Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory
Report on work funded by Natural Resources Wales 2014 C o n t e n t s
1. CRYNODEB ...... 2 1. ABSTRACT ...... 3 2. INTRODUCTION ...... 4 3. BREEDING SUCCESS OF THE CHOUGH ...... 5 3.1 INTRODUCTION 5 3.2 METHODS 5 3.3 RESULTS 6 3.3.1 NEST DETAILS OF CHOUGHS ON BARDSEY IN 2014. 6 3.3.2 CLUTCH SIZES AND PRODUCTIVITY (FLEDGING SUCCESS). 9 3.4 DISCUSSION 9 3.5 SUMMARY 10 3.6 REFERENCES 10 4. BREEDING BIRDS ON BARDSEY AND YNYSOEDD GWYLAN ...... 12 4.1. INTRODUCTION 12 4.2. METHODS 12 4.3. RESULTS 15 5. PRODUCTIVITY MONITORING AND RINGING OF MANX SHEARWATERS ...... 31 5.1 INTRODUCTION 31 5.2 AIMS 31 5.3 METHODS 31 5.3.1 PRODUCTIVITY MONITORING 31 5.3.3 RINGING YOUNG BIRDS 31 5.3.4 RE-TRAPPING ADULT AND YOUNG BIRDS 32 5.4 RESULTS 32 5.4.1 PRODUCTIVITY. 32 5.4.2 RINGING NEW BIRDS 35 5.4.3 RE-TRAPPING RINGED BIRDS 35 5.5 SUMMARY 35 5.6 DISCUSSION 39 5.7 REFERENCES 39 6 MANX SHEARWATER POPULATION CENSUS – YEAR ONE, SOUTHERN END ...... 40 6.1. INTRODUCTION 40 6.2. METHODS 40 6.3. SURVEY EFFORT 41 6.4. RESULTS 41 6.4.1 DISCUSSION 41 6.5. SUMMARY 42 6.6. REFERENCES 42 7. DISTURBANCE OF GREY SEALS ON BARDSEY ...... 43 7.1 INTRODUCTION 43 7.2 SUGGESTIONS 43 7.2.1 EDUCATION OF DISTURBANCE 43 7.2.2 DATA COLLECTION 43 7.2.3 RESULTS 43 8. RISSO’S DOLPHIN PHOTO IDENTIFICATION ...... 45 8.1. INTRODUCTION 45 8.2. METHODS 45 8.3. RESULTS 45 8.3.1. SYSTEMATIC LIST OF SPECIES SEEN DURING RISSO’S DOLPHINS WATCHES 46 8.4. DISCUSSION 46 9 CONCLUSIONS / RECOMMENDATIONS AND OTHER FUNDED PROJECTS ...... 47 APENDIX 1 – SLIDES FROM THE PRESENTATION TO IBOC2014 ...... 48 APENDIX 2 – MANX SHEARWATER CENUS MAPS ...... 51 APENDIX 3 – SAMPLE BREEDING BIRD CENUS MAPS ...... 53
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1. Crynodeb
2 1 . A b s t r a c t
During the 2014 season staff from the Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory carried out fieldwork for a number of projects with financial aid from Natural Resources Wales. These were:
1) Monitoring the nesting success and productivity of the Chough. 2) Monitoring and mapping of all the breeding seabird species on Bardsey and Ynysoedd Gwylan. 3) Manx Shearwater productivity at a sample of nest sites. 4) Manx Shearwater population census. 5) Monitoring and mapping of all the land birds breeding on Bardsey. 6) Monitoring disturbance of Grey Seals by visitors and visiting boats. 7) Risso’s Dolphin Photo Identification. 8) Educational talks to visitors on the island.
The monitoring of the Chough showed that the population is fairly stable, though one fewer than last year; the number of young produced this year was the highest for five years and well within the acceptable limits of fluctuation.
Seabirds generally held their own with reasonable counts and productivity. Exceptions were Cormorants and Guillemots on Ynysoedd Gwylan, and the continued decline of Kittiwake productivity on Bardsey. Lesser Black-backed Gull showed a good recovery, with an increase of 88% on last year. Herring Gull showed a small increase and whilst Great Black-backed Gull declined slightly on Bardsey, it showed an unprecedented increase on Ynys Gwylan Fawr. A large increase in Razorbills to over 2200 pairs on Bardsey brings the population back to traditional figures. On Ynys Gwylan Fawr the Puffin population increased to levels not seen for 13 years, whilst the colony on Bardsey is greater than ever before with up to 55 pairs thought to be nesting on the East Side now.
The Manx Shearwater productivity returned to nearer average figures after last year’s poor performance.
Ducks continue to fair badly on Bardsey with no Shelducks fledging and only one Mallard surviving. Moorhens raised 21 chicks. The Oystercatcher population was quite high compared to recent years, 101 territories in total, but productivity was low. The only other breeding wader, Ringed Plover, attempted for the fifth time since 2003, but the brood failed due to human disturbance. Passerines on the island fared well this season with multiple broods and high productivity. Wheatear were present in excellent numbers, the most for 25 years, whilst Stonechat had a productive season with 43 young seen. Both Meadow Pipit and Rock Pipit had a terrific year. The Dunnock population was half of what was present in 2013. On the hirundine front, both Swallow and House Martin were present in usual numbers, with Swallow being particularly productive. The garden finches, Chaffinch and Goldfinch, continue to show record breeding numbers on Bardsey. Though speculative, it is possible these populations could be artificially high due to the high amount of bird seed put out during the winter, improving survival rate. Pied Wagtails were present in usual numbers coupled with very reasonable productivity but both tit species were affected by Sparrowhawk predation in spring. Warblers showed a mixed season, with Sedge Warbler decreasing slightly but Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler faring well. Linnets appeared to delay nesting but then took advantage of good weather in July and August and a slightly increased population fledged moderate numbers of young.
Monitoring of disturbance of Grey Seals was again undertaken and the number of incidences were recorded. There were several dates during the year when large numbers of boats were seen in Henllwyn.
During the autumn only two boat trips were made to photograph Risso’s Dolphins with about 25 individual animals being photographed.
3 2. Introduction
Bardsey (Ynys Enlli) lies approximately 3km off the south-western tip of The Llŷn Peninsula in North Wales. With the exception of Anglesey (Ynys Môn), Bardsey is the largest island off the coast of Gwynedd. It is cut off from the mainland by the Bardsey Sound. The island is 2.3km in length and 1.0km at its widest (30m at its narrowest) and covers an area of 444 acres (178 ha). The maximum elevation is the summit of Mynydd Enlli at 167m.
Bardsey can be considered at times as ‘two islands’, the northern section is roughly rectangular in shape and is bounded on the east side by ‘the mountain’, which rises steeply on the east face from the sea, creating an abundance of sea cliffs, caves and steep, vegetated slopes. It then forms a ‘humpback’ and falls westwards onto a sloping plain. The smaller ‘island’ is a low domed ridge reaching a maximum altitude of 15m and is connected by a narrow isthmus to the north part of the island.
Exposure to salt-laden, predominant southwesterly winds, fairly limited amounts of fresh water, intensive grazing by sheep and until recently Wild Rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus, coupled with centuries of management by the human inhabitants has produced an interesting mosaic of mainly herbaceous vegetation mixed with dwarf scrub communities and small amounts of maritime heath.
The terrestrial flora and fauna of the island are diverse considering the size of the island. It supports nationally important numbers of Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax, Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus and several globally scarce Lichens. In addition the island is an important site for migrant birds as it lies on the east side of the Irish Sea migration route.
The island is, therefore, of great conservation importance and carries the following national and international designations: Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI); National Nature Reserve (NNR) Special Protection Area (SPA); Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It also comes under the Pen Llŷn Heritage Coast and Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA).
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The objectives of the combined projects were two-fold. Firstly, as in previous years, to continue the collection of data and to expand on the immense dataset held by BBFO, and secondly to utilise these data to help with conservation management decisions being made by BBFO, BITL and NRW.
HEALTH AND SAFETY Under the 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act, every employer has a legal obligation to undertake a full risk assessment for work carried out by their employees and to take all appropriate H&S measures to ensure the safety and well-being of said employees. During 1998 to 2000 a full risk assessment was undertaken on behalf of BBFO and BITL taking into account all works carried out by their staff during a full year on the island. These works included all types of monitoring and fieldwork carried out on the island such as night time monitoring of shearwaters and ringing of seabirds in cliff colonies, lone working etc. A full copy of the 85 page risk assessment and Health and Safety document is kept at the Observatory on the island and a copy is available on request from the secretary of BBFO.
4 3. Breeding success of the C h o u g h
3.1 Introduction
The Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax breeds across much of central Asia, South and Eastern Europe and Morocco, with small outlying populations on the Canary Islands, Ethiopia and Sudan. The British population formally bred over a much wider area and in Scotland they occurred on both coasts as well as inland. By the early 19th century most inland and east coast populations had gone. In England birds nested in Devon until 1910 and Cornwall until 1952. In 2002 a single pair made a welcome return to the Lizard, successfully raising young and they have bred successfully every year since. The Welsh population in 2002 was 262 pairs.
The population on Bardsey has been fairly stable during the time of the Observatory, with an average of about four pairs nesting each year prior to this century. More recently there has been an increase in the number of pairs with five or more since 2001.
F i g . 3 . 1 b r e e d i n g dat a 1 9 5 3 - 2014
The table below shows the average number of breeding pairs, average number of chicks fledged/year and average productivity calculated for six different time periods between 1953 and 2014.
Average/number of Average/number of chicks Average productivity: breeding pairs/year fledged/year chicks/pair/year 1953-2000 3.52 ±0.44 9.24 ±1.37 2.74 ±0.33 1953-1970 2.22 ±0.44 6.00 ±1.50 2.87 ±0.68 1973-2000 4.36 ±0.45 11.32± 1.63 2.65 ±0.33 1973-1994 4.32 ±0.54 11.05 ± 1.84 2.60 ±0.36 1995-2000 4.50 ±0.84 12.33 ± 3.67 2.85 ±0.89 2001-2010 6.0 ±0.67 16.9 ±6.30 2.79 ±0.28 2005-2014 6.07 ±1.69 15.9 ±5.38 2.38 ±0.29
3.2 Methods
Choughs were observed during the early part of the nesting season and their nests located. Each pair was observed for up to two hours to confirm breeding. Under licence from the British Trust for Ornithology and Natural Resources Wales the accessible nests were visited and the young were ringed when old enough. In addition to the standard metal ring fitted to a bird, three plastic colour-rings were fitted so that birds can be individually identified in the field when fledged.
5 3.3 Results
It was an excellent year for this corvid, though eight pairs present is one fewer than last year, but 15.9% greater than the 2005-2014 mean (6.90±s.d.1.45) and 83.9% greater than the 1953-2014 mean (4,53±s.d.2.07). Following last year’s poor breeding season a total of 24 young fledged. Two pairs fledged four young, four pairs fledged three young, and two pairs fledged two young. The resulting productivity figure of 3.00 young per pair is 26.1% higher than the 2005-2014 mean (2.38±s.e.0.29). The number of young fledged is 50.9% greater than the ten-year average (15.9 ±s.d.5.38).
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2 Number Number ofbreeding pairs 0 1953 1958 1963 1968 1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 2008 2013 Year Mean 4.35 ±s.d.2.07 Number of pairs Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs 5 6 6 6 6 6 8 9 9 8 № of young 13 22 23 16 11 8 14 15 13 24 Productivity 2.60 3.67 3.83 2.67 1.83 1.33 1.75 1.67 1.44 3.00
3 .3.1 Nest details of Choughs on B a r d s e y i n 2 0 1 4
3 . 3 . 1 . 1 Pen Cristin Grid ref. S H 1 2 2 7 2 1 2 5
Bird Ring number Right combination Left combination Wing Weight Tarsus Female BTO only white/white Male EX04552 yellow/black (LOST blue=)/BTO Chick 1 Not ringed Chick 2 Not ringed Chick 3 Not ringed
Date Nesting activity 19-Apr-2014 Nest activity, two birds entering nest site together and leaving together 29-Apr-2014 One bird entered nest site, both birds leave nest site, one bird returned to nest 10 minutes later 23-Jun-2014 2 adults feeding 3 juveniles
summary – three young fledged
3.3.1.2 Ogof Barcut Grid ref. SH12332133
Bird Ring number Right combination Left combination Wing Weight Tarsus Female Unringed Male Unringed Chick 1 EX04625 yellow/white ash/BTO 137 265 60 Chick 2 EX04626 white/lime ash/BTO 158 320 64 Chick 3 EX04627 white/green ash/BTO 160 300 68
Date Nesting activity 13-Apr-2014 Pair near nesting site, nesting material looks fresh, signs of new nest material being taken
6 in 13-May-2014 3 Newly hatched young in nest, one adult calling from rocks above 17-May-2014 2 Chicks ringed (25 and 26), one too small 3-Jun-2014 1 Chick ringed (27) 24-Jun-2014 3 Juveniles fledged
summary – three young fledged
3.3.1.3 South of Ogof Braichyfwyall (tornado ledge) Grid ref. SH12482160
Bird Ring number Right combination Left combination Wing Weight Tarsus Female EX04542 ash/BTO white/blue Male EX04610 brown/lime (LOST brown)/BTO Chick 1 Not ringed Chick 2 Not ringed
Date Nesting activity 17-May-2014 New nest site discovered between Barcud and Braichyfwyall, two birds entering nest site, two flying out 18-May-2014 Adults entering nest site and removing faecal sacks, chicks heard calling from nest site (Braichyfwyall pair relocated here) 24-Jun-2014 2 Juveniles fledged, adults feeding both
summary – two young fledged
3.3.1.4 Seal Cave Grid ref. S H 1 2 4 8 2 1 8 7
Bird Ring number Right combination Left combination Wing Weight Tarsus Female orange/red lime/BTO Male HD (white lettering on white/white red ring)/BTO Chick 1 EX04636 yellow/red ash/BTO 158 338 64 Chick 2 EX04637 yellow/lime ash/BTO 137 265 67 Chick 3 EX04638 yellow/green ash/BTO 158 327 65
Date Nesting activity 20-Apr-2014 Pair on ground around nest site, displaying 13-May-2014 4 eggs in nest, adult pair calling on rocks overhead 12-Jun-2014 3 Chicks ringed 30-Jun-2014 3 Juveniles fledged, family group, adults feeding fledged Juveniles above seal cave
summary – three young fledged
3.3.1.5 Deep, narrow cleft north of Seal Cave Grid ref. SH12462196
Bird Ring number Right combination Left combination Wing Weight Tarsus Female red/white orange=/BTO Male Chick 1 Not ringed Chick 2 Not ringed Chick 3 Not ringed
Date Nesting activity 20-Apr-2014 No evidence of any activity 13-May-2014 Pair entering nest site and feeding on slopes above site
7 30-Jun-2014 2 adults feeding 3 juveniles on and around the scree slope, possibly scree slope pair that has nested nearby
summary – three young fledged
3.3.1.6 Ogof Morlas (Northern cave) Grid ref. S H 1 2 5 3 2 2 2 0
Bird Ring number Right combination Left combination Wing Weight Tarsus Female unringed Male unringed Chick 1 EX04634 yellow/yellow ash/BTO 206 66 Chick 2 EX04635 yellow/orange ash/BTO 196 59
Date Nesting activity 21-Apr-2014 Two birds entering nest site, one leaving 29-Apr-2014 one bird entering nest site one leaving 11-Jun-2014 2 Chicks ringed, additional chick found dead under nest site 22-Jun-2014 2 juveniles fledged
summary – two young fledged
3.3.1.7 Carreg Llewydion (Scree slo pe) Grid ref. SH12432207
Date Nesting activity 20-Apr-2014 Two birds flying around scree slope, not entering nest site 13-May-2014 No sign of activity
summary – No evidence of success
3.3.1.8 Ogof Trwyn - yr- hwch Bach (West coast) Grid ref. SH11522 1 9 0
Bird Ring number Right combination Left combination Wing Weight Tarsus Female red/brown lime/BTO Male yellow/BTO black/white Chick 1 Not ringed Chick 2 Not ringed Chick 3 Not ringed Chick 4 Not ringed
Date Nesting activity 19-Apr-2014 Pair around nesting site, one displaying with nesting material in mouth One bird returning to nest site, one leaving, one returning to nest, two birds leaving, one 29-Apr-2014 bird feeding other 22-Jun-2014 4 juveniles fledged
summary – four young fledged
3.3.1.9 Ogof Diban (South End) Grid ref. SH11062020
Bird Ring number Right combination Left combination Wing Weight Tarsus Female ash/BTO blue/yellow Male blue=/BTO green/green Chick 1 EX04628 white/blue ash/BTO 133 309 63.5 Chick 2 EX04629 white/black ash/BTO 127 292 62.5 Chick 3 EX04630 yellow/brown ash/BTO 111 274 60.5 Chick 4 Not ringed
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Date Nesting activity 16-Mar-2014 Pair collecting nesting material (gorse/ twigs, both feeding around nest site) 19-Apr-2014 Green/Green perched around nest site calling, blue= exiting nest, both birds fly off together 29-Apr-2014 4 eggs in nest, pair calling and swooping overhead, both birds returned to nest minutes later 30-May-2014 3 Chicks ringed, one unreachable 20-Jun-2014 4 Juveniles fledged
summary – four young fledged
3.3.2 Clutch sizes and productivity (fledging success)
The number of eggs laid by Choughs on Bardsey in 2014 was at least 26. The eight pairs fledged 24 young. The mean productivity was 3.00 chicks per pair, the best since 2007 when six pairs fledged 23 young.
