Well, it's been a couple of weeks since the last blog post and a whirlwind of a few weeks it's been. Up and down weather, Manx Shearwater tracking work, seal pup monitoring, marine surveys, and much more. I think it's about time I fill you in on all things Ramsey.
Despite the some bad weather days we have been treated to some very beautiful sunrises!! This was taken on the 31st of July © Alys Perry.
Since the last blog post, we welcomed two more volunteers to the Island on the 23rd of July. Emily & Mary were brilliant and it was great to have more volunteers who are as mad about sea swimming as we are. However, Emily & Mary both had to leave early as the weather changed quite considerably and they couldn't chance being stuck on for another week. Thank you so much to you both even though your time was cut short it was great to have you on the island and we look forward to welcoming you back next year. After Mary & Emily left we had no volunteers until the 6th of August as the weather was so changeable.
In the meantime, we welcomed the lovely Tim & Lou from the OxNav research group on the 23rd of July to undertake some Manx Shearwater GPS tracking studies on the Island. The aim of the project was to work out where the shearwaters were feeding during the chick-rearing stage so that this data can be used to better inform the conservation and management of this species. Ramsey was just one of several islands involved in this study, the others included Copeland, Skomer & Skokholm. All tagging was completed simultaneously across the island so that the data could be compared between islands.
The GPS tracking work involved many nights hankered down in the bracken in the middle of the night waiting for breeding Manx Shearwaters to return to their burrows to feed their chicks. We had some beautiful clear moonlit nights where you could hear the call of Curlew and Manx Shearwaters all night. But we also had some nights with torrential rain and 30mph gusts so hiding behind the stone walls was essential to stay warm and dry until 4 am in the morning. The data was definitely worth the sleepless nights as the GPS tracks the breeding shearwaters produced were incredible!! I have attached some photos of the tracks with a little explanation of each below.
This map is illustrating the track of 7 GPS tagged Manx Shearwaters on Ramsey Island and where they went while provisioning for their chick over the course of 4 days.
This is one of the tracks from a Manx Shearwater on Ramsey that went almost halfway to Greenland on a foraging trip over 10 days before returning to the island to feed its chick.
Thank you so much to Tim & Lou at OxNav for letting us join them on their nightwork! We loved every second of it and can't wait to welcome you back for more wild nights on the sea cliffs.
DISCLAIMER*********
All seabirds were handled under appropriate BTO licenses and under the BTO & RSPB avian flu protocols. All adults tagged were monitored carefully and all chicks continued to progress and grow as normal.
On the 4th of August, we undertook our first marine intertidal surveys of the harbour on Ramsey. These surveys are part of the national standardized Marclim surveys which are undertaken all across the UK. We plan to continue these surveys every year on the Island so that any new species or major changes to the marine habitat around the island can be recorded. This was great fun and we thoroughly enjoyed exploring through the seaweed and kelp recording different marine life. The main features of the surveys were to record, barnacles, limpets, topshells and seaweeds, and any other notable species we could find. As this was our first survey we weren't sure what to expect but the harbour is certainly teaming with marine life. I have added a few photos of some of the interesting species recorded.
I will do a little summary of our findings from the surveys in our next blog once all the quadrat data has been analysed. Thank you so much to NRW and the staff at Marclim for their support and advice in undertaking these surveys.
Chris identifying some seaweed in a quadrat from the midshore © Alys Perry
A small edible crab hiding under a piece of seaweed in the harbour © Alys Perry
One of several brittle starts recorded during our surveys © Alys Perry.
Between all the nightwork and marine surveys myself & Nia kept ourselves busy by monitoring the number of seal pups being born on the island, bracken bashing, and catching up with all our admin.
The sheepdogs joining us for a bit of bracken management © Nia Stephens.
Our next set of volunteers finally managed to get onto the Island on the 6th of August. Katie & Charlie were ready to get stuck in and have been busy with, Chough feeding transects, Puffin painting, helping with visitors, checking reptile tiles, and painting the island signs and benches since they arrived.
Charlie painting some of the visitor benches © Alys Perry.
Katie tidying up some of the trail signs around the island © Alys Perry.
Wildlife Round-Up
The numbers of Chough are certainly starting to build on the Island with the Abermawr roost now up to 44 individuals.
On the 5th of August, a colour-ringed adult Chough was spotted feeding in the Northern fields. With a metal ring on the left and a brown and orange colour rings on the right! This is very exciting as it's believed to be one of the Colomenodd fledglings that were ringed on the island in 2017. It is now an adult who likely breeds somewhere on the Pembrokeshire mainland. Sadly, it flew off before I could get a decent photo.
In theme with colour-ringed birds, Katie & Charlie have been looking out for colour-ringed gulls and spotted a green colour ringed Lesser Black-backed Gull feeding on the flying ants on the Northern fields on the 9th of August. It turns out that N:6L4 was ringed as a pullus on the 5th of July 2023 in the Forest of Bowland by the North-West Gull Group. Always amazing to get some colour ring gull records on the island.
A Jay made an appearance on the Island on the 27th of July along with two Black Guillemots in Ramsey Sound on the 1st of August.
Our Kestrel pair fledged their check on the 3rd of August and has been seen regularly on the Island since.
Adult female kestrel perched on a stone wall © Alys Perry.
A Grey Plover made an appearance on the 4th of August in the Central Fields, along with a Greenshank in the harbour on the 6th.
Large numbers of Curlew have been recorded coming into roost on the island with up to 36 individuals over the last couple of weeks. Whimbrel are also turning up in flocks of 6-7 feeding in the Northern fields.
Robins are turning up in large numbers now and are busily singing away.
Young Willow Warblers are also turning up in greater numbers now including a few Chiffchaff to.
We now have seal pups on all 10 of our main study beaches on the island with more appearing every day. It won't be long until we are in the full swing of the pupping season and we can't wait for it!
Until next week.
Alys Perry
Assistant Warden
Assistant Warden Ramsey & Grassholm Island