The Department of the Environment team are looking for two individuals to take leading roles in the Jersey iBats monitoring programme this summer. They are in Year 6 of an ongoing programme designed to monitor the diversity and abundance of Jersey’s bats. Further detail of the iBats programme can be found here
iBats is a car-based monitoring project that records bats on a series of 11 car-driven transects in July, repeated again in August. Transects are driven at a constant 15mph for up to 80 minutes after sunset on a predefined route and require patience and a strict adherence to the survey protocol. The monitoring needs both a driver and a navigator and uses mobile phone navigation technology and bat detectors connected to a sound recorder. Bat calls are audible live in the car as transect is driven. Monitoring requires transects be driven in good weather conditions only.
When: Five or six evenings per volunteer in July and five or six evenings per volunteer in August. Transects start 30mins after sunset, require an hour and 20 mins driving which is followed by uploading GPS and bat call data. Survey event may take three hrs from start to finish.
Volunteers must have a current driving licence, a Windows computer and broadband access, good technological competence and spare time in the evenings. The total time commitment for this entire study is 22 evenings throughout the summer survey period. Each evening takes between 2-3 hours from collecting the assistant, driving the transect and managing the data. This work offers a unique and unusual insight into Jersey wildlife. Full training and support will be given. If you are interested or would like more information, please contact David Tipping on telephone 441625 or email d.tipping@gov.je
Channel Islands Bat Conference 2016, Frances Le Sueur Centre, St Ouen, Jersey
The Jersey Bat Group cordially invites you to Jersey for the 2nd Channel Islands Bat Conference to be held on the 29th and 30th October 2016 at the Frances Le Sueur Centre, St Ouen, Jersey.
The general aim of the Channel Islands Bat Conference is to give Government bodies, NGOs, environmental managers and relevant individuals the opportunity to discuss the status of bats within the islands and wider landscape. The CI Bat Conference is relevant to ecological, conservation, environmental management bodies (government/NGO) and individuals from the Channel Islands and other regions, such as the Isle of Man and UK.
The 2016 CI Bat Conference comprises of three objectives, for delegates to:
Present a range of bat-related topics relevant to their organisation and island
Discuss current or future island projects which effectively link ecological research with environmental management or conservation
Discuss topics from the wider world of bat work.
Delegates are encouraged to present on research related to the objectives via talk or poster formats. Talks will normally be 20 minutes long, with five minutes for questions unless longer time is requested by presenters. Presenters are requested to submit a title and abstract (maximum of 500 words) to the JBG by 1st October.
If you would like to attend the Channel Islands Bat Conference 2016 please visit the Jersey Bat group website and fill out the application form here or contact Ani Binet on enquiries@jerseybatgroup.org to discuss and submit your presentation ideas.
Easter may have been early this year, but our chough eggs waited until April was in full swing to make an appearance. The first sign of egg-laying at the Wildlife Park was on 12th April when the nest cameras revealed an egg in Iseult’s nest. Within a week she had finished laying and started incubating.
Iseult’s eggs – view from the nest camera monitor. Photo by Hester Whitehead.
Choughs normally lay around five eggs in captivity with the female starting incubation when the third egg is laid. Issy appeared to be quite restless at first, leaving the nest whenever she was disturbed. As the aviary is on show to the public the decision was made to cordon off the footpath which runs alongside the nest site. This seemed to work well and Issy continued incubating.
The public footpath was blocked to prevent disturbance to the nest whilst Isuelt was incubating. Photo by Liz Corry.
Egg-laying for the other two breeding pairs in the Park was not as straightforward. Both pairs took a long time to progress from a few twigs in their nest-box to a fully lined chough nest. Then it was a matter of waiting for the first egg. It turned out to be a very long wait to the point we had almost given up expecting anything. Seventeen days after Issy laid her first egg Gwinny and Mrs D started laying their own.
Denzel and Mrs D have very little experience in breeding and this is their first time together. Everything appeared ok when Mrs D laid her first egg. Then keepers had a moment of doubt when they checked the nest cameras. “I’m sure there was an egg there before?”, “Is that an egg or a bit of wool?”, “It’s ok its still there”, “Wait, has the egg gone again?” Checking back over the camera footage we realised that what was hoped to be lighting issues and camera trickery was actually Denzel carefully removing the egg from the nest and Mrs D laying her second egg. He did the same thing to the second egg in the evening when staff had gone home. The remaining eggs were rescued before he had chance to act and given to Gianna to foster incubate.
A slightly different scenario played out next door in Gwinny and Lucifer‘s nest-box. This time it was not just the eggs in danger. Gwinny and Lucifer have had clutches for the past two seasons. There have been issues with each clutch and eggs being tampered with. Staff usually have to rescue to artificially incubate. CeCe being the result of last year’s rescue efforts. We were quite prepared for the same to happen this year. What we were not prepared for was Lucifer‘s reaction to the first egg. As can been seen in the video below he became extremely aggressive to the point where Gwinny was in danger.