3.4 Discussion
Management Plan Statement for Chough on Bardsey
‘VISION’ FOR THE FEATURE - C h o u g h
Size of breeding population is stable or increasing as far as availability of nest sites will allow (min 1% UK population) and non-breeding individuals are present and utilising the island for feeding and social interaction. Health of the feature will be indicated by:
• >2.5 fledglings per breeding pair each year
• All identified feeding areas are managed for Chough (60% grasses <1.5cm throughout year)
• Breeding and non-breeding birds recorded feeding on the island each year (summer & winter)
• No deaths or instances of disturbance from avoidable activities incorrect procedures or unnecessary structures
The eight pairs that attempted to breed in 2014 is just one fewer than the record total set in 2012 and 13. The Management Plan for Bardsey (Wilkinson 2003) stated that the acceptable minimum limit for nesting pairs of Choughs is five pairs in three of any consecutive five year period. The number of pairs has now been five or more for the last eleven years and the population size should therefore be seen as being in favourable condition.
9 Fig. 3.2 Figures for the period 1998 to 201 4
Year 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 № of Pairs 3 4 4 7 7 5 6 5 № of Young 8 15 16 21 28 14 13 13 Productivity 2.67 3.75 4.00 3.00 4.00 2.80 2.17 2.60
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of Pairs 6 6 6 6 6 8 9 9 8 № of Young 22 23 16 11 8 14 15 13 24 Productivity 3.67 3.83 2.67 1.83 1.33 1.75 1.67 1.44 3.00
Mean number of breeding Mean number Mean productivity: chicks pairs / year (±s.d.) of chicks / fledged / year (±s.d.) pair year (±s.e.) 1998-2014 6.18 ±1.69 15.7 ±5.43 2.69 ±0.24
Productivity was the best since 2007 when six pairs fledged 23 young. The productivity of 3.00 chicks per pair is well above the 2.5 acceptable limit set in the Management Plan. The recently revised management plan (Moralee 2009), targets stable productivity; this target has been met.
Only one of the eight pairs that attempted to nest this year was not successful, at Carreg lewydion.
During the early spring there was again a non-breeding flock with up to 30 birds seen in the first few months of the year (although this includes many of the breeding birds). With the start of breeding activity in March a maximum of 25 birds was noted. There was a small (8-10 birds) non-breeding flock in April and early May this year, a return to the non-breeding birds that have lingered into the breeding season in recent years.
3.5 Summary
The eight pairs that nested was one fewer than last year, but 15.9% greater than the 2005-2014 mean (6.90±s.d.1.45) and 83.9% greater than the 1953-2014 mean (4.53±s.d.2.07). A total of 24 young fledged. Two pairs fledged four young, four pairs fledged three young, and two pairs fledged two young. The resulting productivity figure of 3.00 young per pair is 26.1% higher than the 2005-2014 mean (2.38±s.e.0.29). The number of young fledged is 50.9% greater than the ten-year average (15.9 ±s.d.5.38). These figures are all within the acceptable limits set out for the management of the NNR.
3.6 R e f e r e n c e s
Moralee, A. (2009) Bardsey NNR Management Plan. Unpublished. Natural Resources Wales. Wilkinson (2003) Bardsey NNR Management Plan. Natural Resources Wales. Asplund, A. (1997) Bardsey NNR Management Plan. Natural Resources Wales. Baillie, S.R. (1990) Integrated population monitoring of breeding birds in Britain and Ireland. Ibis, 132: 151- 166. Loxton, R.G. and Jones, P.H. (1995) The breeding birds of Bardsey, Skomer, Skokholm and the Calf of Man. Part1: Introduction and species accounts. Rep. Bardsey Bird Fld Obs. 38: 84-159. Loxton, R.G., Kittle, T. and Jones, P.H. (1999) Atlas of recoveries of birds ringed by Bardsey Bird and Filed Observatory 1953-1996. BBFO, Bethesda, Gwynedd. McCanch, N. (2000) The relationship between Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax (L) breeding populations and grazing pressure on the Calf of Man. Bird Study, 47: 295-303. Roberts, P. (1983) Feeding habitats of Choughs on Bardsey Island. Bird Study, 30: 67-73. Roberts, P. (1985) The Choughs of Bardsey. British Birds 78: 217-232.Stansfield, S.D (1999) Chough breeding success and choice of feeding habitat on Bardsey in 1998. Rep Bardsey Bird Fld Obs. 42: 59-64
10 Stansfield, S.D (2003) Breeding success of the Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax on Bardsey in 2002. Report to NRW for Grant-aided work in 2002
11 4. Breeding birds on B a r d s e y and Ynysoedd Gwylan
4 . 1 . I n t r o d u c t i o n
Roberts (1985), Jones (1988), Leitch (1992) Loxton and Jones (1995) and Eagle (2012) have produced summaries of the breeding birds on Bardsey and, in addition, there have been shorter summaries of the previous year’s nesting season in the systematic list of the Observatory’s annual reports. Since 1998, however, a more comprehensive report has been produced and published in the BBFO Annual Report. The aim is to have a quick reference to the breeding data from year to year, with number of pairs nesting, productivity figures (where available and relevant) and notes on successes or failures compared with previous years. Data on the breeding birds have now been collected in the same systematic way since 1998. This report aims to compare the data for 2014 with that collected in the previous nine years. Additional to the techniques used since 1998, this year the breeding land birds were monitored using the four-visit Common Bird Census (CBC) method also used since 2009.
4.2. Methods
The Observatory was given funding through the Natural Resources Wales management agreement to monitor the seabird sites as part of the NNR. As in previous years, the monitoring and mapping of seabirds followed the methods set out by Walsh et al. (1995) in the Seabird Monitoring Handbook. For the larger cliff- nesting seabird colonies two sets of photographs are normally taken several weeks apart, and the number of birds counted on a computer monitor. Unfortunately, due to weather and boat availability this did not go ahead in 2014 and land-based counts were undertaken instead.
As has been the case since 1998, the non-seabird species had their territories (usually singing males) mapped or, where nests and/or young were located, these were marked on maps which are kept at the Observatory. The maps were compiled by BBFO staff from data collected during their daily census of the island, along with specific routes covered to map species such as Oystercatcher, Rock Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Wren and Linnet. Additionally, four CBC visits covering the whole island (spread over several mornings) were made during the seven days beginning 18 April, 15 May, 1 June and 17 June. The data generated from this exercise will be helpful when comparing Bardsey with other sites. A full explanation of the methods employed for each species is given in the BBFO Report for 2009 (Brown and Stansfield, 2010).
Table 1. Census unit, method and registration points
Mallard Census Unit - Breeding females - female with young/female on nest. Method - Check all known sites daily from early March to late June. Potential issues - Failure to note a fail/relay/2nd clutch. Consider dates/timings to reduce problems. Shelduck Census Unit - Breeding females - female entering or leaving hole or same general area on more than one occasion. Method - Check all known sites daily from early March to late June. Potential issues - Very secretive around nest burrow. Peregrine Falcon Census Unit - Occupied sites - calling/displaying birds. Method - Check all known previous sites from April. Potential issues - Requires access to the east side of Mynydd Enlli. Moorhen Census Unit - Occupied territories - bird with young or bird agitated and calling from suitable nesting area. Method - Check all previous known sites and other suitable sites from March. Potential issues - Birds are skulky and sometimes call from feeding areas near compost piles in gardens. Oystercatcher Census Unit - Territorial pair. Method - Walk round the coastline in mid-late May and map all units. Find all nests possible and count number of eggs. Work out mean clutch size, hatching rate and estimate productivity from number of large
12 young seen. Potential issues - Productivity estimate based on number of located nests with eggs, therefore missing early failures. Wood Pigeon Census Unit - Occupied territories - displaying or calling bird. Method - Check for evidence of occupied territories during daily census of the island from March onwards. Potential issues - Protracted breeding season and semi-colonial nesting. Little Owl Census Unit - Occupied territories - calling males. Method - Map calling birds from early March – visit all previously known nesting areas four times during season. Potential issues - Some pairs do not seem very vocal at all during breeding season. Long-eared Owl Census Unit - Occupied territories - calling males on more than one visit, or presence of young. Method - Check plantation on regular basis after dark. Ask visitors in northern trust houses to listen out for calls and follow up any reports. Potential issues - Migrants have occasionally been heard calling. However, most years when birds have nested the adult birds have been silent. Cuckoo Census Unit - Small fledged young. Method - Located during daily census counts. Potential issues - Almost impossible to note any breeding attempt other than a successful one. Sky Lark Census Unit - Occupied territories - singing bird on more than one visit. Method - Map census units during daily census of the island. Potential issues - Care should be taken that migrant birds taking up territory should not be counted. Swallow Census Unit - Occupied nest site. Method - Visit all buildings and outbuildings, pig sties, etc and record all active nests. Potential issues - Frequently birds only partially build nests – these included as occupied nest sites. House Martin Census Unit - Occupied nest sites. Method - Check for evidence of occupied nest sites during daily census of the island. Potential issues - Frequently birds only partially build nests – these included as occupied nest sites. Meadow Pipit Census Unit - Singing male/nest building. Method - Carry out transects covering the whole island on four occasions during the specified periods. Transects should be 100 metres apart. Potential issues - Care should be taken not to double count birds with large territories, or to count migrant pipits. To be carried out at same time as Winter Wren census. Rock Pipit Census Unit - Singing male/nest building. Method - Count all singing birds on suitable areas at same time as Oystercatcher survey. Potential issues - Consider earlier visits as attempts may fail prior to Oystercatcher survey. Pied Wagtail Census Unit - Occupied nest sites. Method - Visit all buildings and outbuildings, pig sties, etc. Potential issues - Care should be taken not to count migrant birds. Very secretive around nest. Pairs frequently visit coast to feed. Wren Census Unit - Occupied territories (based on singing males). Method - Carry out transects covering the whole island on four occasions during the specified periods. Potential issues - Census should be carried out before 0600. Transects should be 100 metres apart. Dunnock Census Unit - Occupied territories (based on singing males). Method - Check for evidence of occupied territories during daily census of the island. Potential issues - Method selected due to small, widely dispersed population. Sizeable territories and more
13 than one female possible. Robin Census Unit - Occupied territories (based on singing males). Method - Check for evidence of occupied territories during daily census of the island. Potential issues - Method selected due to small, widely dispersed population. Stonechat Census Unit - Occupied territories (based on singing males). Method - Check for evidence of occupied territories during daily census of the island. Potential issues - Method selected due to small, widely dispersed population. Northern Wheatear Census Unit - Occupied territories (based on singing males). Method - Check for evidence of occupied territories during daily census of the island. Potential issues - Method selected due to small, widely dispersed population. Care should be taken not to count migrant birds. Blackbird Census Unit - Occupied territories (based on singing males). Method - Check for evidence of occupied territories during daily census of the island. Potential issues - Method selected due to small, widely dispersed population. All warbler species Census Unit - Occupied territories (based on singing males). Method - Check for evidence of occupied territories during daily census of the island. Potential issues - Method selected due to small, widely dispersed population. Migrant birds sing from areas traditionally used for breeding. Magpie Census Unit - Occupied territories (based on nests-building/territorial adult). Method - Check for evidence of occupied territories during daily census of the island. Potential issues - Birds are often surprisingly elusive during nesting season. Chough Census Unit - Occupied site. Method - Two visits to all known nest sites. The first visits between 6 April and 6 May. The second visit should take place between 7 May and 15 June. It is not necessary to visit nests to complete the census, observations being made from nearby vantage points. Some sites are difficult to access from land and sites such as Pen Cristin are best viewed from the sea. However, to minimise the number of visits to sites and as part of ongoing studies of marked birds, some second visits should be combined with visits to nests to ring nestlings where possible. If results are inconclusive, additional visits can be undertaken. Potential issues - At least 1hr should be spent near each known or apparently suitable nest site – all previously known sites on Bardsey should be covered. Where possible, census visits will not take place during strong winds, persistent rain or poor visibility. Carrion Crow Census Unit - Occupied territories (based on nests-building/territorial adult). Method - Check for evidence of occupied territories during daily census of the island in all suitable/previous sites. Raven Census Unit - Occupied territories (based on nests-building/territorial adult). Method - Check for evidence of occupied territories during daily census of the island in all suitable/previous sites from late February onwards. Potential issues - Nests are often difficult to find on the east side of the island. Chaffinch Census Unit - Occupied territory (singing male/pair nest building). Method - Check for evidence of occupied territories during daily census of the island. Potential issues - Ensure migrant birds are not counted. Linnet Census Unit - Occupied territories (based on maximum number of individuals counted in a visit divided by 2). Method - Carry out transects covering the whole island on four occasions during the specified periods. Transects should be 100 metres apart. Potential issues - Ensure migrant birds are not counted. Males may pair with multiple females.
