Noss National Nature Reserve Annual Report 2018

An insight into the life and work on the Isle of Noss National Nature Reserve during the 2018 season Arctic skuas Introduction

Noss is managed as a National Nature Reserve by Scottish Natural Heritage. From May to September each year two wardens take up residence on the island to run the Zodiac ferry from nearby Bressay, and to monitor the internationally important seabird colonies on Noss.

Every summer over 80,000 seabirds breed on the island, including the fifth largest great skua colony in the world and the seventh largest gannetry in the UK. The seabirds on Noss have been carefully monitored for decades, with data going back to 1946. Monitoring seabird populations is important both for seabird conservation and because it can give us a better understanding of how the marine environment (which is notoriously hard to study) is changing. This report gives a summary of the 2018 seabird breeding season and shows how populations on Noss have changed over time.

Visitors to Noss travel to the island in our small inflatable ferry and enjoy a warm welcome from one of the resident wardens. The cliffs alone are impressive, but add on thousands of cliff-nesting birds and, of course, the iconic puffin, and you can see why Noss is such a popular destination for tourists and locals alike. The island is also part of a working sheep farm and provides an excellent example of how agriculture and conservation can work together. 2 slight increase on the last full island count Seabirds in 2013, which totalled 465, and suggests that the Noss population is stable. It was a successful breeding season for Productivity was better than in 2017, when many of the seabirds on Noss in 2018. no chicks fledged from the study plot, but This is most likely due to the glorious was still a low 0.16 per pair. 40 chicks weather Shetland enjoyed throughout the were ringed outside of the plots. summer and the plentiful supply of fish around Noss in 2018. Arctic skua (Scootie allan) On the island seabirds are studied in a Only one of our two pairs of Arctic skua variety of ways: counting whole returned in 2018, but they did successfully populations, monitoring productivity fledge two chicks (giving a high (breeding success, recorded as the number productivity of 2). of fledged chicks per breeding pair), and Fulmar (Maalie) counting sections of a colony. Whole Another good season for fulmars, which island counts are done on a rotational continued to show a stable productivity of basis as it would be an impossible task to 0.47. count every species every year! Puffin (Tammie norie) Noss’ seabirds in 2018 (Shetland names Puffins were present in good numbers and are in brackets): were regularly seen bringing good supplies Great skua (Bonxie) of fish back to burrows, sometimes in quick A full island census of bonxies was carried succession, suggesting they also had a out, revealing a count of 476. This is a successful season.

Puffins had a good season in 2018

3 Tysties’ scarlet legs and gape bring a splash of colour to the cliffs

4 Guillemot (Loomvi) Kittiwake (Rippick maa) Attendance within the colony was 13.4% Sadly the distinctive cry of the kittiwake is higher than last year. Productivity seemed one that has almost disappeared from much better as well with many large chicks Noss, as this once populous breeding gull heard on the cliff ledges and jumplings has continued to suffer a steep decline. The noted around the foot of the Noup. population has crashed from over 10,000 pairs in the 1970s. This year’s all island Razorbill (Sea craa) count revealed just 74 nesting pairs. Razorbills have declined slightly since the However this is an increase of 68% on the last count in 2009. However they were previous year, and the first time numbers found to increase slightly in 2018 within have increased. Productivity was also much the island monitoring plots. It is worth improved after no chicks hatched in 2017, noting that it is hard to infer razorbill trends with nine chicks fledged from nine with much of the population hidden in monitored nests in 2018, resulting in a inaccessible locations. high productivity of 1. Black guillemot (Tystie) Monitoring within the study plot revealed 47 adults this year, continuing the recent Other wildlife trend of stability on Noss. Gannet (Solan gos) Otters are seen regularly around Noss, Another good year for this iconic bird of and 2018 was no exception, with many Noss. Combined productivity for the sighted around the island throughout the monitored plots was 0.68. Lots of season. At the end of July a mother with fledglings were seen around the coast from two small cubs were witnessed exiting the late August. water onto the boulder scree at Cradle Holm. The adult female was carrying a Shag (Skarf) dead guillemot in her mouth which was fed Shags had a late start to the year in 2018, to her young. and although the numbers of nests were down slightly on the previous year, productivity was up from 1.1 to 1.75, with 35 chicks fledging from 20 monitored nests.