Staff reacted quickly and re-housed Lucifer away from the breeding aviaries. There was the slight risk that Gwinny may abandon egg-laying due to the disturbance and not her ‘partner’ not being around. The risk to Gwinny by leaving him in the aviary far outweighed this and our actions were justified as she continued to lay over the next few days and has incubated consistently since then.
Staff rescued the first egg as planned and gave it to Gianna to foster-incubate along with Mrs D‘s two rescued eggs. Gwinny went on to lay three more eggs which were left with her to incubate as she was sitting so well.
Gianna has shown that she has learnt from her experience as a first time mother last year and is even more attentive to her nest this year. As with last year she was given a dummy egg to stimulate egg-laying. This seemed to work and a few days later she produced her own, followed by two more. This is quite interesting as last year her first egg was her only egg. Gianna will be used for foster-incubating and foster-rearing. We are not 100% confident in her ability to look after hatching eggs so any fertile eggs she has will be transferred to an incubator in the Bird Department and subsequent chicks hand-reared for the crucial first few days before returning to Gianna.
Gianna will hopefully help out again by foster rearing this year. Photo by Liz Corry.
Over in Cornwall our partners at Paradise Park appear to be having an easier time with their five breeding pairs. You can watch live footage from their nest cameras by clicking here. Potentially one or more of the chicks you will see on camera will be joining the flock out at Sorel later on this year.Update from Sorel
It was a little harder to determine when the choughs at Sorel started egg-laying. There was a period towards the end of the nest-building stage when the males started displaying to their partners and several mating attempts were observed. Green in particular liked to show off by spreading his wings to full extent and parading around Black. Or any other female that happened to be in sight.
Green showing off the size of his wings to his partner (on the right) on the roof of the aviary. Photo by Liz Corry.
Dingle joined in with collecting wool for his nest with Red. This is really promising behaviour and progress from last season when he partnered up for the first time. He has also been observed taking nesting material from the quarry in the form of lagging around pipes. Very resourceful. A recent roost check showed that the pair have switched from roosting at the aviary to roosting in the quarry. A sure sign they now feel invested in their nest and want to keep a close eye on it.
Dingle collecting nesting material from outside the aviary. Photo by Liz Corry.
We determined that the females had started incubating eggs by observing behaviour before and after the supplementary feeds at the aviary. Black was the first no-show of the three incubating females. As it is only the females who incubate the eggs they try not to leave the nest too often. When they need to leave, they need to know ‘abandoning’ their eggs is worthwhile. The choughs know when to expect food at the aviary because staff stick to set times. Sometimes, however, staff are delayed so instead of taking the risk of flying to the aviary to find there are no food dishes out Black waits for Green to return with the supplementary diet, thereby letting her know staff have put the food dishes in the aviary. After a minute or two discussing the tardiness of the keepers and what’s on today’s menu, the pair will then head over to the aviary, quickly feed, and return on a full stomach to continue incubating the eggs. Mauve and Red followed suit so now all that remains is to continue observing behaviour and count down the days to the expected hatch dates.
We still have the young pairs feeding and preening each other but not yet ready to nest. A new pairing we noticed this month was that of Lee and Caûvette. It will be interesting to see if this relationship continues throughout the year. Caûvette was hand-reared. Any nesting attempt by her will be followed with great enthusiasm not just by the chough team, but by other reintroduction projects around the world.
Lee and Cauvette, a hand-reared female, have paired up. Too young for this year’s breeding season but promising for next year. Photo by Bea Denton.
The other new pairings appear to be going well. Q and his female Noir can be seen below taking part in a spot of mutual preening after lunch.
Q and Noir have bonded over the past couple of months. Photo by Bea Denton.
Q invites Noir to return the favour and preen him. Photo by Bea Denton.
We had one piece of information this month which helped add solid facts to our breeding records, but also brought with it upsetting news. Early morning on the 4th April and email came in from quarryman Kevin Le Herissier that said “have a bit of good news and a bit of bad news”. I might have then stolen his thunder by suggesting the good news was the discovery of a chough nest.
Dingle and Red’s nest before Red starting laying. Chough nests are protected in the UK and cannot be photographed or approached without a licence. Photo by Liz Corry
What could not have been predicted was the bit that came next. The bad news.
Kevin had been working in the asphalt plant that morning and suddenly heard a group of choughs alarm-calling outside. He noticed several birds looking very distressed, hopping around on the ground, shouting at something. When he got closer he realised that in amongst the cacophony of choughs there was a chough head! No body, no feathers, just a head. We arrived on site shortly after the phone call and after a little detective work we found, at various sites, a piece of wing, intestines, and tail feathers with a radio transmitter attached. From this and her absence at the aviary feeds we knew the deceased was Ormer one of the 2015 chicks from Paradise Park.
Ormer was found dead in the quarry this month potentially predated by great black-backed gulls. Photo by Liz Corry.