14 Lesser Redpoll and Goldfinch Census Unit - Occupied territories – (based on nests-building/territorial adult). Method - Check for evidence of occupied territories during daily census of the island. Potential issues - Ensure migrant birds are not counted.
4.3. Results
The following systematic list summarises the nesting season for each species during 2014. The number of nesting pairs and productivity figures from 2014 are compared with data from 2005 to 2013 and with the most recently published long-term averages (1986 to 2005) published by JNCC (Mavor et al. 2008). The number of nesting pairs and productivity estimates from 2005 to 2014 are shown in table format where sufficient data is available.
Breeding categories:
Status Definition Scarce 1-10 pairs breeding annually Uncommon 11-50 pairs breeding annually Fairly common 51-250 pairs breeding annually Common 251-1000 pairs breeding annually Abundant 1001+ pairs breeding annually
S h e l d u c k Tadorna tadorna Scarce Although up to 16 birds were seen on the island throughout the spring and summer only two pairs appear to have produced young. Three ducklings took to the sea in Solfach on 4 June but were gone by the next morning. A month later, a repeat performance of three ducklings in Solfach on 12 July ended just as quickly, as they were not to be seen the following day. It is likely that these broods were already diminished when initially discovered as Shelduck usually have clutches of eight to ten eggs. In addition to the two pairs which managed to hatch broods, further birds were seen prospecting nest sites at Pwll Cain, the South End gorse, the northwest heath, and at Traeth Ffynnon.
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs with young 3 6 4 2 3 6 5 5 3 2 № of fledglings 2 9 8 0 8 0 0 13 2 0
M a l l a r d Anas platyrhynchos Scarce, population stable A total of 12 broods were located, double that of last year. Unfortunately duckling survival rate was incredibly low. A minimum of 83 ducklings hatched, but survival rate was thought to be low. All broods were attempted in the withies and ponds of the island, with the exception of one bold pair on the East Side of the Mountain. The mean brood size of 6.92 is slightly higher than recent years.
F u l m a r Fulmarus glacialis Uncommon, population declining recently A total of 17 pairs of Fulmars occupied ledges on the East Side this year, a 55.4% increase on last year. However, the population is still 25.1% down on the 2005-2014 mean (22.70±s.d.12.06). It was not possible to access all breeding ledges from land to count chicks, so no productivity figure is available.
15 60 50 40 30 20
10 Number Number ofbreeding pairs 0 1953 1958 1963 1968 1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 2008 2013 Year Mean 19.93 ±s.d.16.00 Number of pairs
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs 42 39 32 3 22 18 22 21 11 17 Productivity 0.88 0.74 0.69 0.33 - 0.40 - - - -
Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus Abundant, population stable This year 101 burrows from all over the island were monitored to calculate productivity. A total of 71 burrows fledged chicks, giving a productivity figure of 0.70 chicks per breeding pair, an increase of 14.8% on last year’s poor productivity of 0.61, and slightly lower (-2.8%) on the 2005-2014 average (0.72±s.e.0.01) and 7.89% lower than the mean since 1998 (0.76.±s.e.0.02).
0.9 0.85 0.8 0.75
Productivity 0.7 0.65 0.6 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Year Mean 0.76 ±s.e.0.02 Series5
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Productivity 0.78 0.74 0.68 0.73 0.71 0.76 0.73 0.72 0.61 0.70 Sample size 100 50 50 102 100 90 122 148 132 101
This year was the start of the three-year censusing project which will see the whole island population counted. In this initial year a section of the western side of the island and the South End were counted. The number of burrows counted was 2890 with 2591 being Apparently Occupied. The last time the same area was covered, in 2008 (Else, 2009) 2446 burrows were counted and 2178 were Apparently Occupied. These figures suggest an increase in the population in that area of the island of about 16%.
Storm Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus Uncommon/fairly common, population unknown A systematic census was not carried out this year but birds were again present at the traditional sites which were visited when ringing Razorbills. A good number of new and re-trap Storm Petrels were caught using tape-
16 lures in Nant Valley during the summer nights, including one female obviously ready to lay her egg. One bird was found on a nest in June in an area of boulders at Bae Felen, see picture on previous page.
C o r m o r a n t Phalacrocorax carbo Fairly common on Ynysoedd Gwylan A visit to Ynys Gwylan Fawr was made on 26 June but no birds were found to be present. It has been suggested that Cormorants temporarily desert nesting sites when parasite levels become too high. This occurred recently in 2005. It was not possible to land on Ynys Gwylan Bach (YGB) to undertake a full count but from the sea nine nest platforms were counted containing a total of 14 juveniles. Only a small area of YGB cannot be seen from the sea and Cormorants tend not to nest in this area, so the number is thought to be accurate. This means that the population is 79.6% lower than the 2005-2014 mean (44.22±s.d.15.86) and the productivity was 11% lower than the ten-year mean (1.77±s.e.0.19).
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 YGF pairs 2 15 29 39 55 41 34 - 31 0 YGB pairs 37 35 37 7 0 10 12 - 5 9 Total pairs 39 50 66 46 55 51 46 - 36 9 Productivity 2.21 2.34 2.52 1.22 1.25 0.92 2.15 - - 1.56
S h a g Phalacrocorax aristotelis Uncommon, population declining On Bardsey a total of 34 pairs of Shags nested, all south of Seal Cave on the East Side. This represents a small increase of three on 2013 and is more or less equal to the 2005-2014 mean (34.40±s.d.7.37). A minimum of 56 young fledged giving a productivity of 1.65 young per pair, the lowest since 2008 and 19.5% below the 2005- 2014 mean (2.05±s.e.0.16).
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs 42 48 37 25 29 25 39 34 31 34 Productivity 2.59 1.89 2.00 0.92 2.14 2.60 2.08 2.59 2.00 1.65
This year a visit to Ynys Gwylan Fawr was made on 26 June where a minimum of 46 nest platforms were found to be in use, 37.5% below the 2005-2014 mean (73.56±s.d.31.43). A total of 91 large young were present producing a productivity figure of 1.98, 7.5% below the 2005-2014 mean (2.14±s.e.0.04). It was not possible to count platforms on Ynys Gwylan Bach, but at least 13 birds were present and possibly breeding.
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs 131 87 85 95 70 75 49 - 24 46 Productivity 2.17 2.20 2.37 1.99 2.27 2.05 2.12 - - 1.98
P e r e g r i n e Falco peregrinus Scarce, (Schedule 1), population stable For the ninth year in a row two pairs nested on the East Side of the island, one in the north and one in the south. Both nests fledged two young from two eggs, a productivity of 2.00. The northerly pair’s young fledged on 22 June and the first chick of the southerly pair fledged on 24 June. Curiously, the second southerly chick didn’t fledge until 12 July.
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 Productivity 3.00 3.00 3.00 2.00 2.00 1.00 2.50 2.00 2.00 2.00
M o o r h e n Gallinula chloropus Scarce, population declining Two pairs nested on Pwll Cain and in Plas Withy, with other singles at Nant Pond, Cristin and in the Wetlands. Seven breeding pairs is an increase on the low counts for the previous two years, though still 14% lower than the 2005-2014 mean (8.2±s.d.2.82). A minimum of 21 chicks survived to fledging out of a total of 45 seen. The resulting productivity of 3.00 young per pair is the highest since 2010 but 5.4% below the 2005-2014 mean (3.17±s.e.0.57). Post fledging, many of the young succumbed and by October as few as 14 youngsters were still alive.
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs 9 8 8 10 11 13 8 4 4 7 Productivity 4.44 3.40 7.50 3.80 2.09 2.62 1.63 1.25 2.00 3.00
17 Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus Fairly common, population stable This year saw 101 pairs hold territory around the coastline. This is 14 pairs greater than last year and 18.7% above the 2005-2014 mean (85.10±s.d.11.40). Fledging rate was poor, however, as only 38 juveniles survived the marauding gulls and Peregrines. A productivity of 0.38 young per pair is 34.5% below the 2005-2014 mean (0.58±s.e.0.12). A total of 41 nests were located this year, containing 108 eggs overall. The mean clutch size of 2.63 is about the same as the 2005-2014 mean (2.62±s.d.0.13).
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs 60 80 80 82 97 94 85 85 87 101 Mean clutch 2.57 2.61 2.38 2.45 2.69 2.76 2.71 2.75 2.69 2.63 Productivity 1.34 0.58 0.25 0.39 0.31 0.36 0.27 1.15 0.78 0.38
R i n g e d P l o v e r Charadrius hiaticula Scarce A pair once again took up residence around Solfach, now becoming a regular feature of the breeding bird report. Throughout the spring the male was rather territorial, acting aggressively to the migrant C. h. psammadroma birds. On 13 May distraction display was first seen but no nest was found until 18th. One egg was present with the incubating female until 24th when the pair deserted the nest. It is highly likely that human disturbance was the cause and continues to limit the success of this species on Bardsey.
Lesser Black - backed Gull Larus fuscus Fairly common, population declining Following eight consecutive years of low breeding numbers, this year there were 315 apparently incubating adults (pairs). This represents a huge 88.6% increase on 2013 and is 14.9% higher than the 2005-2014 mean (274.10±s.d.184.79). A minimum of 139 juveniles fledged giving a productivity of 0.44 which is just 2.3% lower than the ten-year average (0.45±s.e.0.09).
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5 Number Number ofbreeding pairs 0 1953 1958 1963 1968 1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 2008 2013 Year Mean 7.20 ±s.d.4.36 Number of pairs Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs 596 615 113 111 176 251 209 188 167 315 Productivity 0.84 0.68 0.79 0.25 - 0.11 0.13 0.37 - 0.44
A visit to Ynys Gwylan Fawr on 26 June produced ten apparently incubating adults and at least two juveniles. It was not possible to land on Ynys Gwylan Bach but five apparently incubating adults could be seen.
Herring Gull Larus argentatus Common, population declining The number of breeding pairs bounced back this year following 2013’s poor season. It is currently 2.5% above the 2005-2014 mean (389.10±s.d.120.50), though still has some way to go to reach the 600 pairs recorded only a decade ago. A minimum of 276 juveniles fledged giving a productivity of 0.69, 5.5% below the 2005-2014 mean (0.73±s.e.0.08).
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs 595 557 172 302 361 389 398 395 323 399 Productivity 1.01 1.05 1.03 0.40 - 0.68 0.62 0.46 0.64 0.69
A visit to Ynys Gwylan Fawr was made on 26 June where a paltry 43 pairs were recorded. It was not possible to land on Ynys Gwylan Bach but 18 apparently occupied nests could be seen. The combined total of 61 pairs is
18 62.3% below the 2005-2014 mean (161.63±s.d.140.77). On the other hand, a combined productivity of 1.15 is 62% higher than the 2005-2014 mean (0.71±s.e.0.30).
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs 206 489 51 102 134 115 135 - - 61 Productivity 1.02 0.64 0.57 0.33 - 0.78 0.45 - - 1.15
Great Black - backed Gull Larus marinus Scarce The East Side of Bardsey held five pairs this year, three fewer than last year’s record number. However, productivity was poor with only one juvenile known to have fledged.
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs 3 3 4 4 5 2 4 6 8 5 Productivity 2.33 2.33 3.00 2.75 - 0.00 1.00 0.50 0.63 0.20
The visit to Ynys Gwylan Fawr on 26 June recorded 76 nest platforms and 52 juveniles. It was not possible to land on Ynys Gwylan Bach but three platforms with seven juveniles could be seen from Ynys Gwylan Fawr. The combined total of 79 pairs is 83.2% above the 2005-2014 mean (43.13±s.d.16.87) and the highest ever recorded, the previous record being 61 pairs in 2001. The combined productivity of 0.75 is 31.8% lower than the 2005-2014 mean (1.10±s.e.0.23), perhaps unsurprising considering the high levels of competition this year.
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs 48 44 37 39 19 35 44 - - 79 Productivity 1.17 1.30 1.41 1.00 - 1.17 0.93 - - 0.75
K i t t i w a k e Rissa tridactyla Fairly common, population declining In total 104 nests were counted on the East Side of the Mountain this year, 67.7% higher than the poor season in 2012 but still 51.6% less than the 2005-2014 mean (214.70±s.d.121.53). At the ‘Little Kit’ colony (SH125216) a minimum of 14 young fledged from 67 nests, giving a productivity figure of 0.21 young per pair, a decline of 70.4% on 2013 and 65.0% below the 2005-2014 mean (0.60s.e. ±0.07).
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 AON 365 358 346 312 208 128 188 76 62 104 № of young 201 244 238 194 - - 16* 23* 27* 20* Productivity 0.56 0.68 0.69 0.92 - - 0.52 0.52 0.71 0.21 *Only partial census carried out; more birds may have fledged. Productivity calculated at study plots from a smaller number of AON.
G u i l l e m o t Uria aalge Common, becoming abundant, Bardsey population increasing On Bardsey a total of 791 adults on ledges (AOL) was recorded. This number is low because there were no boat counts this season so several colonies only visible from the sea were not counted. These colonies have averaged 350 AOL in recent years, if theat number was assumed for this season the theoretical total would have been 1141 AOL, a slight increase. In two sample plots a minimum of 51 chicks almost big enough to fledge were counted. This gave a productivity of 0.26, 13.3% lower than the ten-year mean (0.30±s.e.0.06).
