Razorbill geolocator tracking results

 

Seabird monitoring reports for 2014-16 published

Our Shiants Isles seabird monitoring reports for 2014, 2015 & 2016 are now available.

World Seabird Twitter Conference

The Shiants Auk Ringing Group activities were presented today at the 5th World Seabird Twitter Conference:

Shiant Islands declared rat-free

The Shiants made national and international news in being officially declared rat-free, following a two-year rat eradication project.



Dr Charlie Main, senior project manager for the Shiant Isles Recovery Project, said: "This is an absolutely fantastic moment for the Shiant Isles and everyone involved in the project is delighted that they are now officially rat free. 

"With so many of Scotland's seabird populations in decline it's vital that we do all we can to help them. 

"Making these islands a secure place for them to breed is really important."

Dr Main said it was hoped numbers of seabirds would recover over the next few years.

Ringing Auks on the Shiants: Retrapping Adults for Survival

In this article for BTO's RAS News from 2012, Shiant team leader Jim Lennon explains how the group perform standardised ringing of Puffins during each year's two-week visit. This longitudinal study is providing data to compare breeding success and population changes year on year. The group is using BTO's Retrapping Adults for Survival (RAS) method.

The Last Seabird Summer - Shiant Islands on BBC4

Why do Seabirds thrive on The Shiants but are in decline elsewhere? In this recent BBC4 documentary filmed during the 2015 breeding season, Adam Nicolson reflected on The Shiants thriving seabird population and compares this to their declines elsewhere. No longer available to view on BBC iplayer, but you can see clips here.

Europe’s oldest Puffin

Europe’s oldest Puffin is alive and well in Scotland BTO bird ringers on an expedition to a remote island off the west coast of Scotland have found the two oldest Puffins in Britain. One of these OAPs (Old Age Puffins), at 34 years of age, is also the oldest currently known in Europe.

The expedition, to the Shiant Isles, broke the British longevity record for Puffin on 5 July 2009 when they caught EX08155, which was originally ringed on the island on 27 June 1977. EX08155 was originally ringed by Ian Buxton, also a member of this year’s team, so he was reunited with the same bird 32 years later! But this record was topped just five days later on 10 July, when Ian recaught EB73152, originally ringed on 28 June 1975, making it over 34 years old (older than three of this year’s expedition members). This is now the oldest recorded Puffin in Europe, beating an Icelandic bird at 33 years old. Amazingly, it not only still had its original metal ring, but also its colour ring, allowing it to be identified as a Shiants bird ‘in the field’.