Whilst not wanting to sound uncaring, quarry and bird staff breathed a sigh of relief. It was not one of the breeding females and it was not Dusty the wild chick. A loss nonetheless though. I presented the remains to a somewhat perplexed vet team to try to gather as much information as possible from a post mortem examination. Blunt trauma fracture on the skull and descriptions from quarry staff suggest that Ormer and the others had had a run-in with the gulls who also nest in the quarry. Great black-backed gulls are notorious for their aggressiveness and predatory behaviour and were seen nearby (a number of pairs nest in the quarry alongside the more numerous herring gulls) and were considered responsible.
We have observed choughs chase off gulls (normally, or always, herring gulls) simply so they could play on the rocks the gulls were sitting on. Some may use the term ‘bullying’, but we like to think of it as being over-confident. Unfortunately this time around Ormer met with an even more confident species.
Another impressive sunset as staff carry out a roost check. Photo by Bea Denton.
It takes a special kind of fish diet to feed a growing Atlantic puffin. A chick can eat more than 2,000 fish before leaving the nest, and they all need to have the perfect size, shape, and fat content. This report from the USA range of the Atlantic puffin is very relevant to this species on our side of the Atlantic.
Each summer off the coast of Maine (USA), scientists with Audubon’s Project Puffin document the finicky diets of pufflings, tracking the species, quantity, and size of the fish that the parents deliver to their young. They also weigh and measure the fuzzy nestlings and track their hatching, fledging, and survival rates. This type of long-term data is scarce for this species, says Steve Kress, director of Project Puffin—yet it’s integral for connecting puffin survival rates to the effects of climate change and commercial fisheries.
Now, a new study by Kress and co-authors, published last week in FACETS, forges that link by showing that pufflings’ diets are changing fast. Using data that dates back to 1993, the experts calculated that post-fledging survival rates have declined by an average of 2.5 percent per year, and that the chicks’ body condition has declined as well. The reason, Kress says, is a less-than-ideal menu, caused by climate change and pressures from fisheries.
How are the chicks’ diets changing?
Puffins are particularly sensitive to changes in local fish populations because they return to the same island burrows year after year; most end up raising their own chicks at the same sites where they hatched. Parents generally gather fish and crustaceans for their pufflings within a 12-mile radius of the nest. Little is known about what the adults eat, since they feed at sea, so the young provide a window into the relationship between fish and puffins. “I think of them as little fishing fleets going out every day . . . to see what they can catch, and then they come back with the catch of the day,” Kress says.
The most frequent catch recorded between 2005 and 2014 was white hake, followed by Atlantic herring, but fewer of these fish were seen over time. On the other hand, the proportion of butterfish, haddock, and redfish increased in the birds’ diets—none of these species were present during the earlier years of the study.
This changing menu is important because puffin chicks are very particular about their meals. They can only fit smaller, narrower fish – like white hake (a species not seen in European waters) – into their beaks and often have trouble swallowing larger, oval-shaped species like butterfish (another species not seen in Europe where snake pipefish represent a similar problem). And since puffin parents don’t tear up the fish for their young (unlike some other birds), the babies have to swallow their food whole. In 2012, Audubon’s Puffin Cam documented Petey the chick starving to death after his parents brought him butterfish that were impossible for him to eat.
What’s causing these shifts?
It seems that climate change is disrupting the pufflings’ diets—and the entire marine food web—by heating up the ocean and reducing the abundance of plankton that fish need to eat. White hake and Atlantic herring thrive in colder waters, as there tends to be more plankton there. That means schools are moving northward and deeper, where puffin parents may not be able to reach them. Plankton and fish populations are also affected by climate-driven increases in precipitation and ice melt, which alter water clarity and salinity.
Additionally, on the two islands where the scientists studied the chicks, hatching success and fledging rates declined significantly from 2010 to 2013, with the two worst years corresponding to unusually warm ocean temperatures. They rebounded in 2014 following a winter with colder water. This type of “ocean heat wave” is expected to become more frequent due to climate change, so the low hatching and fledging rates could be a preview of how puffins respond to warmer seas.
Humans may also be playing a direct role in the chicks’ hardships, specifically through mismanagement of commercial fisheries. It’s a double bind for the young, inexperienced birds, Kress says. “The puffin [fledgling] is headed off into a warmer sea affected by climate, which is less productive, and it’s also headed into a sea that’s being heavily fished by commercial fisheries.” For example, most of Maine’s herring—a puffling favourite—is snapped up for lobster bait. It’s possible that the new, more heat-tolerant species could meet the chicks’ dietary needs, but it’s still up in the air whether the timing of their migrations will match the puffins’ breeding season.
Kress emphasizes that there is hope for protecting Atlantic puffins in the future. But people need to look at the bigger picture. Tightening up restrictions on commercial fisheries, limiting carbon emissions, and protecting the birds’ wintering grounds will be essential in the years ahead. “You can protect the islands, as we are and as we must,” Kress says, “but if the fish are not protected and the habitat is not protected, then the work on the islands is not sufficient.”