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 AON 785 744 646 558 1016 987 981 1234 1071 791† № of young 225 511 202 5* - - 48* 18* 22* 51 Productivity 0.29 0.69 0.31 0.01 - 0.30 0.30 0.22 0.28 0.26 *Only partial census carried out; more birds may have fledged. Productivity calculated at study plots from a smaller number of AOL. No boat counts this year, total excludes colonies normally counted from the sea
19 The first full census on Ynys Gwylan Fawr since 2011 took place on 26 June and found the population has continued to decline, to just 18 AOL. Just one juvenile was seen and a further six smashed eggs were found. It was not possible to land on Ynys Gwylan Bach but a further 14 AOL could be seen. This combined total of 32 AOL is 80.9% lower than the 2005-2014 mean (167.50±s.d.100.58). The resulting productivity is just as bad, 92.5% below the 2005-2014 mean (0.40±s.e.0.08). It is hard to ascertain reasons for such a decline with only one visit but, considering the general increase in the Bardsey population, there is every possibility the birds are simply switching colonies. Ringing recoveries have shown there is a large flux of birds between these islands.
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 AON 318 294 203 161 151 104 77 - - 32 № of young 182 135 102 28 - - - - - 1 Productivity 0.57 0.62 0.50 0.17 - 0.49 - - - 0.03
R a z o r b i l l Alca torda Common to abundant, population recovering The resurgence continues on Bardsey with a total of 2208 AOL recorded. This is an increase of 498 compared with last year and now much more in line with historic figures. A minimum of 317 eggs/young were counted in the colonies, an increase of 5% on last year’s figures and just 1% under the ten-year mean (320.10±s.d.40.47).
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Eggs/young 542 410 334 38 295 400 278 287 300 317
A visit to Ynys Gwylan Fawr on 26 June saw 51 AOL and 18 eggs/young recorded. It was not possible to land on Ynys Gwylan Bach but an extra ten AOL could be seen. As with Guillemot, the general decline of this species on Ynysoedd Gwylan is intriguing and deserves a more detailed study.
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Eggs/young 69 54 38 0 - 15 17 - - 18
P u f f i n Fratercula arctica Uncommon, increasing on Bardsey, population stable on Gwylans, This species continues to expand its foothold in the northeast of the island. There were regular counts over 100 birds with the highest a count of 139 on 23 June. Birds were seen carrying food into the colony throughout the summer and one chick was found to be accessible during burrow inspections on 24 June. Many more burrows were thought to be occupied, the exact figure is unknown, but the estimated population is thought to be in the mid-50s. The estimated population is based on maximum number of birds ashore and/or AOB. As the birds are in a mixed colony of burrow-nesting Manx Shearwaters and Razorbills, it is very hard to determine which burrows are occupied by Puffins.
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Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Est population 10 10 12 30 21 23 16 16 29 55
The visit to Ynys Gwylan Fawr on 26 June produced a count of 871 Apparently Occupied Burrows (AOB). It was not possible to land on Ynys Gwylan Bach but birds could be seen coming to and from the colony with food. Since 62 AOB were counted from a distance last year and 117 counted when the last landing was made in 2011, there is every reason to believe the population is still at the same level. Even without a total from Ynys Gwylan Bach, the count of 871 AOB is 32 more than last year, a 3.8% increase, and the highest since 2001.
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 AOB 535 440* 548* 707 190* 240* 759* - 839* 871 * Only partial census completed for safety reasons
W o o d p i g e o n Columba palumbus Scarce, population stable Given the protracted breeding period, cross-territorial display flights, semi-colonial nesting and inaccessible nests deep within gorse cover, this remains an incredibly awkward species to monitor on Bardsey. A minimum of ten breeding pairs were scattered across the island, a slight increase on last year, and the highest for four years. Three other birds potentially held territory, having been seen displaying over suitable habitat, but no nests could be found. Four young were confirmed to have fledged from two nests, with other young being seen around the island in late summer and early autumn.
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs 8 10 8 8 9 10 9 9 9 10
C u c k o o Cuculus canorus ‘Occasional parasite’ Following a good spring passage of adults, a juvenile was found at the Plantation on 1 July. Though it was not seen to be fed by any host species it seems likely that this represents the first breeding record since 2008.
Little Owl Athene noctua Scarce, population stable Three territories were recorded this year but only two were confirmed breeding. One pair nested in the gorse banks above Tŷ Pellaf and fledged a minimum of two young, first seen on 28 June. One pair nested along the field boundary wall south of Carreg Bach with at least one young seen in the vicinity. The third pair resided above Nant but for the second year in a row there was no evidence of successful breeding.
S k y l a r k Alauda arvensis Scarce, absent from 1979-2002 Three pairs continue to breed on the island; two present around the north fields and one to the west of the Withies. One juvenile in the north was the sole fledging of a poor breeding season (one chick died in the nest before fledging). Although no other young were seen, birds were seen holding territory into August and so it seems likely second broods were at least attempted. (Chick left, nest right and nest site bottom)
21
S w a l l o w Hirundo rustica Uncommon, population slowly declining Seventeen pairs nested in and around the outbuildings of the island, one pair fewer than last year but still one 200
150
100
12050
100 Number Number ofbreeding pairs 0 80 1953 1958 1963 1968 1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 2008 2013 60 Year Mean 43.56 ±s.d.36.42 Number of pairs 40
20 Number Number ofbreeding pairs 0 1953 1958 1963 1968 1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 2008 2013 Year Mean 48.71 ±s.d.24.28 Number of pairs more than the 2005-2014 mean (16.00±s.d.3.74). It was a good breeding season with large clutches and multiple broods in almost every pair. A minimum of 105 young fledged, with possibly ten others from nests behind locked doors, a substantial increase on last year. The resulting productivity figure of 6.18 young per pair is 46.1% above the 2005-2014 mean (4.23±s.e.0.36).
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs 11 12 15 21 14 12 21 19 18 17 № of young 54 52 59 72 32 42 106 100 62 105 Productivity 4.91 4.33 3.93 3.43 2.29 3.50 5.05 5.26 3.44 6.18
House Martin Delichon urbicum Scarce occasional breeder For the third year in succession all the breeding attempts were confined to the Lighthouse complex. Five pairs nested raising a minimum of ten young, with the first brood fledging on 15 July. Two juveniles which fledged on 21 September were from the single second brood of this season. The artificial House Martin nests at the LSA Hut and Cristin showed no sign of any occupation again.
Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis Fairly common, population stable Last year’s tally was the highest total for many decades and this year the population continued to increase. A minimum of 97 singing males held territory with multiple registrations and a further 36 single registration territories were located during the course of the four-visit CBC survey. The combined total of 133 territories may include some migrants, so it is safest to stick to the 97 multiple registrations. This is a 34.7% increase on 2013’s total and 58.5% greater than the 2005-2014 mean (61.20±s.d.14.97). A minimum of 99 fledged young were recorded around the island, though this is likely to be an under-estimate of a good breeding season.
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs 53 50 44 52 57 62 59 66 72 97
22 R o c k P i p i t Anthus petrosus Uncommon, population increasing A minimum of 50 males sang along the island’s coastline, a slight increase on last year and the most recorded since 56 in 1990. The population continues to increase with each year and is now 32.6% higher than the 2005- 2014 mean (37.70±s.d.7.76).
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs 35 28 29 32 41 41 31 43 47 50
Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba Scarce, population stable The status quo continues with ten pairs, the same as the last two years. A minimum of 46 young fledged, two less than last year but still 44.2% higher than the 2005-2014 mean (31.90±s.d.12.43). An excellent productivity of 4.6 young per pair is mainly due to the good weather and high proportion of second broods. Though slightly down on 2013, the figure remains 26.4% higher than the 2005-2014 mean (3.64±s.e.0.31).
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs 8 9 7 7 6 7 11 10 10 10 № of young 36 38 20 25 9 24 42 31 48 46 Productivity 4.50 4.22 2.86 3.57 1.50 3.43 3.82 3.10 4.80 4.60
W r e n Troglodytes troglodytes Fairly common, population fluctuates This year’s CBC surveys recorded 111 multiple registration territories and a further 48 single registration territories. The combined total of 159 territories is 73.2% above the 2005-2014 mean (91.80±s.d.31.41), the highest ever recorded on Bardsey, beating the 122 territories of 2001. Breeding success seemed to be excellent, though only 82 juveniles were counted due to the difficult nature of recording this species.
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of territories 52 72 68 69 88 107 81 121 101 159
D u n n o c k Prunella modularis Uncommon, population increasing Following four years of record breeding numbers, the population has dropped down to 20 territories, a 55.6% decrease on 2013. Though this is 18% below the 2005-2014 mean (24.40±s.d.14.06) it is worth noting that it would have been considered an excellent season pre-2010. Productivity seemed to be good, with a minimum of 29 fledged young recorded around the island. Considering the species’ skulking habits and the huge amount of gorse to hide in, it is likely to be an under-estimate of the breeding season.
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of males 14 12 12 13 16 29 34 49 45 20
R o b i n Erithacus rubecula Scarce, population increasing Another species to have set records this year, with 12 pairs around the island, the most ever recorded. A minimum of 30 young fledged during the season but this is thought to be an undercount since young are difficult to observe in the enclosed gardens. The resulting productivity of 2.50 young per pair is 16.7% below the 2005-2014 mean (3.00±s.e.0.30). Three other singing males were present at times during the season and so it seems likely that this species could continue its upward trend next year. 14 12 10 8 6 4
2 Number Number ofbreeding pairs 0 1953 1958 1963 1968 1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 2008 2013 Year Mean 2.41 ±s.d.2.94 Number of pairs
23 Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs 2 2 2 3 2 4 6 8 9 12 № of young 4 4 c.5 c.7 7 18 20+ 37 24 30 Productivity 2.00 2.00 c2.50 c.2.33 3.50 4.50 3.33+ 4.63 2.67 2.50
S t o n e c h a t Saxicola torquatus Scarce, population declining A total of seven pairs nested this year, two more than in 2013 and pretty much equal with the 2005-2014 mean (7.3±s.d.3.62). All but two pairs second-brooded this year, producing a total of 43 young and a productivity figure of 6.14 young per pair. This represents an increase of 9.6% on last year and is only 4.2% lower than the 2005-2014 mean (6.41±s.e.0.68). As mentioned before, the decrease of mature gorse on the western and northern parts of the island continues to hinder this species’ breeding potential.
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs 11 8 13 10 8 1 3 7 5 7 № of young 83 50 56 35 38 10 29 44 28 43 Productivity 7.55 6.25 4.31 3.50 4.75 10 9.67 6.29 5.60 6.14
W h e a t e a r Oenanthe oenanthe Scarce, population recovering Following a small increase in recent years, the population hit a 25-year high with a total of 34 pairs recorded. This is double that of 2013 and 163.6% above the ten-year mean 2005-2014 (12.90±s.d.8.12) and 156.4% greater than the long-term average (1954-2013) of 13.51±s.d.8.79. A minimum of 65 young fledged but due to the close proximity of nests, especially on the South End, the number is likely to be slightly higher. The low productivity figure of 1.91 young per pair is 41% down on 2013 and 29.3% below the 2005-2014 mean (2.70±s.e.0.24).
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10 Number Number ofbreeding pairs 0 1953 1958 1963 1968 1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 2008 2013 Year Mean 13.51 ±s.d.8.79 Number of pairs
24 Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs 8 12 13 11 6 6 11 11 17 34 Number of young 29 31 39 10* 9* 16 27* 28 55 65 Productivity 3.63 2.50 3.00 1.43* 2.25* 2.67 3.86* 2.55 3.24 1.91 *Number of young/productivity was from a sample of monitored nests and not the entire population.
B l a c k b i r d Turdus merula Scarce, population increasing after extinction The number of breeding pairs declined slightly on last year, with 12 pairs present during the CBC period. The first fledged juvenile was seen at Cristin on 4 May and a further 21 were seen during the rest of the season. The 22 young known to have fledged gives a productivity of 1.83 young per pair, 17.3% above 2013 and 19.0% below the 2005-2014 mean (2.26±s.e.0.31).
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs 0 1 1 4 5 5 7 12 16 12 Productivity - 3.00 1.00 1.25 1.80 3.40 3.71 2.83 1.56 1.83
Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus Scarce A minimum of three pairs nested this year, one pair in Tŷ Pellaf reed-bed, one in Carreg reed-bed, and another in the Green Lane. Seven other singing males were recorded holding territory for long spells of the CBC survey period, though no breeding activity was confirmed. Only seven juveniles were known to have fledged, less than half of last year’s record success. The productivity figure of 2.33 young per pair represents a 30.9% increase on last year and is the highest this decade.
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs 0 0 0 2 2 3 8 8 9 3 Productivity - - - 1.00 1.00 1.33 1.25 1.13 1.78 2.33
Whitethroat Sylvia communis Scarce Another successful year with seven pairs nesting, one more than last year, and equal with 2012 - the best years since 1968. Considering that two additional singing males were present this season, it would not take too 20
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5 Number Number ofbreeding pairs 0 1953 1958 1963 1968 1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 2008 2013 Year Mean 3.17 ±s.d.3.70 Number of pairs much of an increase to reach the record 15 pairs from 1960. A minimum of 19 juveniles fledged, producing a productivity of 2.71 young per pair.
Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita Scarce Three pairs were present this year, one each in Nant Withy, Cristin Withy, and Cristin garden. The only young known to have fledged were three which were first seen at Nant on 7 July. In addition, the Cristin Withy pair were seen carrying food on 26 June, but no young could be found subsequently.
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3
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1 Number Number ofbreeding pairs 0 1953 1958 1963 1968 1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 2008 2013 Year Mean 0.82 ±s.d.1.24 25Number of pairs
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs 3 3 0 0 2 4 1 4 2 3
Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus Occasional breeder After two blank years without any breeding pairs, this year there were at least two pairs present. A male that sang intermittently at Cristin Withy could have been dismissed as merely a passage bird until it was seen carrying food to a gorse bush. Similarly at Cristin, a male sang from 7 May right through until 29 June. On 24 May a bird was observed carrying nesting material and a female with a brood patch was trapped on 28 May. In both these circumstances no juveniles were seen to have fledged. At the Plantation a male sang from late May until 25 June, but there was no further evidence of a breeding attempt.
