Shiant Isles Seabird Recovery Project

Newsletter, Winter 2018

Charlie Main

The final year of the Shiants project was a whirlwind of success stories and great celebrations.

Although our day-to-day involvement on the islands has now ended and we are in the happy

position that the islands are officially rat-free, we need now more than ever to remain vigilant in

keeping them that way. Please see the bottom of this newsletter for contact details about the

islands or the project. This is our final newsletter from the project, although the project webpages

will continue to be maintained for another five years and our Layman’s report has been published

and is in circulation. Please don’t hesitate to ask for a copy if you would like one.

Shiants final check team in February 2018 (top left). From left: John Tayton, Jack Ibbotson, Will Whittington,

Ian Buxton, Charlie Main, Rebecca Etheridge, Alister Clunas and Biz Bell. Rope access work (top right). Winter

conditions on Garbh Eilean (bottom left) and at the bothy (bottom right). Photos WMIL.

Rats final check

Since the successful rat eradication campaign of winter 2015-16 we monitored continuously for rats

at the islands – two years with no rat sign are required before a rat-free declaration can be made

(under international best practice). Our colleagues from Wildlife Management International Limited

returned to lead the final intensive check during the – snowy – month of February 2018. Hundreds of

monitoring points were deployed across the islands, checked, and rechecked. The cliffs were

accessed again by rope, with Adam Long advising us on rope access. We checked every vegetated

space of the islands and Galtachan sea stacks and the islands were finally declared to be rat-free on

2nd March 2018. Alister, Ian and Rebecca joined us as RSPB residential volunteers at possibly the

most exposed location that volunteers have ever committed themselves to help with charity work

for the RSPB. Well done and thanks to all involved.

Storm petrels at the Shiants

In 2017 we reported the first known record of European storm petrels either prospecting or

breeding at the Shiants. Adult calls were recorded through June to August, heard from within

boulder scree at one of our active attraction sites. We also caught some video footage of a storm

petrel entering the possible nest site at night (see photo). Adult storm petrels responded to calls

played outside the possible nesting site both by day and at night, but we wrapped up the monitoring

season in August 2017 still wondering whether it really was breeding. In 2018 we got the result we

had been so desperate for, just five days before our end of project conference in Stornoway. A chick

responded to the played call of an adult storm petrel at our sound lure site. This is the first known

evidence of confirmed breeding at the Shiant Isles. All the hard work has paid off, finally.

Adult storm petrel at the Garbh Eilean sound lure site in 2017 (left) and in 2018 (right, Photo John Tayton)

End of project conference

We announced the happy news of storm petrel confirmed breeding at our end of project

conference, held at An Lanntair in Stornoway on 26th Sept. We hosted 50 daytime delegates for four

technical sessions, following up with a free public event that was attended by around 150 guests.

Colleagues from European sister projects in Italy, Malta and Portugal that are also funded by the EU

LIFE+ Nature fund came to share their experiences. We set the Shiants project in a truly global

context, putting the project firmly on the map and sharing our results and successes. An Lanntair

was the perfect venue to deliver all this, with spectacular food to boot.

The following day we headed to Harris for a set of excursions laid on for delegates. These included

an eagle walk, Shiants boat trips and a tour of the Harris distillery. The two days of the event were

enjoyed by all, and we really appreciated the public interest in our evening event.

Eradication volunteer James Hedges points out landmarks at the Shiants to RSPB’s director (UK Countries)

Shaun Thomas (left) and Carmen Biondo gets stuck in at the Harris distillery (right). Photos: Ed Marshall

After-LIFE

The Shiants project has now come to an end and now it is up to all of us to keep these special islands

rat free. We are replacing all permanent plastic monitoring stations with wooden and cast concrete

rat motels to continue to monitor for rats. We also have ten concrete storm petrel nest chambers to

install at the sound lure site on Garbh Eilean where we recorded breeding this year. The concrete

stations were cast for us by Macaulay College CIC over the summer – thanks so much to them for

their perseverance in achieving that! The Shiants Auk Ringing Group will be helping with monitoring

for both rats and petrels in future summers, and offering up sabbatical spaces on their trips for keen

volunteers. We will also continue to run spring and autumn checks for rats.

Concrete rodent motels (left) and storm petrel nest chamber (right) were cast for us by Macaulay College CIC,

for installation at the islands.

Biosecurity

We put together a new Shiants leaflet in 2018 to help get biosecurity messages out. The leaflet

proved to be popular so we have ordered a second print run to make sure that visitors to the islands

can read about the project, however they travel in 2019 and on into the future. The leaflets will be

available through Tourist Offices, the Port Authorities and around the Outer Hebrides.

In 2018 we delivered the last of the project’s four biosecurity training workshops in Orkney. These

workshops were aimed at island owners, managers and inhabitants. We are glad that a newly

funded European funded Biosecurity for LIFE project will continue to help deliver these messages

around the UK, and help to safeguard the hard work we’ve done in making islands rat-free.

Here are five things you can do if you are on a boat either visiting or travelling near to the Shiants:

1. Pack food in rat proof lunch boxes and on the day you are travelling

2. Carefully check bags and gear, especially if it has been stored in a shed or garage. Make sure

a rat has not been bundled up in tents or stowed away somewhere

3. Rats are good swimmers. If you find one alive on your boat don’t push it into the sea. It will

swim to shore and could set up home on the Shiants if within a mile

4. Please don’t land at the Shiants or approach the islands if you suspect that you have a rat

onboard.

5. Take all of your waste away with you

Thanks as always to all of our supporters, funders, volunteers and colleagues for making this project

a success, and best wishes for 2019.

Charlie – Shiants Project Manager

Shiant Isles contacts:

Nicolson family: www.shiantisles.net/contact

RSPB Scotland: Etive House, Beechwood Park, Inverness, IV2 3BW Tel: 01463 715000

Scottish Natural Heritage: 32 Francis Street, Stornoway, HS1 2ND Tel: 01851 705258