The full report Recent changes in the diet and survival of Atlantic puffin chicks in the face of climate change and commercial fishing in midcoast Maine, USA can be downloadedhere
This is the very real consequence of not being a responsible dog owner. I’d first like to say thank you, thank you to all the good owners out there, who understand their own animal, and respect others, but even if you think this is you, please read on….
To the culprits, I really don’t know what to say. You may think that this is just a sheep, but I’d say you’re wrong. Her name is Bercail Gallant, she was born on the 7th March lastyear at quarter to two in the afternoon and weighed just 2.9kg. You could hold her in the palm of one hand. I did, I was there. This is a living, breathing creature that gets scared like we do, that has instincts like we do, that feels pain like we do, and that deserves compassion and respect in equal measure to your pet. No animal ever deserves to go through this, and what makes it so difficult to swallow is that there is absolutely no need for it.
It would be easier to sleep at night to think this dog owner was an awful malicious person, with a menacing dog. The difficult reality is that all too often these attacks are caused by well-meaning people, who never for a second think their dog would have this in them, but they do. They all do. So, if the video (on Facebook) upsets you, please, please be responsible. Train your dog to have a solid recall, never let them out of your sight, and if you can’t control your dog, use a lead. But if something like this does happen, let the owner know, don’t ever leave the animal suffering. PLEASE.
This happened on Tuesday morning last week in the early hours, sometime before 0800, in the Beauport area. Five sheep in total had various wounds and injuries. Thanks to some outstanding veterinary work, Gallant has a shot of pulling through, it will be a long road, which she doesn’t deserve, but we will give her every chance.
Please don’t forget, these sheep are members of the Birds On The Edge team like us and like the choughs and deserve every bit as much respect as we all do.
You can see a video of Bercail Gallant on The Reserve (Jersey) Facebook page here but be warned this video is graphic and upsetting (and some of the comments are ‘colourful’!).
This report is based on an article first published in the National Trust for Jersey’s magazine Discover and is republished here by kind permission.
The more we begin to accept just how much pleasure we receive from the Island’s coastline, the more we are likely to appreciate its true intrinsic value. To many of us, it is clearly imperative that we express our extreme gratitude towards its many attributes in the most positive way we can.
This strong appreciation of the coastline received official acknowledgement during the early part of 2009 when, following much discussion and public consultation, the States of Jersey agreed to pursue the creation of a Jersey Coastal National Park (now Jersey National Park). The prime aims and objectives behind this concept were clear and simple:
To robustly protect, conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the National Park
To further encourage public appreciation, understanding and enjoyment of the many special qualities existing within the National Park.
It was also recognised that this protected landscape embraces a living, working environment and, therefore, the need to cultivate economic and social benefits within its boundaries must be regarded as of paramount importance.
Covering some 1,900 hectares – 16% of the Island’s land mass – The Jersey National Park received official States designation in 2011 and is now a major planning factor within the Island Plan.
The park currently includes the south-facing headlands of Noirmont, Portelet, Beauport and La Corbiere and extensive areas along the dramatic north coast. In the east, the JNP includes exclusive sections of St Catherine’s and ecologically important parts of the Grouville Bay coastline. By far the largest area of ‘park’ is almost the entire length and breadth of St Ouen’s Bay. Also included are the offshore reefs of Les Ecréhous, Les Minquiers and the Paternosters
Having recognised the protective justification of a National Park, the States of Jersey held a series of three one-day ‘stakeholder’ workshops during the early part of 2014. Emerging from these workshops was an Interim Working Group. This small group of experienced volunteers comprise representatives from the local business community, parish authorities, heritage, environment, agriculture, sport and tourism together with further representation from the departments of Environment and Infrastructure (TTS). Birds On The Edge is represented on the IWG by Glyn Young.
With this wide diversity of expertise and interests, the working group has been keen to ensure that the final implementation will result in maximum benefit for minimal outlay for everyone living and working within the park boundaries.
It has also been recognised that the JNP acts as an important conduit for tourism, recreation and education whereby the prime intentions are to deliver each of these themes in a sustainable yet economically beneficial way. Tourism and recreation within the JNP undoubtedly add considerable value to the local economy as well as contributing maximum benefits towards retaining a healthy community.
Prior to an official JNP launch, on 3rd May 2016 (see launch information and timetable here), the Interim Working Group completed the main objectives as instructed by the States of Jersey.These included the preparation of a Business/Governance Plan, an Action Plan, the creation of a logo/brand and website by Freedom Media and, finally, arrangements for the official launch itself. The latter were achieved courtesy of two modest grants from States of Jersey grant schemes.
The National Park
There are four main components to the National Park as recognized by the States of Jersey, the stakeholders and the Interim Working Group. These clearly defined ‘park’ categories are – the natural environment, the historic environment, commercial operations and recreational pursuits.
