Noss National Nature Reserve Annual Report 2017

An insight into the life and work on the Isle of Noss National Nature Reserve during the 2017 season Great black-backed gull Introduction

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

Every summer over 80,000 seabirds breed on the island, including the fifth largest great skua colony in the world, and the seventh largest gannetry in the UK. The seabirds on Noss have been carefully monitored for decades, with data going back to 1946. Monitoring seabird populations is important both for seabird conservation and because it can give us a better understanding of how the marine environment (which is notoriously hard to study!) is changing. This report gives a summary of the 2017 seabird breeding season and shows how populations on Noss have changed over time.

Visitors to Noss travel to the island in our small inflatable ferry and enjoy a warm welcome from one of our resident wardens. The cliffs alone are impressive, but add thousands of cliff-nesting birds and, of course, the iconic puffin, and you can see why Noss is such a popular destination for tourists and locals alike. The island is also part of a working sheep farm and provides an excellent example of how agriculture and conservation can work together. 2 We only have two pairs of Arctic skuas, but they managed to fledge three chicks between them

Seabirds Arctic skua (Scootie Allan) Our two pairs of Arctic skuas fledged three Sadly 2017 was a poor year for seabirds chicks this season which gives a on Noss, with most species having a tough productivity of 1.5 chicks per breeding time despite the good weather in May and pair. June. Food supply is the most likely culprit so we just have to hope that fish stocks will Fulmar be good in 2018. Another good season for fulmars with a On the island seabirds are studied in a productivity of 0.51, which is the highest variety of ways: counting whole since 1993! populations; monitoring productivity (breeding success, recorded as the number Puffin (Tammie Norie) of fledged chicks per breeding pair); and A full census of puffins was carried out counting sections of a colony. Whole revealing a peak count of 1174 birds. island counts are done on a rotational This species is notoriously hard to count in basis, as it would be an impossible task to Shetland as most of the colonies are very count every species every year! inaccessible. Since they nest in burrows, puffin productivity is also hard to judge but Noss’ seabirds in 2017 (Shetland names throughout Shetland it is thought to have are in brackets): been poor this season. Great skua (bonxie) Guillemot A terrible year for our bonxies. Breeding Attendance within the colony was 14% pairs were down 20% and not a single lower than last year. Few chicks were seen chick fledged from within our study plots. on the ledges with even fewer jumplings 3 It was a great year for shag breeding success!

observed. This indicates a generally poor Shag (Skarf) season similar to the poor productivity seen A great year for the Noss shag population in the rest of Shetland. with the all-island census revealing 104 nests, the highest count since 1987! Razorbill (Sea Craa) Productivity was good too with 24 chicks The razorbill population has declined fledging from 22 monitored nests. slightly since the last count in 2009, and continued its downward trend within the Arctic Tern (Tirrick) monitored plots. However, it’s hard to be A topsy-turvy year for this oceanic migrant. sure of trends with much of the population Fifty nests were recorded, a good number hidden in inaccessible locations. for Noss, but predation and lack of food early on in the season meant that Black guillemot (Tystie) productivity was poor. Only three chicks Monitoring within the study plot revealed fledged the colony this season. 47 adults this year, continuing the recent trend of stability on Noss. Kittiwake (Rippick Maa) Another disaster for this once populous Gannets (Solan Gos) breeding gull. Down from over 10,000 Another good year for this iconic bird of pairs in the 1970s; this year’s all-island Noss. Combined productivity for the count revealed just 44 nesting pairs, the monitored plots was 0.73. Lots of lowest count on record. All monitoring fledglings were seen around the coast from plots failed early on and no chicks were late August. observed.. Worrying times ahead.

4 Other wildlife

Otters are seen regularly around Noss and this season was no exception, with almost daily sightings. Mating was observed in late May - a vicious affair, after which there was a lull in records. A mother and cubs were discovered in late August, likely One of the Risso’s dolphins taking them out for their first swim. spotted this year.

