Did you see the incredible Manx Shearwater sequence in the final episode of Wild Isles? We’re fortunate to have an estimated 80% of the world’s Manx shearwaters returning to breed in the UK each spring, reuniting with their lifelong mate to find an underground burrow to lay a single egg. The rest of their time is spent roaming entire oceans.
Nesting in burrows can leave chicks at the mercy of rats and other predators, and if they successfully fledge, finding food out in our oceans is becoming more difficult.
Staff and volunteers at the RSPB have been working to help them overcome the threats they now face...
Photo above: Jaclyn Pearson meets the first Manx shearwater chick in living memory on St Agnes by Nick Tomalin
Why are Manx Shearwaters in trouble?
The distribution and success of Manx Shearwater and other burrow nesting seabirds such as Storm Petrel and Puffin are shaped by the presence of non-native leaving former seabird cities as ghost towns. This has left these birds more vulnerable to the shocks resulting from climate change that can leave some birds starving across parts of their range.
What are the RSPB doing to help?
Manx Shearwaters are of particular importance on both Lundy and the Isles of Scilly.
The island of Lundy in Devon, owned by the National Trust and managed by The Landmark Trust, was once home to a thriving colony of breeding seabirds. In 1939 there were approximately 80,000 individual birds on the island, including Manx Shearwaters, Puffins, Razorbills, and Common Guillemots. However, the national census survey in 2000 found that these numbers had shockingly plummeted with only 7,351 birds remaining. Puffins were near to extinction on the island.
Photo above: RSPB's Paul St Pierre and Helen Booker surveying Lundy for Manx Shearwaters by Jacyln Pearson
It’s a similar story for the Isles of Scilly, 60% of which is managed by the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust. The isles are home to 13 species of seabirds including both European Storm Petrel and Manx Shearwater. The isles were home to around 20,000 birds of all species, but this number started to decline in 1983, with a 25% drop by 2006.
The reasons for these declines in both locations includes rat predation of the ground nesting birds’ eggs, chicks, and sometimes even the adult birds. Rats are introduced predators to the islands, likely to have washed up from shipwrecks in the 18th century. Comparing Lundy’s depleted seabird population with healthy numbers on the nearby rat free islands of Skomer and Skokholm, confirmed rats as the root cause of the declines. Likewise, for the Isles of Scilly - seabird numbers were thriving on the uninhabited and largely rat-free island of Annet. But numbers were steeply dropping on the inhabited isles of St Agnes and Gugh where brown rats were resident.
*Removal of brown rats on the uninhabited islands has been carried out by the Isles of Scilly Environment Trust (now Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust) since 1998 and biosecurity measures are in place at the most important. This has meant some key seabird islands have been maintained 'rat-free', although incursion of rats from the inhabited islands is frequent in winter on others.
Working Together to Save Seabirds
Lundy: In 2001 the Lundy Seabird Recovery Project formed - a partnership between Natural England, RSPB, The National Trust and The Landmark Trust.
With the support of volunteers from the RSPB and The National Trust, experts eradicated rats from Lundy over the winters of 2002/03 and 2003/04. The island was officially declared rat free in 2006 and has remained as such so far.
Photo from left to right: RSPB's Paul St Pierre, Helen Booker and Jaclyn Pearson surveying Manx Shearwater on Lundy
St Agnes and Gugh: In 2010 the Isles of Scilly Seabird Recovery Project was set up – a partnership between RSPB, the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust, Natural England, the Duchy of Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and supported by the Isles of Scilly Bird Group. This was a ground-breaking project because it relied on conservationists working hand-in-hand with the local community to eradicate rats from the two islands. As of February 2016, residents have celebrated a rat-free status. St Agnes and Gugh on the Isles of Scilly are the biggest inhabited islands in the world to become rat-free and the success of this project is because every single resident backed it and actively played a part in supporting the cause. The result was the first chicks of both Manx shearwater and storm petrel being recorded on the islands in living memory.
Photo above: Isles of Scilly community throw their hats in the air to celebrate a rat-free status
Richard McCarthy, Councillor for 12 years for the country's most south westerly and southerly settlements, said: “The opportunity to become Britain's largest rat-free community was something that captured everyone's imagination here, from the oldest farmer to the youngest child.
“The highly professional way that rat removal was planned and carried out won people's unanimous approval. As community representative for the project I can vouch for just how whole-heartedly islanders have lent their support to the tasks required. We’re delighted to see both Manx shearwaters and storm petrels back breeding on territory that had not witnessed such happenings for more than a century.”
Celebrating Seabird Successes
Lundy: A massive positive response from the seabirds since becoming rat free – with numbers of all the key species going through the roof. Manx shearwaters and puffins have increased dramatically, and storm petrels have recolonised.
Top Lundy Seabird Increases from the 2000 survey-2018 survey:
There are now over 276,000 seabirds breeding on Lundy, up from 7,351 prior to rat eradication.
Photo above: Puffin sat in a patch of pink thrift on Lundy by Paul St Pierre
Helen Booker, RSPB Senior Conservation Officer, said: “‘The increases we are seeing in seabirds on Lundy is way beyond our expectations. The eradication of rats has had a profound positive impact. The island is once again internationally important for seabirds. As well as safe nesting sites, the birds need enough food, and it appears the seas around Lundy are supporting this amazing recovery.
“The Landmark Trust is doing a fantastic job in keeping the island rat free. The success of seabird recovery on Lundy is thanks to all the organisations and volunteers involved in the rat eradication and seabird monitoring.”
Top Results for St Agnes and Gugh from last survey in 2015:
The incredible increases in the other seabirds have further added value to the project. We are however still seeing severe declines in herring gull and black-backed gull and their future on the island is uncertain.