Natural Environment
Range of habitats
Key natural features
Flagship wildlife species
Sites of Special Interest
Areas of high conservation value such as La Mare au Seigneur.
The Working Group firmly believes that bringing together each of these ‘themes’ under the umbrella of a National Park ‘brand’ will ensure maximum ‘promotional’ opportunities for everyone living, working or simply enjoying the park’s many qualities.
Although the Interim Working Group has no official legal status, it is important to recognize that the Jersey National Park is officially designated under the Policy of the Island Plan 2011, a document required under the Planning & Building (Jersey) Law 2002.
A great deal of hard work has been necessary prior to reaching these final stages which, with ideal timing, sit well with this year’s 10th Anniversary celebrations of the National Trust for Jersey’s Coastline Campaign.
In approaching these final preparations, the voluntary working group has produced the following required positioning statement:
‘The Jersey National Park – An Island to Cherish’
The Jersey National Park will provide residents and visitors with a unique opportunity to preserve, enjoy and take pride in a coastal environment steeped in history, rich in agriculture and natural diversity and bustling with activities that appeal to every interest, age and ability.
While every beach, bay and coastal walk can be reached within minutes of each other, miles of unspoiled beaches and headlands, excellent restaurants and eating houses plus a wide choice of recreational activities, both sporting and passive, constantly ensure boundless opportunities and untold benefits.
Wherever they happen to be in the world, National Parks are primarily created because of a strong sense of local pride, a commodity that, despite its modest size, Jersey has in abundance.
Please visit the Jersey National Park’s website here
Since December 2012 the Marine Biology Section of the Société Jersiaise has been coordinating a citizen science project with mermaids’ purses (eggcases from rays and catsharks). In the autumn and winter empty mermaids’ purses wash up on our coasts in large numbers and can be identified back to the ray or catshark species that laid them. The Shark Trust have been running an eggcase project for several years and it was this that inspired the Société Jersiaise to start its own project (all our data goes to the Shark Trust but we are also looking for local trends).
Undulate ray Raja undulata (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Since starting the project we have collected and identified nearly 6,500 eggcases. The aim is to get five years’ data before running a full analysis but some basic trends can already be discerned. For example, Jersey’s commonest eggcases (44%) come from the undulate ray, a species which is rare elsewhere and listed as threatened in the EU, but is common here. Almost as common is the blonde ray (39%) with other species being much rarer: small spotted catshark (10%); thornback ray (3%); small-eyed ray (2%); and nursehound and spotted ray (both >1%). The below chart shows the situation as at end of February 2016.
Mermaid purse results 2012-2016
We have also noted a seasonal trend in some of the eggcases – e.g. the gap between undulate and blonde ray numbers in the autumn (between weeks 39 and 46 on the chart below) seems to be an annual thing but we’re purposefully not looking at trends in detail until the five years are up.
Blonde and undulate ray eggcase appearance in Jersey 2015.
Now, we’ve been doing this for over three years and in that time we’ve consistently had the same seven species handed in. Then, in 2016, we’ve suddenly had four eggcases from a cuckoo ray handed in, three of which are in perfect condition. This is unexpected because there has never been a single record of cuckoo ray in Channel Island waters – nor are there any commercial or amateur fishing records (we’ve checked with Marine Resources and the JFA and there are no angling records). It does not appear in historical lists by Joseph Sinel or Ronnie Le Sueur although, before the 1980s, there was a model of a cuckoo ray in the old Jersey Museum but it was not thought to be local.
Cuckoo ray egg case. Photo by Paul Chambers
Three of the cuckoo ray cases were collected by Sabina Danzer on the west coast and they are perfectly preserved. The other one was more battered and collected by Geoff Walker in Grouville. The appearances are probably not a coincidence but whether it means that this species (which normally prefers deeper waters than ours but which can stray into shallower seas) has entered our waters is not known. It may simply be that the eggcases have been swept in from the central English Channel but, if so, then why haven’t we had them previously? All very mysterious.
Cuckoo ray eggcases are distinctive as they have very long ‘horns’ that overlap one another. Most of our eggcases are collected by dog walkers and beach cleaners and so if anyone spots a cuckoo ray or fancies participating in the eggcase research, please contact the Marine Biology Section on marinebiology@societe-jersiaise.org
Small spotted catshark Scyliorhinus canicula. Photo by H. Zell (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Results are now available from the Birds On The Edge Island-wide Farmland Bird Monitoring scheme, managed by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust through collaboration between Durrell, the Société Jersiaise, the National Trust for Jersey and the States of Jersey Department of the Environment and carried out at five sites between 2005 and 2015 that show that Jersey’s farmland bird populations are poorer than previously thought.