G o l d c r e s t Regulus regulus Occasional, breeding in 1999, 2007, and 2014 only This species appears in the breeding bird report for only the third time, following broods in 1999 and 2007. A pair were present in the Plantation from 19 May through until 12 June, with at least one single still present on 29th. The male was singing daily throughout and copulation was observed on 21 May. No young were seen so it is assumed the breeding attempt failed.
B l u e T i t Cyanistes caeruleus Occasional, breeding in 1989, 2011-2014 only For only the fifth occasion (but fourth consecutive year), there was successful breeding on Bardsey. Two pairs were present in the spring, one in the Nant area and another at Plas. The Plas birds nested in a hole in a wall at Plas house, with five juveniles fledging on 3 June. Half-way through May it soon became apparent that the Nant birds were ‘missing’. They were last seen on 8 May and most likely were predated by a migrant Sparrowhawk. The five fledged young is the same productivity as recorded in the last two years.
G r e a t T i t Parus major Occasional, breeding in, 1984-1986 and 2012-2014 only For the third year in a row a pair took up residence in Cristin garden. Following frequent sightings during the spring, food provisioning was first observed on 10 May. Unfortunately, soon after, as with Blue Tit the pair disappeared, possibly becoming prey to a Sparrowhawk. The pair were last seen on 12 May.
M a g p i e Pica pica Scarce, population fluctuates, but fairly stable Five pairs definitely nested this year, and four others held territory but could not be confirmed as producing young. This represents an 18.2% decrease on 2013 and is 8.4% greater than the 2005-2014 mean (8.30±s.d.1.57). At least ten juveniles fledged giving a productivity figure of 0.90 young per pair, 47.1% lower than the 2005-2014 average (1.70± s.e.0.25).
Year 200 200 200 200 200 201 201 201 201 201 № of pairs 57 67 7 86 9 09 18 102 113 49 Productivit 2.8 2.5 2.4 0.3 1.78 1.67 1.13 1.80 1.55 0.90 y 6 7 3 3 14 12 10 8 6 4
2 Number Number ofbreeding pairs 0 1953 1958 1963 1968 1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 2008 2013 Year Mean 6.88 ±s.d.3.01 Number of pairs
26 C h o u g h Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax Scarce (Schedule 1), population increasing slightly It was an excellent year for this corvid. Although eight pairs is one fewer than last year, the breeding success was good. Following last year’s poor breeding season, a total of 24 young fledged. Two pairs fledged four young, four pairs fledged three young, and two pairs fledged two young. The resulting productivity figure of 3.00 young per pair is 26.1% higher than the 2005-2014 mean (2.38±s.e.0.29).
10
8
6
4
2 Number Number ofbreeding pairs 0 1953 1958 1963 1968 1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 2008 2013 Year Mean 4.35 ±s.d.2.07 Number of pairs
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs 5 6 6 6 6 6 8 9 9 8 № of young 13 22 23 16 11 8 14 15 13 24 Productivity 2.60 3.67 3.83 2.67 1.83 1.33 1.75 1.67 1.44 3.00 Carrion Crow Corvus corone Scarce, population stable A minimum of seven pairs were spread around the island with a further three other probable nesting attempts suspected (Pen Cristin, South End, and East Side). All but one pair was successful, the Plas Withy nest was abandoned with one egg by 30 May. The remaining pairs fledged a combined total of 15 young. The end productivity figure of 2.14 chicks per pair is 25.9% higher than last year.
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs 9 7 6 8 8 9 7 9 10 7
R a v e n Corvus corax Scarce For the fourth year in succession a pair nested just north of Seal Cave. Two young fledged on 1 June and remained on the island until mid-autumn. The productivity figure of 2.00 chicks per pair is down on recent years, with at least four fledging in 2012 and 2013.
C h a f f i n c h Fringilla coelebs Scarce, population increasing This year 12 pairs were recorded during the CBC surveys, one more than last year and a new record for Bardsey. This represents a population increase in all but one year from the first pair nesting in 2001. At least 17 juveniles were recorded, with the first brood seen at Cristin on 27 April. The resulting productivity of 1.42 is
27 low. With plenty of extra gardens and bushes available it would not be surprising if the population continues its upward trend.
14 12 10 8 6 4
2 Number Number ofbreeding pairs 0 1953 1958 1963 1968 1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 2008 2013 Year Mean 1.42 ±s.d.3.05 Number of pairs
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs 2 4 6 4 7 8 9 11 11 12
G o l d f i n c h Carduelis carduelis Scarce Along with the Chaffinch, this species continues its record-breaking growth on the island. A minimum of four pairs bred, with one pair at Nant Withy, one at Tŷ Nesaf, and two at Cristin, matching last year’s record. Potentially a fifth pair may have bred in the Plantation area, but this could not be confirmed. In total 31 juveniles fledged, with most pairs second-brooding and two even raising three broods. This is by far the most successful season for Goldfinch in Bardsey’s history.
L i n n e t Carduelis cannabina Uncommon, population declining A poor year for this declining finch with 25 pairs breeding, down by 19.4% on last year and 15% below the 2005-2014 mean (29.40±s.d.13.66). A minimum of 68 fledged young is less than half of 2013’s impressive figure and 55.2% below the 2005-2014 mean (92.80±s.d.41.56). Productivity was 17.8% below the 2005-2014 average (3.31±s.e.0.42). As with Stonechat, it likely that a decrease in the availability of mature lowland gorse hampers the breeding of this species on Bardsey.
80
60
40
20 Number Number ofbreeding pairs 0 1953 1958 1963 1968 1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 2008 2013 Year Mean 23.54 ±s.d.16.48 Number of pairs
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 № of pairs 66 30 30 25 24 17 19 27 31 25 № of young 140 100 150 60 45 53 106 58 148 68 Productivity 2.12 3.33 5.00 2.40 1.88 3.12 5.58 2.15 4.77 2.72
28 3.1 Summering birds and potential breeders
In addition to the species above, a few extra birds were present during the season and, although not breeding, are worth mentioning in case of future colonisation. First off was a Hooded Crow which arrived in autumn 2013 and overwintered on the island. It resided mostly around the Narrows and lower West Coast throughout the spring and was last seen on 2 June. Another species which may have overwintered was the Barn Owl discovered at Lloft Nant on 1 May. Judging by the amount of owl pellets found nearby, it seems as if this bird was the individual that had arrived in October 2013. It was last heard on 21 May and represents the first ‘resident’ Barn Owl for many a year. One of the most intriguing records of the year was of Black Guillemots. Following singles seen in Nant Valley on 28 April, 5 May, and 19 May, a pair of summer-plumaged birds were observed on the rocks on 21 May. If the pair returns and breeds in 2015, it would represent the first breeding records for Bardsey itself, though a pair bred on Ynys Gwylan Fawr in 2000 and near St Mary’s Well, Uwchmynydd, in more recent years. At least two Blackcaps, one male and one female, were present during the summer, mostly seen at the Plantation or Cristin. They were not thought to have bred. A Reed Warbler was present in Cristin Withy from 2 May to 30 June, singing on most mornings. This represents the first summering record for Bardsey. A single Lesser Redpoll was present on the island during summer, last seen on 6 July. The species is an intermittent breeder on Bardsey, having last bred in 2012 with a record three pairs. No second bird or juveniles were ever seen so this probably relates to a summering individual.
4 S u m m a r y
Overall, an excellent year for breeding birds on Bardsey. Many species bred in numbers not seen for decades, and some even set new records. Seabirds generally held their own with reasonable counts and productivity. Exceptions were Cormorants and Guillemots on Ynysoedd Gwylan, and the continued decline of Kittiwake productivity on Bardsey. Lesser Black-backed Gull showed a good recovery, with an increase of 88% on last year. Herring Gull showed a small increase and whilst Great Black-backed Gull declined slightly on Bardsey, it showed an unprecedented increase on Ynys Gwylan Fawr. The Manx Shearwater productivity thankfully returned to normal after last year’s poor figures. A large increase in Razorbills to over 2200 pairs on Bardsey brings the population back to traditional figures. On Ynys Gwylan Fawr the Puffin population increased to levels not seen for 13 years, whilst the colony on Bardsey is greater than ever before with up to 55 pairs thought to be nesting on the East Side now. It is worth noting that many seabird colonies across the country have not been faring well in recent years, with climate change and declining fish stocks causing widespread failures. It is some relief that the populations on Bardsey seem to buck the nationwide trend.
However, ducks continue to fare badly on Bardsey, with no Shelducks fledging and only one Mallard surviving. A female Mallard attempted to raise her brood amongst hundreds of hungry gulls on the East Side of the Mountain with no success, unsurprisingly. In recent years a semi-resident Buzzard has used Moorhens as an easy meal, but with no Buzzard present this season, the Moorhens raised 21 chicks. The Oystercatcher population was quite high compared with recent years, 101 territories in total, but unfortunately productivity was very low. The only other breeding wader, Ringed Plover, attempted for the fifth time since 2003, but the brood failed due to human disturbance.
29 Passerines on the island fared well this season, with multiple broods and high productivity. Wheatear were present in excellent numbers, the most for 25 years, whilst Stonechat had a productive season with 43 young seen. Both Meadow Pipit and Rock Pipit had a terrific year. The Dunnock population was half of what was present in 2013. On the hirundine front, both Swallow and House Martin were present in the usual numbers, with Swallow being particularly productive. The garden finches, Chaffinch and Goldfinch, continue to show record breeding numbers on Bardsey. Though speculative, it is possible these populations could be artificially high due to the high amount of bird seed put out during the winter, improving the survival rate. Pied Wagtails were present in usual numbers, coupled with very reasonable productivity, but both tit species were affected by Sparrowhawk predation in spring. Warblers showed a mixed season, with Sedge Warbler decreasing slightly, but Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler doing well. Linnets appeared to delay nesting, but then took advantage of good weather in July and August; a slightly increased population fledged moderate numbers of young.
5 References
Eagle, G. (2012) Bardsey’s breeding birds, 1992-2011. Rep. Bardsey Bird Fld. Obs. 55: 138-143. Jones, P.H. (1988) The Natural History of Bardsey. National Museum of Wales, Cardiff. Loxton, R.G. and Jones, P.H. (1995) The breeding birds of Bardsey, Skomer, Skokholm and the Calf of Man. Part 1: Introduction and species accounts. Rep. Bardsey Bird Fld. Obs. 38: 84-159. Mavor, R.A. et al. (2008) Seabird numbers and breeding success in Britain and Ireland, 2006. Peterborough, JNCC (UK Nature Conservation, No 31.).Walsh, P.M. et al. (1995) Seabird monitoring handbook for Britain and Ireland. JNCC / RSPB /ITE / Seabird Group, Peterborough
30 5. P roductivity monitoring and ringing of Manx Shearwaters
5.1 Introduction
The colony of Manx Shearwaters on Bardsey is the third largest in Wales and possibly the fifth largest in the world. The last complete census was in 2008-2010 when almost 16,000 apparently-occupied burrows (AOB’s) were counted (Stansfield 2011) showed an increase of almost 10,000 AOB’s on the number counted in the census in 1995. Since 1997 a sample of burrows has been monitored and the productivity (number of young fledged per pair) calculated.
5 . 2 A i m s
The Manx Shearwater is a well-studied bird on Bardsey. The number of nesting pairs is known, its winter quarters are known through ringing recoveries and the average productivity since 1997 is known from a sample of up to 100 nests. Because of the global importance of the colony on Bardsey, the Manx Shearwater is one of the avian features of the SSSI and NNR. The aims of this project were to continue the productivity monitoring programme, to increase the proportion of the population wearing rings, particularly juvenile birds, and retrap as many individuals as possible. The increased number of retraps will hopefully give a clearer indication of the mean life expectancy, highlight any losses in particular age classes and provide a much better indication of population changes. The increased ringing of juveniles will provide birds of known age which will hopefully give us a much better idea of age of first breeding and juvenile survival.
5.3 Methods
5.3.1 Productivity monitoring
A sample of burrows from the whole island was monitored to study the productivity of the shearwaters. Again following the methodology outlined in the Seabird Monitoring Handbook, a sample of burrows was selected to be visited periodically and monitored. The burrows were visited several times throughout the nesting season, initially during the mean egg laying period when the shearwaters had just begun incubating. The next visits were whilst the birds were rearing their young and the final visits at the point when the young are about to fledge. Burrow selection was necessarily subjective, as only those burrows that were shallow and straight enough to ascertain the contents by reaching a hand or a stick down to the bottom of them could be used. This does lead to a slight bias towards shallow burrows but a variety of burrow types, distributed in widespread parts of the island and a range of habitats, was used to ensure a reasonably broad sample. Accessible burrows containing Manx shearwaters and eggs were located at a number of clustered sites across the island and provided a broad range of habitats and areas. Each burrow was mapped and marked with an individually numbered wooden stake so to aid relocation later in the season. When the chicks were large enough they were ringed and biometrics were taken (wing length and weight). A final visit was then conducted to calculate how many chicks had been reared to fledging.
5.3.2 Ringing adult birds
Under licence from JNCC (issued by the BTO) ringers trapped adult birds at night as they returned to their burrows. Birds generally only come ashore in any number during the new moon period and 100,000 candle power torches are used to dazzle the birds so they cannot see the ringer coming. The birds are then picked up by the ringer and a uniquely numbered metal ring fitted to the bird’s leg with special pliers. The rings are issued through the BTO which runs the UK Ringing Scheme. Once the ring has been fitted age, sex (if possible), biometric data, date, time and location are all noted. These data are then entered onto a specially designed database issued by the BTO on the Observatory’s PC and eventually submitted to the BTO as part of the ringers licensing requirements.
5.3.3 Ringing young birds
Many of the birds which nest on the island use nest chambers several metres underground that are totally inaccessible. Some of the shorter burrows have chambers which are only a foot or so beneath the surface whilst others that are four to five feet may be accessed by the ringer hooking the bird round its leg
31 with a hooked piece of wire and gently easing the bird towards the surface. The chicks are then taken from the burrow and the same ringing process as for adults carried out. In late August and early September some of the young that are captured are sitting on the surface exercising their wings. These birds are told from adults by several plumage characteristics (mainly the presence or absence of down on the body). Birds with <20% body cover of down were aged as juveniles that had/were able to fledge (Euring age code 3, i.e. hatched during the current calendar year). A bird with a body cover of >20% were aged as pullus (Euring age code 1, i.e. a bird still in its nest). The birds aged as 3 were technically still pullus but an arbitrary figure of 20% down cover was given to differentiate between birds that were capable of flight and ones that were not.
