Irish Roseate Terns bolster Britain's colonies

2/11/2018

New research has revealed that, for over 20 years, the growth of the Coquet Island Roseate Tern population has been supported by birds moving from Rockabill, Co Dublin.

Authors of a new paper published in the Journal of Animal Ecology found that the Rockabill colony, where 1,633 pairs of Roseate Terns nested this year, is the only site in Britain and Ireland which is essentially exporting birds to other colonies. As a result, it's hoped that the increasing populations at Coquet Island, Northumberland, and also at Lady's Island Lake, Co Wexford, will lead to new colonies being formed elsewhere.

The new research, co-funded by the EU LIFE Programme, RSPB and Natural England, shows that, between 1992 and 2016, the Coquet Island colony attracted more young birds to nest there than it was producing. In 2018, record numbers of Roseate Terns nested there. It is hoped that an increasing and thriving colony at Coquet Island will eventually lead to Roseate Terns settling at new sites, or recolonising areas in which they formerly bred. Since the research was carried out, it appears that the Coquet Island Roseate Terns are now beginning to sustain their own numbers and, in 2016, 50 per cent of terns nesting on the island had been hatched there. This year that figure climbed to 60 per cent.

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Rogue rat which threatened rare bird colony flushed out after snubbing pork pies and chocolate

The RSPB was concerned it would cause devastation to roseate tern colony on Coquet Island
5th April 2017

By Mike Kelly

An elusive rat which stalked the North East island sanctuary of an endangered species of bird has been caught and killed just days before the breeding season begins there.

For three months staff from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds which manages Coquet Island have been searching with increasing anxiety for the rodent which despite their best efforts had evaded capture.

Sited half a mile off the Northumberland coast near Amble, it is the home of Britain’s last colony of roseate terns as well as being a nesting place for puffins.

If it hadn’t been caught it is feared the rat which feeds off eggs could have devastated the colony.

It is the first time a rodent had been reported to be seen on the island.

After being detected in January, the island’s RSPB warden there, Paul Morrison, installed traps with a number of different baits including pork pies, fish, pate and even Cadbury’s Dairy Milk chocolate, but all to no avail.


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Police fund cash helps Northumberland seabird colony

An island’s rare seabird colony will be given extra protection thanks to a fund set upby Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Vera Baird.

Situated a mile off the coast of Amble in Northumberland, Coquet Island is home to tens of thousands of breeding seabirds during spring and summer, including the UK’s only colony of roseate terns.

As a result, the RSPB reserve is designated as a wildlife sanctuary and landing is prohibited without consent.

The Police Commissioner’s Community Fund has awarded a grant of £2,000 to help protect the island from wildlife crime.

The RSPB will use the grant to upgrade the island’s outdated CCTV system so wardening staff can monitor the nesting colonies effectively for illegal activity such as egg theft and disturbance of roseate terns.

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Piano-playing puffins entertain on RSPB's Coquet Island

There is more to life for puffins on a Northumberland island than catching fish and hatching eggs.

For starters, there is chance to join the musical band called The Puffets.

Staff on the RSPB Coquet Island reserve, off Amble, provide the puffins with entertainment opportunities and the birds do the rest.

The team has rigged up an electronic piano, which the puffins play by jumping on the keys.

“They run up and down the keyboard and produce a jazzy kind of music,” says Dr Paul Morrison, island site manager. The piano-playing puffins have been filmed by species protection assistant Matt Butler.

Paul, assistant warden Wesley Davies and research student Kaye Lowes have also laid on a child’s drum kit, bought at a car boot sale, which can be played by the birds tugging at strings.



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Hire a bird house to help Coquet Island's rare seabirds

People are being urged to hire a home on a Northumberland island - to help one of the UK’s rarest seabirds.

The RSPB is leasing out nest boxes on Coquet Island off Amble for use by roseate terns.

The wildlife sanctuary island is the only roseate nesting colony in the UK, with pairs travelling over 4,000 miles from West Africa to breed there each year.

In 2000 the RSPB began providing wooden house-shaped nesting boxes in terraces for the roseate terns.

At that time there were only 24 nesting pairs.

But the boxes were such a hit with the birds that last year 71 pairs nested and this summer the figure rose to 78.

The boxes significantly improve the terns’ chances of breeding success by protecting the chicks from bad weather and predation from gulls.

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Brothers guilty of reckless disturbance of Northumberland wildlife sanctuary

Coquet Island is effectively the only place that Roseate terns breed in the whole of the UK. Image credit Chris Gomersall/RSPB images

Roseate tern nesting site disturbed

January 2103. Two brothers from Amble caused illegal disturbance to a rare seabird colony in Northumberland, a court has ruled. Derwick and Leslie Ramsay were found guilty at South East Northumberland Magistrates Court of the reckless disturbance of roseate terns on the bird sanctuary Coquet Island in July 2012.

The pair were prosecuted under the 1981 Country And Wildlife Act, which forbids the intentional and or reckless killing, injuring and disturbance of wild birds. The offence carries a maximum sentence of a £5,000 fine and/or six months in prison.

Caught on CCTV
Derwick Ramsay, together with four other men who were not prosecuted, landed boats on the island on 20 July allegedly to collect whelks. They were warned about the presence of breeding roseate terns by RSPB staff but this was ignored. On 22 July, Derwick returned with his brother Leslie, who was recorded on CCTV disturbing the birds. On returning to Amble marina Derwick and Leslie, together with four other men, were arrested and their boats were seized by Northumbria Police.

The only colony of breeding roseate terns in the UK
Coquet Island holds the only colony of breeding roseate terns in the UK and as a result, landing on the island is strictly prohibited. Roseate terns are a ‘red listed' species of high conservation concern and, as a ground nesting bird, they are particularly vulnerable to human disturbance. At the time of this incident the island held 71 breeding pairs.

Alan Firth, RSPB Investigations officer, said: "Roseate terns are incredibly rare and Coquet Island is effectively the only place they breed in the whole of the UK. Any disturbance to the colony could, therefore, have a disastrous effect on the population.

"The RSPB spends a huge amount of time, money and effort every year to give roseate terns the best chance to breed. This reckless disturbance - that took place despite warnings - threatened to undermine all of the conservation efforts to protect this species.

"We would like to thank Northumbria Police and Crown Prosecution Service Prosecutor Jonathan Moore for their hard work, which helped this case result in a successful prosecution."

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/roseate-terns013.html