Five sites (at Crabbé, Les Landes, Les Blanche Banques sand dunes, Noirmont and Les Creux) were chosen in part through their connection with the five landbirds detailed in Jersey’s biodiversity action plans published in 2006: skylark, Dartford warbler, stonechat, yellowhammer and cirl bunting. Each of the transects have been walked at two-week intervals throughout the year and types and numbers of birds at different distance bands have been recorded. The dedicated team of volunteers walked more than 1,920 miles over 10 years in order to see what is happening to our birds.
Bird monitoring provides one of the most robust and globally recognised methods for measuring changes in the state of biodiversity and the broader environment. Currently the UK Farmland Bird Indicator is one of the UK Government’s 15 sustainable development indicators.
Over the ten-year period the information collated can be used to identify trends in populations and evidence suggests that we are dealing with very much a ‘mixed bag’.
A total of 124 bird species were recorded at the five sites during the survey, April 2005 to April 2015. Some of these species were recorded very infrequently or even only once and of all those recorded, 72 species were seen in sufficient numbers to analyse trends.
Linnet: FBS counts 2005-2015
Total numbers of birds recorded on Jersey’s north coast 1985-2014
Sixteen of them showed marked decreases across the five sites while a further nine have increased. The remaining species’ populations appear stable with three showing signs of a possible long-term increase and five showing signs of a possible long-term decrease. Results coincide with a 30-year survey of birds along Jersey’s north coast published by the Société Jersiaise which shows that overall bird numbers recorded here halved between 1985 and 2014².
Dr Glyn Young of Durrell, who managed the project, said “the results of these two studies show the importance of long-term monitoring projects like this one and is grateful to everyone who gave so much of their free time to help understand what is happening to our Island’s bird populations”.
Mick Dryden, Chairman of the Société Jersiaise Bird Section said “The Section has collected bird records for more than 50 years from right across Jersey. This study has clearly shown the value of intensive, systematic study from a group of keen volunteers”.
Turtle dove: FBS counts 2005-2015
In Jersey there are many species of conservation concern, but, as this study shows, it is birds associated with farmland such as the lapwing, turtle dove, skylark, yellowhammer, stonechat, linnet and reed bunting, that are faring the worst in terms of declining rates. This follows a present trend across the UK and Europe. It has been determined that the main causes of these declines are an unusually high mortality during winter, a direct consequence of the modernization of farming techniques, abandonment of marginal land and a changing climate. In traditional agriculture, there would be sources of winter food in the form of spilt cereals, fields left in stubble and fallow grounds. In Jersey it is not known what changes in farming are having an impact on local birds, but it is believed that a combination of intensification, modern technologies and abandonment of marginal land which then reverts to bracken have contributed to the changes in the food availability and subsequent bird declines.
Skylark: FBS counts 2005-2015
Birds are great indicators for overall environmental health and birds in Jersey are in decline, the island’s broader environment is a lot poorer than people assume. Jersey needs a healthy and diverse environment to prosper, so help the birds and help Jersey.
What is being done to benefit these target species which have been identified to be declining in numbers? The Birds On The Edge partnership is a joint initiative between The National Trust for Jersey, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and the States of Jersey Department of the Environment, which aims to restore habitats and stop the decline of these bird species.
As an integral part of the Birds On The Edge project and in collaboration with local farmers, a total of 49 fields (with a combined area of 30.35ha or 168.6vg) were planted with winter bird crops in 2015 at 12 different sites. Three varieties of winter bird crops were planted and some barley and mustard. This initiative aims to help our birds get through the winter when food would otherwise be very scarce and be in good condition to breed in spring.
Each of the sites surveyed and the core populations of the declining birds lie within the Jersey Coastal National Park, further emphasising the importance of this initiative to Island biodiversity.
Jonny Parkes, Lands Manager of The National Trust for Jersey says “This survey clearly demonstrates that we all need to “up our game” if we are going to prevent the further loss of some of our key farmland and coastal birds. The loss of the skylark from the dunes at St Ouen would be tragic loss and we need to acknowledge that securing the future of such species will require on occasion robust measures including restricted public access, pest control and increased government investment in agri-environment schemes. The Birds On The Edge Project demonstrates what can be achieved through collaboration and we hope we can further build upon its early success to prevent further population declines”
Gardeners, birdwatchers, sportspeople and anglers are being called on to help protect the UK from the threat of invasive non-native species (INNS) at the launch of Invasive Species Week.
INNS cost the British economy £1.7 billion a year. To help stop INNS arriving and spreading, Defra and the GB Non-native Species Secretariat are holding a special week to raise awareness of the issue. See details of Jersey’s invasive species here and here.
It will bring together organisations from across Britain who can help stop INNS damaging our landscapes and harming our native wildlife. While the majority of animals and plants introduced to Britain are harmless, around 10-15% become ‘invasive’.
This year Invasive Species Week coincides with the fifth anniversary of Check, Clean, Dry – a campaign launched by Defra and the Welsh and Scottish Governments in March 2011. The campaign is supported by the Angling Trust and Royal Yachting Association, to provide simple biosecurity advice for recreational water users, particularly anglers, and boat and kayak users.
