News From The Rock #62 - Day Trip! - Ramsey Island and Grassholm - Ramsey Island and Grassholm

20 Oct 2020

It's fair to say we've not made it off Ramsey much this season, in fact the furthest I've been since March is Porth Clais in the boat to pick up supplies! So there was a degree of excitement in the air last week when the weather gods played ball to allow us to get to the other reserve we manage from here, Grassholm. Many of you will know that each autumn, once the bulk of the gannets have left for the winter, we head out to cut free any fledglings (and some adults) that have become ensnared in fishing line during the season (the birds spot it floating on the surface of the sea, mistake it for seaweed and bring it ashore to add to their nest domes).

The good news is 2020 saw the lowest number on record that needed freeing. Just 15 birds from a colony of 36,000 pairs. This is the 3rd year in a row numbers have declined. The colony size is stable, productivity (number of young produced each year) is around average so it could just be good fortune that less birds are being caught up in this fishing waste in recent years. It is not as easy as saying less plastic is coming ashore as a lot of it is deeply embedded in the nest lining and has been there for many years. Time will tell if this trend continues

A huge thank you to our regular Ramsey boat operator Thousand Islands Expeditions for donating 4 free hours of boat time to get us out there and back. It's been a tough year for them in the tourist industry so this was a hugely generous act

One of just 14 young gannets that needed freeing in 2020 (plus 1 adult)

Like a lunar surface, Grassholm looks very different that this time of year. Each one of those domes is home to a pair of gannets in the season

Back on Ramsey, last week saw settled weather with cold easterlies and sunny throughout. This makes for cracking sunrises and sunsets, both of which are at a sensible time again now! The first winter migrants began arriving with good numbers of redwing and fieldfare along with more scarce island visitors such as mistle thrush, ring ouzel and coal tit. Summer tried to cling on with a few late wheatears still heading south and the second yellow-browed warbler of the autumn put in an appearance.

Red kites have become an increasing feature of spring and autumn on Ramsey over the years (if you remember, two pairs spent the whole of May and June with us this year). 10 birds were logged here over the weekend, something I never tire of seeing.