Arctic tern (Tirrick) This oceanic migrant had an exceptionally good year, and possibly the best year on record with 46 chicks fledging from 55 nests, resulting in a productivity of 0.84. This is impressive when compared with only three chicks fledging from 51 nests An otter finds a tasty last year. meal in a rabbit 5 We only saw orcas on one day - but we had fantastic views of them when they appeared.

Common and grey seals are regularly seen a total of just 92 bird species recorded. hauled out around the coast, and in 2018 This is the first time less than 100 species for the fourth consecutive year a common have been recorded since 2013. seal pup was born on the rocks near the Highlights included two new species for house. the Noss bird list. The first was a white- fronted goose in late May, the second was Ceatacean sightings were less frequent in a brief view of a hobby seen flying across 2018, but late August to early September Noss Sound in August. An interesting had good records of minke whale, with as yellow wagtail arrived in May, with a many as 10 seen around the island in one head pattern suggesting that it may have day. Risso’s dolphins and harbour porpoise been an intergrade between the ‘grey- were also seen on a number of occasions, headed’ and ‘black-headed’ races. A leg but the stars of the show, once again, were flagged knot was found in July. After the orcas. Although orcas were only reporting the code via EU Ring we witnessed on one day of the 2018 season, discovered the bird had been ringed as an the pod of seven which swam through adult on 24 May 2017 at Skorganes in Noss Sound twice in the same afternoon in south-west Iceland; a distance of 1220km. July gave visitors and staff incredibly close In addition to sightings of bluethroat, views. Clearly in hunting mode, this group barred warbler and common rosefinch of apex predators slowly moved through other notable records included: the Sound, checking the voes for prey before moving north, leaving everyone Third record of rustic bunting wowed and humbled by their impressive Seventh of barnacle goose size and hunting prowess. Ninth of marsh warbler and pink-footed Birds It was a poor year for migration, with goose. 6 visitors, staff and volunteers enjoyed an People excellent day, with activities, guided It was another glorious summer in walks and catering provided by the local Shetland, one of the finest in many years. Bressay Community Hall. There was a As a result visitors came in their droves to musical theme for 2018 with a harpist visit our beautiful jewel of an island! playing soothing music outside the house Noss enjoyed its busiest year for visitors throughout the day. in over 21 years with 2292 people welcomed to the island, eclipsing last Guided walks season’s busy year. People ventured from A total of 40 people attended three all over the world to visit Noss, from guided walks led by the wardens in Shetland to Chile! All were given an 2018. Visitors were thrilled to see close introduction to the island and were able up views of puffins on the walks, and to explore the visitor centre within the were informed about both the wildlife historic farmhouse. Of particular interest and history of Noss. Guided walks will were the findings shelves, which featured be scheduled for the last Saturday of skulls, eggs and whalebones. each month in the 2019 season so feel In addition to those landing on Noss, free to come along to be led on a tour taking a boat trip around the island is by the resident experts. also a popular way to see the reserve and its magnificent seabird colonies. Research In addition to the research the wardens Events carried out in 2018, Lucy Gilbert carried Noss Open Day was held on 7 July and out great skua pellet collection to was a great success. A total of 366 ascertain bonxie diet.

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7 Want to know more?

You can find more information about Noss NNR and our work on the reserve here:

Noss NNR Manager, Scottish Natural Heritage, Stewart Building, Alexandra Wharf,

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Lerwick, Shetland. ZE1 0LL Tel 01595 693345 email: [email protected] N S

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