Work to remove old harbour structures at Kyleakin harbour has been halted after nesting gull chicks were discovered.
Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL), which owns the infrastructure, appointed Orkney-based Leask Marine to demolish the redundant ferry berthing infrastructure.
However, when Leask Marine arrived on-site over the weekend ready to start work on Monday, three gull chicks were found nesting on top of one of the structures.
CMAL has demobilised the project to avoid disturbing the young birds.
Brian Sydney, senior engineer at CMAL, said: “The area was checked for wildlife during the initiation phase, but clearly the birds have set-up home in the intervening period.
“We can’t move or disturb the chicks, so we have decided the best and most efficient action is to return to site later in the summer after the chicks have flown the nest - timings have yet to be confirmed, but it’s likely we will return in September.”
The two 'dolphin' structures are being demolished and removed because they are no longer needed.
They were part of the harbour infrastructure for the Kyle of Lochalsh to Kyleakin ferry service and haven’t been used since the ferry service stopped in 1995 when the Skye Bridge opened.
Don't miss the latest headlines with our twice-daily newsletter - sign up here for free.