5 . 3 . 4 R e - trapping adult and young birds
When the ringer captures a bird on the ground (i.e. not underground in a burrow) it is checked to see if it is already ringed. If a ring is found the state of the ring is examined and if worn replaced (over time rings wear, become thin and numbers become un-readable so if the ring is starting to wear it is carefully removed with circlip pliers). The two numbers are then noted and later married-up on the database, with the original ringing date applied to the new ring. This method of re-ringing is necessary in long lived birds such as shearwaters. With birds whose ring is in good order the number is written down and checked, the time, location, age and sex noted and then bird then released. These data are then entered onto the database as re-traps. The database is sufficiently powerful to be able to match all previously entered captures including the original ringing data. The database, when queried, then provides a complete capture history for each bird with multiple captures.
5.4 Results
5 . 4 . 1 Productivity.
In total 108 burrows with birds incubating eggs were found and marked. Unfortunately seven markers were lost during the year and the productivity was calculated from remaining 101 burrows.
32 From the 101 widely scattered burrows that were monitored to calculate productivity, a total of 71 fledged chicks, giving a productivity figure of 0.70 chicks per breeding pair, an increase of 14.75% on last year’s poor productivity of 0.61, and slightly lower (-2.78%) on the 2005-2014 average (0.72±s.e.0.01) and 7.89% lower than the mean since 1998 (0.76.±s.e.0.02).
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Productivity 0.78 0.74 0.68 0.73 0.71 0.76 0.73 0.72 0.61 0.70 Sample size 100 50 50 102 100 90 122 148 132 101
0.9 0.85 0.8 0.75
Productivity 0.7 0.65 0.6 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Year Mean 0.76 ±s.e.0.02 Series5
Table 1 Nest record details.
Code Area Number of Burrows S South end 10 C Cristin 8 P Pen Cristin 16 L Lowlands/West coast 6 M Mountain Top 11 ME Mountain North East 12 NS North Stream 7 B Barcud 7 NVE Nant Valley East 11 NVW Nant Valley West 5 T Typellaf 11 TF Treath Fynnon 2 Total 106
FIRST VISIT SECOND VISIT Successful CHICK CHICK CHICK Nest No. DATE STATUS DATE STATUS RING NUMBER WING LENGTH WEIGHT S1 6-Apr Bird on egg 7-Aug Post Lost - S2 6-Apr Bird on egg 7-Aug Post Lost - S3 6-Apr Bird on egg 7-Aug Empty - S4 6-Apr Bird on egg 7-Aug Empty - S5 6-Apr Bird on egg 7-Aug Chick Y FB37072 104mm 402g S6 6-Apr Bird on egg 7-Aug Post Lost - S7 6-Apr Bird on egg 7-Aug Chick Y FB37070 158mm 481g S8 6-Apr Bird on egg 7-Aug Chick Y FB37071 152mm 538g S9 6-Apr Bird on egg 7-Aug Empty N S10 6-Apr Bird on egg 7-Aug Chick Y FB37069 66mm 280g
C1 10-Jun Bird on egg 6-Aug Chick Y FB37022 100mm 422g C2 10-Jun Bird on egg 6-Aug Chick Y FB37068 128mm 558g C3 10-Jun Bird on egg 6-Aug Empty N C4 10-Jun Bird on egg 6-Aug Chick Too Big Y C5 10-Jun Bird on egg 6-Aug Chick Y FB37067 117mm 501g C6 10-Jun Bird on egg 6-Aug Chick Y FB37001 71mm 361g C7 10-Jun Bird on egg 6-Aug Chick Y FB37029 104mm 510g
33 C8 10-Jun Bird on egg 6-Aug Chick Y FB36065 139mm 585g
P1 28-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Chick Y FB37038 106mm 335g P2 28-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Chick Y FB37037 156mm 453g P3 28-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Empty N P4 28-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Chick Y FB37036 139mm 469g P5 28-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Chick Y FB37035 120mm 460g P6 28-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Chick Y FB37034 84mm 447g P7 28-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Chick Y FB37033 139mm 520g P8 28-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Chick Y FB37032 145mm 581g P9 30-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Chick Y FB37031 103mm 460g P10 30-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Chick Y FB37030 140mm 558g P11 30-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Empty N P12 30-May Bird on egg 31-Jul Chick Y FB37028 107mm 494g P13 30-May Bird on egg 31-Jul Chick Y FB37027 138mm 464g P14 30-May Bird on egg 31-Jul Dead Chick In Egg N P15 30-May Bird on egg 31-Jul Chick Y FB37026 53mm 350g P16 30-May Bird on egg 31-Jul Chick Y FB37025
L1 15-Jun Bird on egg 5-Aug Chick Y FB37050 116mm 414g L2 15-Jun Bird on egg 5-Aug Chick Y FB37049 44mm 225g L3 15-Jun Bird on egg 5-Aug Empty N L4 15-Jun Bird on egg 5-Aug Chick Y FB37048 106mm 523mm L5 15-Jun Bird on egg 5-Aug Chick Too Big Y L6 15-Jun Bird on egg 5-Aug Chick Y FB37047 95mm 386g
NVE1 15-May Bird on egg 6-Aug Chick Y FB37064 116mm 402g NVE2 15-May Bird on egg 6-Aug Chick Too Big Y NVE3 15-May Bird on egg 6-Aug Chick Y FB37063 124mm 237g NVE4 15-May Bird on egg 6-Aug Empty N NVE5 15-May Bird on egg 6-Aug Dead Chick In Egg N NVE6 15-May Bird on egg 6-Aug Empty N NVE7 15-May Bird on egg 6-Aug Chick Y FB37062 139mm 460g NVE8 15-May Bird on egg 6-Aug Empty N NVE9 15-May Bird on egg 6-Aug Chick Too Big Y NVE10 15-May Bird on egg 6-Aug Chick Y FB37061 139mm 528g NVE11 15-May Bird on egg 6-Aug Chick Too Deep Y
NVW1 21-May Bird on egg 5-Aug Chick Y FB37060 120mm 380g NVW2 21-May Bird on egg 5-Aug Chick Y FB37059 117mm 446g NVW3 21-May Bird on egg 5-Aug Chick Y FB37058 80mm 390g NVW4 21-May Bird on egg 5-Aug Chick Y FB37057 92mm 395g NVW5 21-May Bird on egg 5-Aug Chick Y FB37056 138mm 435g
NS1 21-May Bird on egg 5-Aug Chick Y FB37055 119mm 481g NS2 21-May Bird on egg 5-Aug Chick Y FB37054 139mm 468g NS3 21-May Bird on egg 5-Aug Empty N NS4 21-May Bird on egg 5-Aug Chick Dead N NS5 21-May Bird on egg 5-Aug Chick Y FB37053 105mm 341g NS6 21-May Bird on egg 5-Aug Chick Y FB37052 129mm 542g NS7 21-May Bird on egg 5-Aug Chick Y FB37051 153mm 547g
M1 6-Jan Bird on egg 10-Aug Post Lost - M2 6-Jan Bird on egg 10-Aug Chick Y FB37073 54mm 269g M3 6-Jan Bird on egg 10-Aug Chick Y FB37074 141mm 536g M4 6-Jan Bird on egg 10-Aug Post Lost - M5 6-Jan Bird on egg 10-Aug Chick Y FB37075 161mm 483g M6 6-Jan Bird on egg 10-Aug Empty N M7 6-Jan Bird on egg 10-Aug Empty N M8 6-Jan Bird on egg 10-Aug Empty N M9 6-Jan Bird on egg 10-Aug Two Adults In Burrow N M10 6-Jan Bird on egg 10-Aug Empty N
34 M11 6-Jan Bird on egg 10-Aug Chick Y FB37076 130mm 364g
ME1 6-Jan Bird on egg 11-Aug Chick Y FB37077 141mm 432g ME2 6-Jan Bird on egg 11-Aug Empty N ME3 6-Jan Bird on egg 11-Aug Chick Y FB37078 127mm 487g ME4 6-Jan Bird on egg 11-Aug Empty N ME5 6-Jan Bird on egg 11-Aug Chick Y FB37079 127mm 496g ME6 6-Jan Bird on egg 11-Aug Empty N ME7 6-Jan Bird on egg 11-Aug Chick Y FB37080 166mm 428g ME8 6-Jan Bird on egg 11-Aug Chick Y FB37081 172mm 620g ME9 6-Jan Bird on egg 11-Aug Chick Y FB37082 146mm 574g ME10 6-Jan Bird on egg 11-Aug Chick Y FB37083 157mm 490g ME11 6-Jan Bird on egg 11-Aug Chick Y FB37084 126mm 423g ME12 6-Jan Bird on egg 11-Aug Chick Y FB37085 88mm 419g
B1 17-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Chick Y FB37039 138mm 451g B2 17-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Chick Y FB37040 118mm 501g B3 17-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Chick, Deformed/dislocated right leg Y B4 17-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Empty N B5 17-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Empty N B6 17-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Chick Y FB37041 109mm 478g B7 17-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Empty N
T1 28-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Empty N T2 28-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Chick Too Big Y T3 28-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Empty N T4 28-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Chick Y FB37046 114mm 456g T5 28-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Chick Too Big Y T6 28-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Chick Y FB37045 108mm 410g T7 28-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Chick Y FB37044 146mm 538g T8 28-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Dead Chick N T9 28-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Chick Y FB37043 108mm 453g T10 28-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Chick Y FB37042 146mm 619g T11 28-May Bird on egg 4-Aug Empty -
TF1 30-May Bird on egg 31-Jul Chick Y FB37024 70mm 367g TF2 30-May Bird on egg 31-Jul Adult feathers in burrow, cold egg N
5.4.2 Ringing new birds
During the new moon periods, from mid-March onwards, shearwaters return ashore after dark. During the season (April-September) a total of 140 full-grown birds were ringed. In addition 94 young birds were ringed giving a grand total of just 234 compared to 577 last year.
5 . 4 . 3 R e - trapping ringed birds
In addition to the new birds ringed a further 81 recaptures of birds already wearing rings were made, two of which was ringed at other sites (details as yet unknown).
5.5 Summary
From the 101 widely scattered burrows that were monitored to calculate productivity, a total of 71 fledged chicks, giving a productivity figure of 0.70 chicks per breeding pair, an increase of 14.75% on last year’s poor productivity of 0.61, and slightly lower (-2.78%) on the 2005-2014 average (0.72±s.e.0.01) and 7.89% lower than the mean since 1998 (0.76.±s.e.0.02). The productivity was consistent across the differing habitats of the census, lowland banks and walls, mountain slopes and sea cliff turf areas all performed poorly. There is no immediate explanation for this disappointing result, though the weather was cold and generally poor through the spring. None of the study burrows contained abandoned eggs indicating failure at an early stage. Predation by corvids was not thought to be significantly higher than previous years.
35
Ringing and re-trapping birds was again successful, with four birds between 20-30 years old, one just over 30 and one just just shy of 34 years old.