Common and grey seals are regularly seen hauled out around the coast. In 2017 for Noss waters including a pod of nine that the third consecutive year a common seal swam through Noss Sound on 23 May, pup was born on the rocks by the wardens’ much to the delight of both wardens and house. Able to swim from birth the pup was visitors! occasionally spotted in the in-bye voes. Basking sharks were spotted on three Ceatacean sightings were frequent in occasions this season, feeding on the 2017 with large numbers of harbour plankton-rich waters to the north and south porpoise and Minke whales recorded from of Noss Sound. It is always a joy to watch late August. Risso’s dolphins were seen on these gentle giants. a number of occasions, with a family pod of around 30 spotted in September. The Small Adderstongue, a rare fern in stars of the show were once again the killer Shetland, was once again located on whales, with no less than five sightings in Noss in 2017 with 14 plants discovered.

There’s not much romance in otter courtship!

5 A lesser kestrel was one of the birding People highlights this year It was another glorious summer in Shetland, with July noted as being sunnier than Cornwall. As a result visitors came in their droves to visit our beautiful jewel of an island! Noss enjoyed its busiest year for visitors in over 20 years with 2254 people welcomed to the island, eclipsing last season’s busy year. Birds. An excellent season, with 123 species of migrant birds recorded this year. People ventured from all over the world The highlights was undoubtedly the island’s to visit Noss, from Shetland to South first hermit thrush and lesser kestrel. The Africa! All were given an introduction to former is a rare vagrant from North the island and were able to explore the America, with this being just the 12 record visitor centre within the historic for Britain. The latter is normally found in farmhouse. Of particular interest were southern Europe and is only the 2nd record the findings shelves, which featured for Shetland and a 20th for Britain. The skulls, eggs and whalebones. island’s first pectoral sandpiper was also seen – a wader from America that has Getting a become an increasing visitor to British bird’s eye shores in recent years. In addition to view of the sightings of wryneck, bluethroat, barred wildlife! warbler and Lapland bunting, other notable records included:

Second record of rustic bunting and Pomarine skua

Third record of common crane, Ortolan bunting and gadwall

Fourth record of red-necked phalarope and grey plover

Sixth record of mute swan

Seventh record of stonechat and grey wagtail

Eighth record of marsh warbler and black- tailed godwit 6 Visitors weren’t the only ones who enjoyed a ride in the Zodiac!

Events Four guided walks will be scheduled for Noss Open Day was held on 1 July and the last Saturday of each month this season was a great success. A total of 289 so feel free to come along to be led on a visitors, staff and volunteers enjoyed an tour by the resident experts. excellent day, with activities, guided walks and catering provided by the local Bressay Research Community Hall. In addition to the research the wardens carried out in 2017, PhD student Matt Guy Guided walks returned to the island from the University of A total 57 people attended six guided Stirling to collect additional data for his walks this season led by the wardens. thesis on the terrestrial ecology of the great There were four scheduled guided walks, skua colony. however two were cancelled due to bad Great skua pellet collection was also weather. One took place at our Open carried out by Lucy Gilbert to ascertain Day and three were arranged by request. Bonxie diet. 7 Want to know more?

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

Noss NNR Manager, Scottish Natural Heritage, Stewart Building, Alexandra Wharf, Lerwick, Shetland. ZE1 0LL Tel 01595 693345 email: [email protected]

Website: www.nature.scot

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s The 2017 Wardens’ facebook group: Birds of Noss h p

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o Getting here: h P To check if the Noss ferry is running please call 0800 107 7818

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p For full details of life and work on Noss in 2017 please see the full Noss NNR Annual o o

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Report at www.nnr-scotland.org.uk/noss/ n

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e Data collected by the 2017 Noss Wardens: Andy Denton and Craig Nisbet k l

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www.nnr-scotland.org.uk/noss/ r e

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Front: Puffin t u

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