John Peacock, Isles of Scilly community member said: “The latest monitoring carried out shows significant increases in successful breeding pairs of Manx shearwaters and storm petrels. We also believe that birds born on St Agnes in the first few years of the project are now returning to set up burrows of their own.”
Photo above: RSPB Staff surveying Isles of Scilly birdlife
Saving Manx Shearwaters
Surveying for Manx shearwaters is a special experience, carried out by playing a recording of male and female duetting Manx’s at the entrance to their burrows. Quietly crouched down, MP3 player in hand – surveyors hold their breath as they wait - if there’s an incubating adult inhabiting the burrow they might call back. We know only about half reply.
Before the eradication of rats from Lundy and the Isles of Scilly, surveyors were met with the ghostly sound of silence from many burrows. But thankfully today, burrow after burrow calls back with the strange, wheezy cooing of a Manxy . Listen to a Manx Shearwater calling back from their burrow on Lundy here.
Photo above: Surveyor on the Isles of Scilly playing an MP3 recording down a burrow to survey Manx shearwaters by Ed Marshall
What are communities doing to help? It’s one thing to remove rats from an island, it’s quite another to keep them off. This requires a lot of vigilance and biosecurity is top of the agenda for Lundy and the Isles of Scilly.
On Lundy biosecurity (measures taken to prevent rats returning to the island) is led by The Landmark Trust who manage the island and the boat that transport goods and people to and from the Island. The RSPB has worked with the Trust to write a detailed biosecurity plan and currently the Biosecurity for Life team have received DEFRA funding to assist further. Key measures include:
Biosecurity on the Isles of Scilly:
Photo above: Volunteer residents check bait station on Isles of Scilly by Nick Tomalin
Jaclyn Pearson, Biosecurity Officer said: “As the RSPB Project Manager for Isles of the Scilly Seabird Recovery Project, I am so proud of the efforts of everyone involved over the five-year project, in particular I continue to be impressed by the efforts of the partners carrying out biosecurity measures to keep the islands rat-free. There are 20 volunteers on St Agnes who carry out biosecurity checks, and in the South West region volunteers are trained to assist both the Isles of Scilly and Lundy if a rodent incursion response is needed. I am so grateful for all the people power involved in protecting our special seabirds into the future.
Photo above: Jaclyn Pearson surveying Lundy, cliff tops in the background by Paul St Pierre
John Peacock, Isles of Scilly community member and Biosecurity volunteer, said: “As a business owner on St Agnes, the project to eradicate rats from the isles and save our seabirds has had wider positive impacts too. I provide boating wildlife safaris for visitors keen to view the seabirds and hear about the conservation work to remove rats. And as a community member and seabird heritage volunteer I assist to keep the islands rodent free through biosecurity, ensuring rodents do not return on my boat. I feel proud that together the project partners and community continue to safeguard our wildlife.”
Photo above: Volunteers John and Trish Peacock being trained by RSPB's Jaclyn Pearson on how to check the bait stations.
Future Aspirations - Better Protection for the Islands
Lundy is currently designated as of national importance for some seabirds and has limited protection as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The surrounding important seabird foraging areas remain unprotected. Recent surveys have found it now supports internationally important numbers of seabirds, particularly Manx shearwaters, which means that it now qualifies for increased statutory protection as a Special Protection Area (SPA) Partners are hoping to make this happen as it will offer enhanced protection for the seabird colonies that call Lundy home. And it means that the bird population will be automatically considered in the same way that other iconic and internationally important sites would be for any proposals such offshore wind developments.
On the Isles of Scilly, St Agnes and Gugh are the only two islands in the archipelago to become rat free – some of the other islands have rats resident on them and the dream would be to carry out eradication on all of the islands. But this is a much bigger project that depends heavily on funding as well as more community backing.
Photo above: Guillemots gather on the cliffs of Lundy by Paul St Pierre
Healthier Seas
A key factor for both Lundy and the Isles of Scilly after building these fantastic havens for seabirds, is to focus on making the seas that they feed in healthier.
It’s likely that birds from all these islands, including Skomer, use similar feeding grounds. Climate change could be a big issue affecting our Celtic seas and the food they provide. And these seas have also become a testbed for floating wind turbines which could impact seabirds like the Manx shearwater. Manx’s are attracted to light and so could be drawn towards the lights on the floating turbines and hit by their propellers. The birds could also become displaced by actively avoiding turbines that are located over their feeding grounds. More research needs to be done on what food sources these island birds rely on and where they are finding them. And then work towards getting these areas designated to safeguard the birds and their food form further developments.
If we continue to work together - conservationists, residents, and visitors, to help give seabirds a safe home on Lundy and the Isles of Scilly, their future looks bright and abundant. The seabirds of Lundy and the Isles of Scilly will be surveyed again this summer (the last survey was 2018) – we hope we have even more to celebrate.
Photo above: Manx Shearwater flying across sea by Ed Marshal
What can I do to help?
Five things visitors can do to make a difference:
For Lundy: Speak to the island warden, Dean Jones.
For the Isles of Scilly call our 'rat on a rat' hotline on: 01720 4221543
2. When packing for an island visit, please check bags and any equipment for rats e.g. camping equipment or climbing gear that may have been stored in sheds or garages
3. Avoid seabird colonies, keep dogs under close control and move away from birds showing signs of distress.
4. Please follow restrictions on visiting the uninhabited islands on Scilly as all are important for wildlife.
5. Always dispose of waste properly and help to keep our beaches clean – litter provides food and nesting material for rats as well as being a hazard for seabirds and other marine life.
We need your help to protect our important seabird heritage on Lundy and the Isles of Scilly. Head to the Biosecurity for Life website to find out more. Together we can keep these islands 'rat free'.