Table 2. Details of bird retrapped during 2014
Ring Number Age Date Details FB06709 4 20/08/99 Bardsey Island (PEN CR), Gwynedd 4 02/09/02 Bardsey Island (PEN CR), Gwynedd (3 yrs 13days) 4 06/05/05 Bardsey Island (PEN CR), Gwynedd (5 yrs 259days) 4 18/08/14 Bardsey Island (PEN CR), Gwynedd (14 yrs 363days) FB07805 4 26/07/00 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd 4 29/08/05 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (5 yrs 34days) 4 04/05/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (13 yrs 282days) FB09375 4 01/08/02 Bardsey Island (NARROW), Gwynedd 4 24/08/12 Bardsey Island (NARROW), Gwynedd (10 yrs 23days) 4 17/08/14 Bardsey Island (NARROW), Gwynedd (12 yrs 16days) FB09480 4 05/08/02 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd 4 13/07/05 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (2 yrs 342days) 4 04/05/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (11 yrs 272days) FB10095 4 02/09/02 Bardsey Island (PEN CR), Gwynedd 4 12/04/07 Bardsey Island (PEN CR), Gwynedd (4 yrs 222days) 4 08/04/10 Bardsey Island (PEN CR), Gwynedd (7 yrs 218days) 4 28/04/14 Bardsey Island (PEN CR), Gwynedd (11 yrs 238days) FB10926 4 27/05/03 Bardsey Island (NARROW), Gwynedd 4 27/07/11 Bardsey Island (NARROW), Gwynedd (8 yrs 61days) 4 17/08/14 Bardsey Island (NARROW), Gwynedd (11 yrs 82days) FB17417 4 21/06/04 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd 4 14/04/09 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (4 yrs 297days) 4 04/05/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (9 yrs 317days) 4 26/06/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (10 yrs 5days) FB18130 4 03/05/05 Bardsey Island (TY PEL), Gwynedd 4 22/04/09 Bardsey Island (PEN CR), Gwynedd (3 yrs 354days) 4 12/08/13 Bardsey Island (PEN CR), Gwynedd (8 yrs 101days) 4 28/04/14 Bardsey Island (PEN CR), Gwynedd (8 yrs 360days) FB18134 4 03/05/05 Bardsey Island (NARROW), Gwynedd 4 28/05/05 Bardsey Island (TY PEL), Gwynedd (25 days) 4 17/08/14 Bardsey Island (NARROW), Gwynedd (9 yrs 106days) FB18465 4 06/05/05 Bardsey Island (PEN CR), Gwynedd 4 12/08/05 Bardsey Island (PEN CR), Gwynedd (98 days) 4 31/08/14 Bardsey Island (PEN CR), Gwynedd (9 yrs 117days) 4 31/08/14 Bardsey Island (PEN CR), Gwynedd (9 yrs 117days) FB18598 4 27/05/05 Bardsey Island (PEN CR), Gwynedd 4 12/08/13 Bardsey Island (PEN CR), Gwynedd (8 yrs 77days) 4 18/08/14 Bardsey Island (PEN CR), Gwynedd (9 yrs 83days) FB18656 4 28/05/05 Bardsey Island (PEN CR), Gwynedd 4 09/05/12 Bardsey Island (PEN CR), Gwynedd (6 yrs 347days) 4 31/08/14 Bardsey Island (NARROW), Gwynedd (9 yrs 95days) FB18659 4 28/05/05 Bardsey Island (PEN CR), Gwynedd 4 28/04/14 Bardsey Island (PEN CR), Gwynedd (8 yrs 335days) FB18862 4 29/07/05 Bardsey Island (ATT), Gwynedd 4 28/04/14 Bardsey Island (PEN CR), Gwynedd (8 yrs 273days) FB19021 4 31/07/05 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd 4 04/05/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (8 yrs 277days) FB19056 4 01/08/05 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd 4 14/08/13 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (8 yrs 13days) 4 04/05/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (8 yrs 276days) FB19080 1 06/08/05 Bardsey Island (HYGOL), Gwynedd 4 04/05/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (8 yrs 271days) FB19169 N 01/08/05 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd 4 28/04/14 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (8 yrs 270days) FB20536 1 21/08/06 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd
36 4 18/08/14 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (7 yrs 362days) FB20548 4 21/08/06 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd 4 31/08/14 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (8 yrs 10days) FB20802 4 21/05/07 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd 4 04/05/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (6 yrs 348days) FB29484 4 03/05/08 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd 4 09/05/12 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (4 yrs 6days) 4 12/08/13 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (5 yrs 101days) 4 28/04/14 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (5 yrs 360days) FB29509 4 07/05/08 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd 4 27/07/11 Bardsey Island (NAOW), Gwynedd (3 yrs 81days) 4 27/07/11 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (3 yrs 81days) 4 28/04/14 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (5 yrs 356days) 4 18/08/14 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (6 yrs 103days) FB29512 4 07/05/08 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd 4 09/05/12 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (4 yrs 2days) 4 31/07/12 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (4 yrs 85days) 4 24/08/12 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (4 yrs 109days) 4 12/08/13 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (5 yrs 97days) 4 28/04/14 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (5 yrs 356days) FB29978 1 27/07/08 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd 4 31/08/14 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (6 yrs 35days) FB33337 4 13/04/09 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd 4 14/04/09 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (1 day) 4 26/06/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (5 yrs 74days) FB33716 N 22/04/09 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd 4 23/04/09 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (1 day) 4 28/04/14 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (5 yrs 6days) FB34236 4 27/08/09 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd 4 12/08/13 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (3 yrs 350days) 4 31/08/14 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (5 yrs 4days) FB34354 4 07/04/10 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd 4 31/08/14 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (4 yrs 146days) FB34765 4 24/06/10 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd 4 04/05/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (3 yrs 314days) FB34775 4 24/06/10 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd 4 26/06/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (4 yrs 2days) FB34793 4 24/06/10 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd 4 04/05/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (3 yrs 314days) FB34829 4 03/08/10 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd 4 04/05/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (3 yrs 274days) FB35112 4 11/09/10 Bardsey Island (ATT), Gwynedd 4 18/08/14 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (3 yrs 341days) FB35297 N 28/07/11 Bardsey Island (NAOW), Gwynedd 4 09/05/12 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (286 days) 4 17/08/14 Bardsey Island (NAOW), Gwynedd (3 yrs 20days) FB35362 1 24/07/11 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd 4 26/06/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (2 yrs 337days) FB35372 4 25/07/11 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd 4 26/06/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (2 yrs 336days) FB35373 4 25/07/11 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd FB37004 1 29/07/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (3 yrs 4days) FB35378 4 26/07/11 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd 4 18/06/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (2 yrs 327days) FB35383 4 26/07/11 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd 4 04/05/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (2 yrs 282days) FB35432 4 26/04/12 Bardsey Island (SEND), Gwynedd 4 20/08/14 Bardsey Island (SEND), Gwynedd (2 yrs 116days) FB35457 4 27/07/11 Bardsey Island (NAOW), Gwynedd 4 28/07/11 Bardsey Island (NAOW), Gwynedd (1 day) 4 17/08/14 Bardsey Island (NAOW), Gwynedd (3 yrs 21days) FB35462 4 27/07/11 Bardsey Island (NAOW), Gwynedd
37 4 09/05/12 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (287 days) 4 12/08/13 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (2 yrs 16days) 4 18/08/14 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (3 yrs 22days) FB35465 4 27/07/11 Bardsey Island (NAOW), Gwynedd 4 28/04/14 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (2 yrs 275days) FB35468 4 27/07/11 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd 4 28/04/14 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (2 yrs 275days) FB35476 4 27/07/11 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd 4 18/08/14 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (3 yrs 22days) FB35609 1 14/08/11 Bardsey Island (E SIDE), Gwynedd 4 31/08/14 Bardsey Island (NAOW), Gwynedd (3 yrs 17days) FB35673 1 11/08/11 Bardsey Island (SEND), Gwynedd 4 19/08/14 Bardsey Island (SEND), Gwynedd (3 yrs 8days) FB35758 4 29/05/13 Bardsey Island (NAOW), Gwynedd 4 17/08/14 Bardsey Island (NAOW), Gwynedd (1 yr 80days) FB35773 4 09/05/12 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd 4 18/08/14 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (2 yrs 101days) FB35774 4 09/05/12 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd 4 18/08/14 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (2 yrs 101days) FB35984 4 21/06/12 Bardsey Island (ATT), Gwynedd 4 31/07/12 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (40 days) 4 12/08/13 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (1 yr 52days) 4 18/08/14 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (2 yrs 58days) FB36630 4 14/06/13 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd 4 26/06/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (1 yr 12days) FB36770 4 12/08/13 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd 4 28/04/14 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (259 days) FB36771 4 12/08/13 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd 4 28/04/14 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (259 days) FB36797 4 12/08/13 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd 4 31/08/14 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (1 yr 19days) FB36807 4 14/08/13 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd 4 04/05/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (263 days) FB36826 4 14/08/13 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd 4 04/05/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (263 days) FB36828 4 14/08/13 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd 4 04/05/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (263 days) 4 26/06/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (316 days) FB36850 4 14/08/13 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd 4 04/05/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (263 days) FB36966 4 04/05/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd 4 18/06/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (45 days) FB36991 4 26/06/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd 4 26/06/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (0 days) FB37001 1 07/07/14 Bardsey Island, Gwynedd 1 08/08/14 Bardsey Island (CISTN), Gwynedd (32 days) FB37029 1 31/07/14 Bardsey Island, Gwynedd 1 08/08/14 Bardsey Island (CISTN), Gwynedd (8 days) FB37032 1 04/08/14 Bardsey Island, Gwynedd 1 31/08/14 Bardsey Island (PEN C), Gwynedd (27 days) FC39073 4 12/07/88 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd 4 21/05/90 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (1 yr 313days) 4 12/05/94 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (5 yrs 304days) 4 02/06/94 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (5 yrs 325days) 4 13/04/09 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (20 yrs 275days) FB36968 1 04/05/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (25 yrs 296days) FC46726 4 03/06/89 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd 4 28/05/90 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (359 days) 4 12/05/94 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (4 yrs 343days FB06657 1 19/08/99 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (10 yrs 77days) 4 27/05/08 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (18 yrs 359days) 4 17/05/10 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (20 yrs 348days)
38 4 14/08/13 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (24 yrs 72days) 4 18/06/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (25 yrs 15days) 4 26/06/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (25 yrs 23days) FC75528 4 30/03/94 Bardsey Island (SEND), Gwynedd FB18077 1 31/03/05 Bardsey Island (SEND), Gwynedd (11 yrs 1day) 4 20/08/14 Bardsey Island (SEND), Gwynedd (20 yrs 143days) FC88133 4 09/07/96 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd 4 02/08/99 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (3 yrs 24days) 4 03/08/99 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (3 yrs 25days) 4 31/03/02 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (5 yrs 265days) FB19011 1 31/07/05 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (9 yrs 22days) 4 24/06/10 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (13 yrs 350days) 4 04/05/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (17 yrs 299days) FC88333 4 15/08/96 Bardsey Island (SEND), Gwynedd 4 05/09/04 Bardsey Island (SEND), Gwynedd (8 yrs 21days) 4 01/05/08 Bardsey Island (NAOW), Gwynedd (11 yrs 260days) 4 20/08/14 Bardsey Island (SEND), Gwynedd (18 yrs 5days) FC91090 4 31/07/97 Bardsey Island (SEND), Gwynedd 4 19/08/14 Bardsey Island (SEND), Gwynedd (17 yrs 19days) FC96449 4 16/06/98 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd FB17495 1 26/05/04 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (5 yrs 345days) 4 26/06/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (16 yrs 10days) F17206 1 29/08/80 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd 4 09/07/83 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (2 yrs 314days) 4 14/04/09 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (28 yrs 228days) FB34754 1 24/06/10 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (29 yrs 299days) 4 26/06/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (33 yrs 301days) F55960 4 04/08/83 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd 4 03/06/89 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (5 yrs 303days) 4 18/08/96 Bardsey Island (N END), Gwynedd (13 yrs 14days) FB36976 4 05/05/14 Bardsey Island (NANT), Gwynedd (30 yrs 274days
5.6 Discussion
For these ringing and re-trap data to be used to help monitor the island’s population the archive re- trap data kept by the Observatory needs to be used. It is now all available electronically having been digitised with funding from NRW and BBFO. In addition it will be necessary to continue ringing and re-trapping as many shearwaters as time allows in the future. The number of birds wearing rings should increase over time and the number of birds re-trapped may be even greater than the number ringed each year. It is suggested that the Observatory continues to trap shearwaters in good numbers and that extra effort is put into trapping ringed birds. The data can then be used to help see if there are any fluctuations in the island’s population without having to carry out time-consuming full censuses of the whole island.
5.7 R e f e r e n c e s
Stansfield. S.D. (1999a) Breeding birds in 1998. Rep. Bardsey Bird Fld Obs. 42: 52-58. Stansfield. S.D. (1998 - 2010) Reports to The Natural Resources Wales and Bardsey Island Trust. Unpublished report. Walsh, P.M. et al. (1995) Seabird monitoring handbook for Britain and Ireland JNCC/SPB/ITE/Seabird Group, Peterborough.
39 6 Manx Shearwater population c e n s u s – year one, s o u t h e r n e n d
6 . 1 . I n t r o d u c t i o n
A complete census of the Bardsey Manx Shearwater population is completed every six years, the last one was completed between 2008 and 2010 (Else, 2010). This census is a requirement for Natural Resources Wales (formerly The Countryside Council for Wales, CCW) to comply with regulations for monitoring features of the National Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest.
The section of the island which was surveyed in 2014 was the southwestern region, which included the West Coast, part of the Lowlands as far as Carreg Bach, a section below Tŷ Pellaf, the Narrows and the South End (see Fig 1.). An overall area from the south tip to the eastern grid line SH120 and northern grid line SH220.
6.2 . M e t h o d s
The same census techniques, as outlined in the Seabird Monitoring Handbook (Walsh, 1995) and which were used for the previous Manx shearwater censuses, were again used for this census. The data are therefore directly comparable with previous counts and also with counts from other sites. All Manx Shearwater burrows are counted in the census area, with three separate counts made simultaneously.
C ount 1 – The total number of burrows of any description within the census area.
Each hole was checked to make sure that the burrows were complete and not just the start of a burrow, or a complex of burrows with multiple entrances.
C ount 2 – Number of Apparently Occupied Burrows (AOB's).
To determine whether a site was apparently occupied an examination of the burrow is made, these included whether there were any signs of fresh digging, ware in the floor of the burrow in the form of furrows that birds have made entering and exiting, droppings in and around the burrow and also a strong musty smell; if these signs were detected then they were considered apparently occupied.
C ount 3 – Response to voice playback.
The calls of a male Manx Shearwater were played into the entrance of each of the burrows and the number of responses from adults within were tallied.
40
The complete census is carried out over three years. The island is divided into three main sections, with one censussed each year (see map). Each section is sub-divided to individual walls/field boundaries and fields. Each small sub-divided area was counted using three tally counters and the numbers entered directly onto maps in the field. These were tidied up at the end of the census and a completed map of the area was produced.
Although most of the habitat in the census area for 2014 was straight forward, with most burrows situated in short vegetation, banks and walls, there were some areas that were more densely vegetated with thick gorse, tall grasses and bracken making it difficult to get an accurate count of burrows and AOB's. In these circumstances counts were made of any obvious tunnels worn into vegetation and droppings leading in and around these tunnels. To obtain a count of responses in these densely vegetated areas the call of the Manx Shearwater was played at a high volume through external speakers whilst walking slowly around the vegetation, if a suspected burrow was located by finding an entrance, worn into the vegetation or any other signs of activity were found, then the call was played into that specific area in a similar way to the other burrows.
6.3 . S u r v e y e f f o r t
The area censused in 2014 was completed mostly by one field worker, with the exception of some days where a volunteer or additional staff member helped carry out the counts. The weather was generally fine during the census with the exception of one or two days when heavy rain and strong winds would have had an effect on the response count as it made it difficult to hear; in these conditions the census was postponed till the weather was more appropriate.
6.4 . R e s u l t s
In total 2890 burrows were counted with 2516 deemed to be Apparently Occupied (87.06%). However, the number of responses to calls was 352, just 13.99% of the AOB (see discussion).
Table 1. 2014 Manx Shearwater census totals.
Number of Apparently % of Burrows Responses Responses x 1.98 % of response Burrows Occupied Occupied Burrows South End 911 836 91.77 105 207.9 12.56 North of 1979 1680 84.89 247 489 14.70 Narrows Total 2890 2516 87.06 352 696.9 13.99
Table 2. Comparison of burrow counts in the 2014 census area with 2008 census
South End 2014 2008 % change Number of burrows 911 722 +26.18 AOB 836 632 +32.28 Playback responses 105 (x1.98=208) 224 (x1.98=444) -53.13
North Of Narrows 2014 2008 % change Number of burrows 1979 1724 +14.79 AOB 1680 1546 +8.67 Playback responses 247 (x1.98=489) 499 (x1.98=988) -50.50
Whole area 2014 2008 % change Number of burrows 2890 2446 +18.15% AOB 2516 2178 +15.52 Playback responses 352 (x1.98=696.9) 723 (x1.98=1432) -51.31
6.4 .1 D i s c u s s i o n
Although the methods used for the Manx Shearwater survey on Bardsey and outlined in the Seabird Monitoring Handbook (Walsh, 1995) give a good estimate on population size, there are pros and cons to the methodology. The count of AOB's could be seen to give an overestimation due to the fact that some of the shearwaters could be prospecting birds that are not at breeding age and be birds that may move around the colony. However, an underestimation of the population could come from the playback method used to count
41 shearwater responses, as it almost certainly did this year. With this method it is not certain that the bird will hear the call being played down the burrow, this could be that the burrow the bird is occupying is too deep for the sound to reach the nest chamber where the adult bird is, or that environmental noise such as wind is preventing the sound from reaching the bird. The fact that THE surveyor playing the call down the burrow may not be able to hear the bird responding is also a factor which must be considered.
