Island bird populations soar after rats eradicated

The Seabird Recovery Project to eradicate rats on Lundy, a rocky island off the coast of Devon, has been a major success.

On returning to Lundy this Spring, survey teams from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) discovered that Manx shearwater numbers have increased tenfold since the rat removal operation a decade ago.

The Lundy Seabird Recovery Project was initiated in 2003 between Natural England (formerly English Nature), RSPB, National Trust and Landmark Trust, with the aim of recovering the population of the Manx shearwater, which has seen numbers rise from 300 breeding pairs to over 3000 pairs.

David Bullock, head of nature conservation for the National Trust said: “Once the rats had gone from Lundy, the number of pairs of shearwaters on Lundy went from 100's to 1000's in matter of a few years”.

Puffin numbers have risen from five birds to 80 birds, while razorbills, shags and guillemots have also seen significant gains.

A similar project is set to get underway this summer to eradicate rats from St Agnes and Gugh in the Isles of Scilly. The project, which is now the largest of its kind in the world, is hoping to see a similar result.

David Appleton of Natural England said, “Following Lundy’s example, in the 25 year lifetime of the Isles of Scilly project we can only imagine what the population of Manx shearwater and storm petrel will be in the South West of England.”

Alongside the removal of rats, the ambitious new project will work with residents, visitors and local businesses to tell people about the importance of seabirds, what threats they face and what they can do to help.

Image courtesy of James Wright