006 to under 100 in 2015 – a decrease of 27%. This echoes a national decline, with the UK breeding population falling by 22% between 1995 and 2020, and oystercatchers are now Amber-listed in the UK and classed as Near Threatened in Europe. For other shorebirds, like ringed plovers, the declines are even more stark and concerning. It is likely that no ringed plovers successfully raised young on St Mary's last year.

Whilst oystercatchers can nest on more secluded uninhabited islands and rocky outcrops, the local wildlife charity suspects that increased disturbance across many beaches is playing a role in their declines.

Julian Branscombe, CEO of the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust, says, ‘Oystercatchers and other shorebirds are highly vulnerable to disturbance, even from the most well-meaning of people. Walking dogs close to nests and young birds is the major concern, but other forms of recreation can cause big problems, too. We’re working across the archipelago to give oystercatchers and other shorebirds the best chance of raising their young successfully, but we need help from the public to make this happen.’

The charity is aiming to raise funds to expand their work for shorebirds. This summer, their team have worked with communities on all five inhabited islands to protect shorebirds from harm, including identifying and monitoring active nests, putting out signs and raising awareness of the impacts of dogs. Where required, cordons are in place, but the charity believes that education and responsible recreation are the key to long-term success.

In addition, the Trust is keen to embed community science into their new campaign, asking people to share their sightings of oystercatchers as part of their island-wide breeding seabird survey.

Julian continues, ‘Oystercatchers are relatively easy to spot, and many people are familiar with their noisy cries and striking appearance. We are encouraging everyone to submit their sightings to our website so that we can build up a full picture of which birds are where, what their critical feeding and roosting sites are and how we can best protect them. Every piece of data submitted will help.’

‘This campaign feels so timely for us. Oystercatchers need our help now and we can all actively play a role in protecting them. We’re delighted that our new logo has been launched at the same time. Our old logo had served us well since the 1980s, but it was time for an update. We hope that our community and visitors like our new look and feel inspired to support our latest campaign.’