Comparing this year’s results with those from the same area surveyed in 2008 shows that there has been an overall increase of 338 AOB (15.52%), from 2178 in 2008 to 2516 AOB in 2014. Comparing numbers from the South End alone show there has been a notable increase of 204 AOB (32.28%) from 632 to 836. The increase on the northern part of the survey area (from the Narrows Gate to the eastern grid line SH120 and northern grid line SH220) was 134 AOB (8.67%) from 1546 in 2008 to 1680 in 2014. Occupancy rate in 2008 was 89.04%, whereas in 2014 it was 2.22% lower at 87.06%.
Responses to voice playback from adults in burrows was far lower than that of six years ago. In 2008, birds responded from 33.20% of AOB, compared with a 13.99% response rate of 2014. The same methodology (call and almost identical equipment) was used throughout this census as in the 2008 survey, so the reasons for low responses are unknown. In light of these low response rates a sample of control burrows (which were being used as productivity monitoring burrows) were used as a test the response rates. Normally males respond rapidly to the call of other males (within 15 seconds), however, the birds on Bardsey in 2014 took up to 45 seconds of playback to respond. The control burrows had an occupancy rate of 100%, in that all the burrows were checked afterwards by the surveyor putting his hand into the burrow to in see if there was a bird incubation an egg. The same playback methods were employed as in the survey area and just seven out of 26 birds responded giving a response rate of 26.92%. Whether a bird did or did not respond the nest chamber was checked to see if it contained a bird and an egg. Empty burrows were discounted from the calculation. Two further tests on control burrows were carried out on a different sample of 100 burrows. The tests were carried out twice in a seven day period, in which time there should have been a changeover of incubating adults. The hypothesis being that if on the first date the burrow was sampled and a male was present and responded, the second date should have a female in and there would be no response. As the burrows were all sampled five days apart, the response rate should have been between 90 and 100%, assuming that a male was in the burrow on either the first or second occasion. However, the response rate on the first sample was 28%, and on the second sample 26%. Some of the burrows, even though occupied on both dates, had no response at all, and none had a response on both dates. This control method suggests that the voice playback method was not working effectively in 2014 and the results of the playback almost certainly do not represent a correct population estimate.
6.5 . S u m m a r y
This year was the start of the three-year Manx Shearwater censusing project which will see the whole island population counted. In this initial year a section of the western side of the island and the South End were counted. The total number of burrows counted was 2890 of which 2516 were Apparently Occupied. The last time the same area was covered, in 2008 (Else, 2009) 2446 burrows were counted and 2178 were Apparently Occupied, an increase of 15.52%.
6.6. References
Else, R.J, (2009) Census of the breeding population and productivity monitoring of Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus on Bardsey in 2008. Rep. Bardsey Bird Fld. Obs. 52: 92-96 Else, R.J, (2011) Manx Shearwater population census and productivity monitoring. Rep. Bardsey Bird Fld. Obs. 54: 111-113 Leaper, G (2001) Census of the breeding population of Manx Shearwaters on Bardsey 2001. Rep. Bardsey Bird Fld. Obs. 45: 93-99 Walsh, P.M, et al. (1995) Seabird Monitoring Handbook for Britain and Ireland. JNCC / RSPB / ITE / Seabird Group, Peterborough.
42 7 . Disturbance of Grey Seals on Bardsey
7 .1 Introduction
Over the past few years there has been a fall in numbers of Grey Seals hauled out in and around Henllwyn. There have been regular visitor boats backing up to the seals and forcing them into the water so as to give the paying guests a ‘good show’.
NRW has in the past written to all the boat owners who do these charter runs and asked them to follow the Code of Conduct for boat users.
7 .2 Suggestions
7 . 2 . 1 E d u c a t i o n of disturbance
BBFO has repeatedly suggested that signs discretely placed around Henllwyn asking visitors not to venture onto the rocks could be one way of reducing disturbance. During the May Island meeting NRW suggested to BITL that something should be done. A draft sign produced by BBFO was shown at this meeting and BITL agreed that these should be used. It was also agreed that the Island Manager should introduce something similar in the information packs in each of the Trust houses.
By the end of 2014 no signage or information leaflets have been produced. BITL are urged to implement signage near the seals to try and reduce this disturbance.
Annual mailings to boat owners with the Code of Conduct should also be sent to all skippers who are known to use the island. All day-visitors could be asked to stay away from the rocks by a ‘meeter and greeter’ on the island and notices in the Trust houses should be placed in obvious areas. At the May Island meeting it was agreed that the Island Manager would notify Trust visitors to keep away from the seals in the same way the Observatory Warden does to visitors at ‘Cristin’. In the weekly talk given by the Observatory Warden, disturbance is mentioned, however, this often takes place towards the middle or end of the week.
It is suggested that NRW mail all the local boatmen and ask them to inform visitors to the island that they must not disturb the seals
It is suggested that BITL ask the singing group that stays in the Trust houses not to go onto the rocks and disturb the seals.
7 . 2 . 2 D a t a c o l l e c t i o n
Counts of incidents during the season were noted when BBFO staff and visitors saw ‘non-local’ boats in the bay.
Table 1 the number of incidents of disturbance, where vessels were considered to be causing disturbance to seals around the island
Month Maximum number Total number Days recorded May 1 3 3 June 2 5 4 July 6 22 10 August 4 12 5 September 22 32 5
7 . 2 . 3 R e s u l t s
During the summer months, there were a number incidents of disturbance of Grey Seals on the island. Fewer visitors staying in the BITL houses were seen approaching the seals to try to obtain photographs than in previous years. Generally if any member of BBFO staff was nearby they were asked to move away to a safe distance. Visitors regularly swam with the seals in the summer and caused disturbance, also some visitors had canoes and went amongst the seals trying to get close to them. August 21st saw no fewer than 22 vessels
43 in close proximity to the island. There were seven ‘ribs’ in Henllwyn, a small speed boat scared the seals in Henllwyn, a large speed boat off the west coast, three non-commercial fishing boats off the south end, two non-commercial fishing boats near Pen Cristin and Henllwyn and eight kayaks along the west coast and then into Henllwyn.
As in previous years there were also many incidents of boat disturbance. In July and August there were yet again many vessels using Henllwyn and their occupants were frequently making quite a lot of noise. Several vessels were seen approaching the seals and scattering them off the rocks. Like last year there were at least a couple of incidents where jet-skis were too close to seals.
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A simple sign like the one to the right 8 . R isso’s Dolphin Photo Identification
8 .1. Introduction
Between 1998 and 2006 the Friends of Cardigan Bay and latterly the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) and Greenpeace spent time photographing and individually identifying the Risso’s Dolphins that were seen in the waters around Bardsey in the autumn. In 2007 WDCS had a cut in funding and were unable to send a party of staff and volunteers to Bardsey to continue the work. In 2012 BBFO undertook, under licence from NRW, to photograph, when the dolphins and sea state allowed, as many individuals as possible to add to the current Risso’s Dolphin photo catalogue.
8 .2. Methods
Throughout the year, when the sea state was slight, a member of BBFO staff spent time looking out to sea from Cristin using a telescope, scanning the area from the northwest of the island to the south and southeast. When dolphins were seen attempts were made to rapidly scramble the boat ‘Pererin’ that BBFO chartered for the operation. Two trips were made, one very successfully, with a good number of dolphins photographed.
Daily numbers of Risso's Dolphins in 2014 50
40
30
20 Daily Daily total 10
0
Month
8 . 3 . R e s u l t s
In August staff from WDC were on the island for two weeks undertaking additional field work paid for by NRW and took over the search for cetaceans whilst BBFO staff were off the island. The first week was far too windy to see dolphins but fortunately during the second week they had one encounter where they managed to photograph dolphins.
One of the few days where weather, boats and animals all came together was 26 July. A pod of 25 animals was seen in close proximity to the island. Several hundred photographs were taken of many of the animals and these images have been added to the WDC Risso’s Dolphin catalogue.
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8 .3.1. Systematic list of species seen during R isso’s Dolphins w a t c h e s
Phocoena phocoena (Linnaeus, 1758) H a r b o u r P o r p o i s e Harbour Porpoise are recorded in all months off Bardsey’s coast though increase in number during the summer months. Most sightings of this dainty cetacean are seen along the West Coast, typically from the Cristin veranda. The first sighting of the year was on 10 March when a single was seen on the boat crossing over to the island. Notable sightings from the year include pods of 14 on 29 July, 14 on 8 August, 22 at the North End on 31 August, 15 on 3 September, and at least two calves were seen with adults during the summer.
Month Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Max. count 2 4 8 5 17 22 16 3 1
Tursiops truncatus (Montagu, 1821) Bottlenose Dolphin There was only one record this year of a single animal passing off the South End on 23 May.
Grampus griseus (G. Cuvier, 1812) Risso’s Dolphin It was a fantastic year for Risso’s Dolphin sightings with animals seen throughout the summer months. The first record of the year was a pod of three found off the West Coast late on 21 May. June saw only one record with six on the 25th. Things really picked up in July with up to eight seen during the month, culminating with a massive 25 seen on the 25th. August saw a total of nine records, with 12 on the 8th and 16 on the 31st. The highlight for many people will be the pod of eight (including one calf) found in Henllwyn early morning on the 16th. September saw dolphins seen on 17 days of the month with an impressive 43 animals present on the 2nd, including a pod of 13 showing phenomenally well in Nant Valley.
Month May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Max. count 4 6 25 16 43 6
Delphinus delphis (Linnaeus, 1758) S h o r t - beaked Common Dolphin A very quiet year for this cetacean with only three records, all in September. The first pod of the year were 13 on 2 September, followed by 12 on 17 th, and finally eight on 29th. All animals were seen off the West Coast.
Mola mola (Linnaeus 1758) Ocean Sunfish One seen in the Bardsey Sound on 5 September, the first record since 2009.
8 .4. Discussion BBFO intend to continue the project and helping WDC with the photo ID of Risso’s Dolphins on the island. If WDC staff are present, it is suggested that they take the boat as priority, however, for the times when WDC are not on the island BBFO will continue to look for dolphins and charter the boat as necessary.
46 9 Conclusions / recommendations and other funded projects
Open access to the east side of the island did not prove problematic for the nesting seabirds, Choughs and Peregrines. However, BBFO will continue to monitor the situation and if there were to be notable drops in breeding success/numbers present then BBFO would probably ask for the area to be made ‘out of bounds’ again to members of the general public. It is hoped that the signs informing visitors to the island about the dangers and the nesting seabirds will continue to be effective. However these signs have been damaged by livestock and need attention in 2015.
Disturbance of Grey Seals continued by both boats and visitors on land. Signs placed around the edge of Henllwyn and asking visitors not to venture onto the rocks may help reduce disturbance from the land and BBFO would like to see NRW send the Code of Conduct for boat owners out on a regular basis. It is suggested that the singing group that stay in the BITL houses are asked by BITL not to go onto the rocks and sing to the seals and the BITL Warden asks all guests to respect the wildlife. No progress has been made with regard the signage suggested at the May Island meeting.
BBFO would also like to see a Visitor Liaison Officer on the island based at the Observatory during the summer months. The purpose of this post would be to educate visitors about the island’s wildlife and the features of the NNR, the prevention of disturbance to wildlife, especially the seabird colonies on the east side of the island, the Manx Shearwaters, Choughs and the Grey Seals. During 2011 a volunteer from the Observatory worked as a visitor liaison officer (a position that NRW were not willing to fund in 2010) and took guided walks round the island. The take-up was high and feedback received extremely positive, with between 20 to 50 visitors per week (depending on the weather) being given a 3/4 hour tour of the middle part of the island and being informed about the work of the Observatory, the natural history of the island and its status as an NNR and SSSI etc. In 2015 one of the BBFO staff will meet some, but not all, of the day trip boats and provide weekly guided walks for the staying guests on the island – this will be funded by BBFO for 2015 and reported on, with the hope that funding may be available from NRW for the post for 2016.
BBFO produced a 15 minute loop video of photographic images of the island and the NNR, showing the features of the island. This was well received by the guests. The content was updated several times during the year as new photographic material became available.
Several groups of visitors were taken out by BBFO staff who were undertaking research work on the Manx Shearwaters, either ringing adults at night or chicks during the day. These educational trips are always well attended and well received by the visitors. There is additional information given about the features of the NNR during these special trips out.
The BBFO Warden gave weekly educational lectures to the visitors staying on the island about the work of the Observatory and its input into the monitoring and conservation of the NNR and its features. On average 25 visitors per week attended with a maximum of about 60 in July. Several talks were given to university groups and school groups that stayed on the island or visited for the day during the year.
The work of the Observatory and its contribution to NRW, in terms of the NNR, was presented at the inaugural International Bird Observatory Conference at Falsterbo in Sweden in August 2014. The BBFO Warden had been invited as a Keynote Speaker to explain how the British Bird Observatories contribute to important projects at national environmental and research organisations. The work of Welsh observatories, Bardsey and Skokholm (as well as other observatories in England and Scotland) was shown and he explained how the ongoing projects undertaken there feed into the management and conservation of the NNRs.
The complete presentation is available here http://birdobservatories.com/iboc2014/pdf/Stansfield.pdf and shows that NRW was well represented. Some of the slides from the presentation by Steve Stansfield at IBOC2014 where NRW featured are shown below in Appendix 1.
47 A p e n d i x 1 – Slides from the presentation to IBOC2014
1 Explaining how BBFO data are used in the conservation of Bardsey Island NNR
2 NNR site meeting, explaining how BBFO staff and Trustees contribute to the management of the NNR
3 Showing the existing SPAs in the UK and explaining how the Observatories contribute to the countryside agencies in Wales, Scotland and England.
48 4. Showing the sites of the Manx Shearwaters in the UK and explaining the importance of the Welsh island NNRs on a global scale for this species
5. How BBFO staff helped with the radio tracking project to help with the seaward extension of the marine SPA
6 Showing the report to JNCC which was used to provide data for the extension of the Marine SPA
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7 Part of the report showing Bardsey NNR and the proposed extension to the Marine SPA
8 Giving an education talk to a group of visitors in October
50 A p e n d i x 2 – Manx Shearwater cenus maps
51
52 A p e n d i x 3 – Sample breeding bird cenus maps Swallow
53 Rock Pipit
54 Wren
55 Oystercatcher
56