The campaign was launched after the success of Be Plant Wise, a campaign run with the support of the Ornamental and Aquatic Trade Association and the Horticultural Trade Association. This initiative keeps gardeners and pond owners informed of the dangers caused by invasive aquatic plants and to reduce the risk of them dumping aquatic plants in the wild.
Niall Moore, Chief Non-native Species Officer and Head of the GB Non-native Species Secretariat, said: “Invasive non-native species are one of the key threats to our wildlife and natural environment, and can be extremely costly and difficult to manage if allowed to establish. Help to prevent this from happening by getting involved and spreading the message during Invasive Species Week”.
So how do INNS get here? There are several ways but, just think, right now you could be drinking coffee from South America while wearing clothes made in South East Asia, and reading this on a device made in the USA or China. Your lifestyle is only possible due to the thousands of container ships ploughing across our oceans on a daily basis, taking products around the world from one port to another.
Each day some 3,000 species are transported in ship ballast or on ships’ hulls. Ballast water is taken onboard ship when the ship is empty, and emptied usually in ports when the ship is filled. This water can contain millions of creatures and pathogens, including, for example, cholera. Although most perish en route those that survive may find the waters where they are discharged to their advantage and thrive to the detriment of native species.
Of the 54 invasive non-native invertebrate species identified by Buglife as currently posing the greatest threat to biodiversity in Britain, 23 (43%) may have been or could in future be introduced via ballast water.
Shipping patterns are undergoing changes, and are expanding in volume, frequency and coverage. Specifically, the opening of new, northern shipping routes with the reduction of Arctic ice cover will raise the threat of ballast water introductions from previously blocked geographical areas, augmenting the continuing arrival of species along established commercial shipping routes.
Yet our knowledge of marine invasive non-native species is extremely limited and there are few marine species specific risk assessments. It is practically impossible to eradicate marine and aquatic invasive non-native species once they have established. It is thus imperative that we do our utmost to prevent their arrival and export in the first place to avoid their potential large scale negative impact on native biodiversity and the economy.
We need strict controls in place to limit the spread of invasive non-native species by ballast water, not only into British waters but our responsibility to avoid transfer from British waters elsewhere. We have the mechanism to do this through the International Maritime Organisation Ballast Water Management Convention (not yet ratified by the UK). Many of Europe’s large maritime economies have ratified this convention, including Holland, Germany, France and Denmark.
You can help to slow down invasive species by making sure you know what you grow in your garden, especially if you have a pond, and by making sure you clean, check, dry fishing and boating equipment etc. you use around water.
Details of Jersey’s invasive species can be seen here.
The Atlantic puffin is an iconic bird in the Channel Islands. One of the southernmost populations, those breeding on Jersey and the other Channel Islands belong to the English-Channel or French-Atlantic sub-population.
Puffins spend the winter at sea and come ashore to breed in colonies. Usually they arrive in the Channel Islands around April and leave again in July. They have a slow reproductive cycle, not breeding until six years of age, and then only laying one egg per year. Typically, for breeding, puffins return to the sites where they hatched by themselves and Jersey, therefore, plays an important role for the annual life-cycle of this sub-population.
Although there are still good numbers of puffins globally it is listed as Vulnerable with a decreasing population-trend in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. No sub-populations are listed separately and it is highly possible that the French-Atlantic sub-population is even more endangered. Annually, about 580,799 pairs breed in the UK, Isle of Man and Channel Islands. Nevertheless, the numbers of the French-Atlantic sub-population are relatively low and have shown a continuous decrease during the 20th Century. Conservation Status of Jersey’s Birdslists the puffin as RED with a severe breeding population decline.
Population-development of Atlantic puffin on Jersey between 1998 and 2015.
The reasons for the puffin’s decline on Jersey are not completely understood and may vary with location. Several causes may play a role: puffins usually nest on offshore-islands free of mammalian predators. Most of the introduced mammalian predators, like the brown rat, black or ship rat, domestic cat or American mink, are good climbers and can also reach the puffins’ nest-holes on steep cliffs. The puffin is, therefore, especially vulnerable to these invasive species. Also native seabirds like herring gull, lesser black-backed gull and great black-backed gull might be a cause of puffin declines through kleptoparasitism or direct predation.
Human disturbance through tourism and general boat-traffic at the breeding sites might play a role in decreases. However, there is contradictory evidence: after a tourist-hotspot around the puffins’ nesting sites at Jersey (Plémont Holiday Village) was closed in 2000, a recovery of the population was not seen. This might be an indication that human-presence had little or even no effect on the Jersey-population.
Indirect impacts like climate change cause loss of the puffin’s food supply in many colonies. In the English Channel, rising temperatures and other indirect factors like pollution of the sea may play an important role as well. Moreover, one particular fish species, snake pipefish, has increased in number in the region around Jersey and may have been fed to nestlings, as has been recorded in UK, Norway or Iceland for instance (abstract here), although it is inedible for young puffins. Herring, capelin or sandeel should actually form their main diet.
