Stark before and after photographs reveal sharp decline of Norway’s seabirds

When Rob Barrett set out to survey one of the country's largest colonies in the 1970s there were too many birds to count. Now, his pictures and archive images show a species decline echoed around the world

In the mid-1970s, seabird researcher Rob Barrett set out in a rubber boat to survey one of Norway's largest seabird colonies. Equipped with a camera and a pair of binoculars, he planned to photograph the Syltefjord colony, in the far north of the country, then, back on land, develop the photos and fit them together to create a panorama. After that, he would count the birds.

As the boat drew closer to the cliffs, the gulls' chattering increased to an overwhelming level. So did the smell. The cliffs rose 100 metres above him, kittiwakes filling every nook and crevice. It continued like that for five kilometres along the coast.