What follows is a précis of the newsletter sent out by the team at the Scottish Seabird Centre who monitor and protect the environment of local seabirds on unique offshore islands near North Berwick. It is reproduced here to widen appreciation for the excellent work all at the SSC do to raise our awareness of our precious marine environment.

#1089—1,141 words                                          

Introduction

SOS Puffin is a volunteer project led by the Scottish Seabird Centre (SSC) which started in 2007.  It aims to bring under control the invasive plant Tree Mallow (TM) which has taken over the islands of Craigleith, Fidra and the Lamb near North Berwick, and threatens the important populations of nesting Puffins and other seabirds.

A progress update is usually sent to all the volunteers every six months to summarise any volunteer activities that have been undertaken on the islands and to highlight any other relevant research that underpins the project. Any comments or queries are very welcome.

Island Visits

During the six-month period, one work party was sent to Craigleith and three to Fidra to cut TM. Members of the Lothian Sea Kayak Club also visited the Lamb during the autumn.

All the SOS Puffin work parties have been over-subscribed. We are sorry for any disappointment this may have caused for those of you who were hoping to join a work party. It is unfortunate that we cannot offer more places on these trips, but we are endeavouring to ration the allocation of places with priority given to those volunteers who had not been out before. New volunteers continue to come forward with 480 people now on the volunteer data base and we are very grateful for their continuing support.

Craigleith  

A visit in July showed a strong growth of vegetation during the summer, perhaps because of a wet March and despite a reasonably dry summer. However very little TM was to be seen apart from one area which could not be cut in March because of possible disturbance to nesting Cormorants. The grass Yorkshire Fog had a good year and now dominates large parts of the island, even replacing Stinging Nettles in some areas.

By August there was a lot of bare ground with indications that there was still a large Rabbit population. TM was restricted mainly to the south and south-east parts of the island and in the Cormorant colony at the east end. Elsewhere in the southern half of the island there were tiny seedlings evident on disturbed ground next to Puffin and Rabbit burrows. Sea Campion was still spreading out from the south-western corner. One work party in September cut most of the TM including part of the area around the Cormorant colony. A further visit was planned in October to finish cutting but it had to be cancelled because of the weather conditions.

The number of work parties each year has varied considerably over the life of the project. This is because huge amounts of TM needed to be cut in the early years while, more recently, fluctuations in the Rabbit population have influenced the amount of TM that needed to be cut. However, it is a sign of the project’s success that in the last four years the amount of TM has been very low.

Nettles were widespread as small plants with a few larger patches but there was no apparent increase on 2022, with some of the areas declining a little. No Nettle control was carried out this year, it having been agreed that further consideration of its value is needed.

Cormorants have extended their nesting areas in the south-east of the island with an increase in total numbers. No Puffin count was carried out this year but it was encouraging to see unusually large numbers of Puffins during a visit in July. No Puffin burrow count was undertaken because of concerns relating to avian flu.

Fidra

Three SOS Puffin work parties took place in late August and September and cut most of the considerable areas of TM which had developed in the usual places during the summer. The main areas still left to deal with were near the harbour and west of the lighthouse. As well as controlling TM, quite a lot of litter was removed. RSPB hoped to arrange one or more work parties in late October, but weather conditions did not allow this.

Nettles are widespread and are encroaching on some of the main Puffin nesting areas near the lighthouse and it is hoped that RSPB will carry out some control during 2024. Cormorants nested for the first time on Fidra with nine nests recorded on Castle Tarbet. If they spread much further in future, they could have an impact on the nearby nesting Puffins. No unusual mortality of Gulls or other species was seen.

The Lamb

Since 2016, parties of kayakers organised by David Simpson of the Lothian Sea Kayak Club have been visiting the Lamb to control TM. This year no work parties were arranged as they were not thought necessary. However, the three kayakers Tim Gibson, Chris Gordon and Neil Black, who helped so much to deal with the earlier rat incursion, have paid a small number of visits to the island to cut TM and check the monitoring boxes. No evidence of Rats has been seen and TM has been kept under control.

However, there is now sufficient TM to justify a work party and the Club hope to organise a trip to the Lamb in the next two months if weather allows.

As usual our priority for 2024 is to ensure that the islands are reasonably clear of TM by the time Puffins return to breed. Predicting the future is always risky, but it does seem that the project has reached the stage where the amount of TM control needed from now onwards will be relatively low. A schedule of trips for the coming spring will be circulated to all the volunteers during February, and RSPB will probably also organise some work parties to Fidra. However, the number of work parties will be determined by the amount of TM on Craigleith and Fidra and we expect that only a small number will be needed during 2024.

Looking Forward

As usual our priority for 2024 is to ensure that the islands are reasonably clear of TM by the time Puffins return to breed. Predicting the future is always risky, but it does seem that the project has reached the stage where the amount of TM control needed from now onwards will be relatively low. A schedule of trips for the coming spring will be circulated to all the volunteers during February, and RSPB will probably also organise some work parties to Fidra. However, the number of work parties will be determined by the amount of TM on Craigleith and Fidra and we expect that only a small number will be needed during 2024. 

We hope to carry out a Puffin burrow count on all three islands during the summer.

Many thanks to the members of the Craigleith Management Group and to all the volunteers who continue to support SOS Puffin.

With best wishes

Conservation Projects Officer conservationprojects@seabird.org

Scottish Seabird Centre, The Harbour, North Berwick, EH39 4SS