Whistle Stop 2020 Part 3: Autumn into winter

The final look at 2020 sees us leave summer behind as we slide into ever shortening days. The once vibrant heathland colours slowly slip into a deep orange, illuminated by classic autumn sunrises, which are at a much more sensible time of day by now! But autumn on Ramsey is dominated by one thing....grey seals!

September

The first seal pup was actually born on 15th July on Cololmennod. This beach always returns the first of the season, sometimes as early as June. These are 'outliers' and, save for the occasional odd few in July, it is mid to late August before things start to get going in earnest. Our first official seal pup round was 23 August this year when the nine monitored beaches (which account for roughly 50% of all pups born) held 16 pups between them. With Storms Ellen and Francis, on 21/8 and 25/8 respectively, out of the way before too many pups had been born, September's weather was largely benign. This was good news for the pups as peak births usually occur around the 3rd week of the month, and so it proved in 2020 when 191 pups were logged on the 26/9 round.

Away from the hustle and bustle of the seal rookeries, Manx shearwater chicks were fledging. The peak period is late August through to mid September. We head out on suitable nights and try and ring up to 200 each year, taking weight measurements at the same time. Fledging weight is crucial to first year survival. The heavier they are when they leave the colony the more chance of surviving those arduous first few weeks which will see them leave the sanctuary of their burrows on Ramsey and head to the sea off the Rio del Plata in Argentina.

Their route will take them via the west coast of Iberia, to the increasingly dangerous and highly overfished waters off west Africa, then a bee line across the southern Atlantic to their second home. All this within 3-4 weeks (some as quick as 16 days!) of leaving Wales. Fishing opportunities for young, inexperienced birds en route are few and far between and it is thought that most try and make the journey using fat reserves alone, hence the need for them to achieve that optimum weight at fledging.

Fledgling Manx shearwater ready for the off

If they make it to Argentina they will encounter rich feeding grounds, where the cold Falkland (or Malvinas) Current mixes with the tropical Brazil Current . 'Our' birds will remain off the coast of south America for around 4-5 months before making the journey back up the Brazilian coast, skirting the Gulf of Mexico and the eastern seaboard of the USA before the final leg across the north Atlantic and back to Ramsey. The chicks that fledged this year will spend over a year at sea before returning in their second year to touch down on land, most likely back on Ramsey and, thanks to knowledge gained from ringing records, within 100m of the very burrow they were born in some cases. (I say 'our bird' a lot but a friend of mine in Argentina assures me they are as fondly thought of in south America where they are known as Pardela Pichoneta (in Spanish) and Bobo-pequeno (in Portuguese).

Not all chicks reared on Ramsey stay to breed here however. This year we had a ringing record of a five year old bird that is now breeding on Ynys Enlli (Bardsey) in north Wales

The heather, having bloomed so bright in late August and early September begins to fade, giving way to the magical rusty colours of....

October

Seal pup births slowed down but still kept us busy. We carry out a full survey of the monitored beaches every three days. From this data, a formula calculates the total estimate for the whole island (taking account of the many caves and hidden beaches which are surveyed periodically to keep the correction factor formula up to date). The first and only named Met Office storm of the pupping season (Alex) hit us on 4th October. Despite pup numbers still being high at this point and it coinciding with big spring tides, there were minimal casualties. Overall weather wise it was a typical month - wet, windy and mild. Winter thrushes passed through on the colder days and the first of two yellow-browed warblers put in an appearance. The only other birds new for the 'year list' this month were mistle thrush, long-tailed tit and purple sandpiper. 

Yellow-browed warbler on Ramsey

November

We ceased seal pup monitoring on 10th November with just 16 pups left on the nine beaches. 365 pups had been born on our monitored beaches, giving a whole island estimate of 760. Although small in comparison to the east coast colonies such as the Farnes and Isle of May, this represents the largest grey seal pupping site in the SW of the UK. People often think grey seals are common and, while certainly doing quite well at the moment, they are a scarce species globally. Restricted to three sub populations in the northern hemisphere (the west and east Atlantic plus the Baltic), their global population estimate is only ~300,000 animals. There are more Manx shearwaters than that on Skomer alone! Something to bear in mind the next time someone moans 'there are too many seals'!

Into winter

Staff came off the island for a break at the beginning of December but have made regular trips back this month for stock checks, stock feeder top ups and maintenance work. We are planning to head out for 3 or 4 days tomorrow to repair a barn door that was flattened by Storm Bella! With a bit more annual leave to be used up in February (not that I'll be going far!) it won't be long before the 2021 season starts and we do it all again!

There will be some notable changes in 2021 though. Firstly we *hope* to welcome visitors back on a limited basis. Subject to Welsh Government Tier restriction levels by April, we have been working hard with our boat operator, Thousand Islands Expeditions, to ensure we can get people safely on and off the island in a covid secure manner. Likewise changes have been made to the way we will do things on the island. While social distancing remains in place the days of packed boats of 40 people are simply not possible but, until those days return, we will at least be able to ferry smaller numbers of passengers across to enjoy the island. For those unable to visit we will, of course, keep you up to date via regular social media posts. Keep an eye on this blog over the next month or two for updates on our plans for opening in 2021.

The other big change for this year will be the appointment of a new warden. The advert will be live until close of play on January 11th with interviews later in the month. For more details and the chance to work on this amazing nature reserve, submit an application by clicking here - we would love to hear from you!

So it just remains for me to wish you all a happy and safe new year and here's to 2021 being better for us all. I hope you've enjoyed the 'news from the rock' updates this season. I've had fun writing them and have really appreciated the feedback and interaction with many of you on the back of it, especially during that first period of lockdown out on the island. I really hope I get to see some of you in person in 2021, until then Blwyddyn Newydd Dda a diolch yn fawr

Fingers crossed....albeit with more social distancing than this photo!