Let’s call him Bob. He was born in 1975 when Harold Wilson was Prime Minister. On the telly, the popular shows of the time were The Sweeney and Fawlty Towers and the number one songs included Space Oddity by David Bowie and Bye Bye Baby by the Bay City Rollers. It really was quite a long time ago.

But the good news is that, all these years later, Bob is still around and living the good life. He was last spotted in Orkney, on the island of Eynhallow, which is the same place he was born nearly five decades ago. Experts first noticed him on the island when he was a baby on August 24, 1975 and ringed him in his nest. Bob is a bird. Bob is a fulmar.

The fact Bob has lived this long really is extraordinary. In fact, the length of time between him first being ringed by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and being spotted again some 47 years later is a new record for the species. And good on you Bob. We’re similar ages mate, but there you are, up in the sky, soaring, swooping, and totally unaware of interest rates, gas bills, and Trussonomics. I’m a little bit jealous if I’m honest.

Except that the lessons we can learn from Bob’s story, revealed this week in the latest BTO report, are mixed to say the least. There are undoubtedly some positives, such as this one (to be read in a David Attenborough voice): many of Britain’s seabirds live long lives despite dangerous journeys to find food for their young. They are the elder citizens of the natural world: hardy, hardened and, given the right circumstances, long-lived.

But the key phrase there is: given the right circumstances. I was speaking to an expert at the RSPB recently and the word she used about the threats to Britain’s sea birds was “terrifying”. You’ve probably seen the pictures: gulls, guillemots, shearwaters, all dead, all washed up on the coastline, all probably victims of bird flu. Terrifying really is the right word.

And sadly for fulmars like Bob, the longevity we would normally celebrate is actually a bit of a problem as far as bird flu is concerned. The fulmar can get to 12 years old before they lay their first eggs and their early breeding attempts are often unsuccessful, which means it can take the population a long time to recover from disease. Birds like Bob might live a long time but if bird flu does strike, the species is vulnerable.

The good news is that action is being taken. The Scottish Government’s agency NatureScot set up a taskforce in the summer to coordinate the response across Scotland and they told me at the time that they were working to develop an overall strategy that would hopefully prevent a big outbreak happening again, which is all good. Good for Bob as well.

But concerns remain. We need a coordinated plan of action in every part of the UK. We need more and better surveillance, monitoring, reporting and research. We also need to accept the fact that bird flu originated in poultry – it’s the result of human activity and human activity is still making it worse. Why isn’t the fishing industry being forced to use nets that reduce sea bird deaths? Why is the shooting industry allowed to carry on through a bird flu outbreak as if nothing has changed?

My hope is that we are at least starting to get our heads round the big picture and accept that bird flu isn’t just something that happens – part of an inevitable cycle. There are also small things we can do ourselves. One of the biggest threats to seabirds is discarded plastic so next time you’re on a beach, pick up anything that doesn’t belong there. And if you eat seafood, make sure it’s certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, which works to rebuild marine habitats.

These are small steps obviously and in the face of the terrifying scale of bird flu, they might seem too small. But we must do what we can. We must raise the level of alarm. We must do it because our most common seabirds have declined by half since the 1980s. And we must do it because Bob the fulmar is an extraordinary and beautiful creature who’s struggled and adapted and survived for 47 years. I hope he’s still out there. I hope he’s OK. I hope he’s still doing his thing.

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