There may have been a population of 200-300 pairs on Jersey during 1911-1914, decreasing rapidly from 1915 to only 22 pairs in 1998 and as few as two individuals at the time of writing.
My study focussed on recent temporal changes to try to identify of the current status of the Atlantic puffin population on Jersey. Assuming that climate change may play an important role for the puffin’s decline, temperature was correlated to the population size.
The methodology used to estimate the number of puffins between 1911- 1915 is undocumented and unlikely to be based on scientific evidence. However, the records of the high numbers in 1911-1914 and the drastic decline in 1915 were both collected by the same person (Roderick Dobson). Therefore, although the accuracy of the exact numbers is questionable, it can be assumed that there were high numbers of puffins present at Jersey, which then had a drastic decline. The reason for such a dramatic decline within only four years remains unknown. It is clear though that Jersey has never seen numbers of puffins like that again.
Due to a higher human population-density on Jersey, the puffin’s distribution might be restricted by invasive predators and by human presence. Brown rat began occurring on this island in the 18th Century, the black rat was introduced in Roman times. Avoiding pressure from rats, the puffins on Jersey may have become restricted to breed on sites which invasive mammalian predators find harder to access. These alternative breeding sites are small and poor-quality, areas like gaps along the cliffs instead of the commonly used burrows on cliff-tops.
Although the puffin is considered a flagship species of the Channel Islands, they have not been studied sufficiently and very little is known about their local ecology. The causes for the puffins’ decline on Jersey are still not fully identified. Although this analysis did not show any correlation to it, climate change as a factor should not be neglected as a potential main reason for the puffins’ decline in the English Channel. While the puffin might have resisted any single factor causing pressure on its population, the combination of all these factors together may be the causation for the eventual decline. Anthropologically disturbed areas, invasive mammalian predators, rising temperatures, decline in prey availability, and change in available fish species… summing up these factors – they were tough enough to effect the puffin’s population in the end.
With few actions taken, or possibly even feasible, to conserve the colony on Jersey, effort should be put into the puffins’ conservation throughout the Channel Islands, to prevent the same fate on the other islands as is happening on Jersey, where the puffin will, sadly, be extinct soon.
Acknowledgements
This assessment was written for the module “Invasive Species and other Drivers of Distribution Change” as part of the Master of Science class “Animal Behaviour: Applications for Conservation” at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge. I am grateful to Paul Aked, senior Meteorologist at the Meteorological Section of the Department of the Environment, Jersey for providing me with data on climate.
The puffin photos used here were taken in Iceland by Nicolas Guillod.
The full report Last chance to see? Analysis of temporal changes of the Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) population at Jersey, Channel Islands can be read here
Kaja Heising, MSc Animal Behaviour: Applications for Conservation, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge
Please note that since this post was written, the Alderney Bird Observatory has launched its own dedicated website which can be visited here
Summary
An exciting project is being developed by the Alderney Wildlife Trust, to establish an Alderney Bird Observatory. The volunteer warden John Horton has already been appointed and will commence recording across the island and ringing at fixed sites within the Island’s largest Nature Reserve, Longis, which covers much of the eastern end of Alderney and other productive sites like Mannez Quarry.
John is taking a sabbatical from his London Metropolitan Police Wildlife Crimes Officer role in order to support this two year project to achieve accredited Bird Observatory status from the Bird Observatories Council, the minimum time allowed for such recognition. John is an experienced ringer (having ringed more than 60,000 birds over the past 10 years), and has full trainer status. He has a very inclusive approach to ringing, evidenced through his ringing activities in the North Kent Marshes. John has experience of the Channel Islands as he spent a couple of years working at Durrell’s Wildlife Park in Jersey before joining the Metropolitan Police.
The Observatory aims to be an educational resource highlighting the value of wildlife to the next generation. John would very much welcome any visiting ringers who wish to support the work through whatever time they can make available. Please note that all ringing activity in Alderney including seabirds should be coordinated through the Alderney Bird Observatory Warden in the first instance. Data collected from the Alderney Bird Observatory will be collated by the Channel Island Bird Ringing Scheme.
What is a Bird Observatory?
A Bird Observatory is a place which conducts long-term monitoring of bird populations and migration. Individual observatories are located at prime migration points around the British Isles and activity is conducted within a defined recording area. The first observatory was established on the Welsh island of Skokholm in 1933 and since then the British network has become renowned worldwide for its observatories, the quality of their observations and the wildlife viewing opportunities they present.
An integral part of an observatory’s work is bird ringing, the capturing of birds by a licensed ‘ringer’, who acts as the observatory’s Warden, thus enabling the study of population dynamics across an international species (British Trust for Ornithology for information on ringing here). In Alderney’s case the Bird Observatory would work within the Channel Island Ringing Scheme, in parallel to the BTO.
Observatories encourage volunteers to participate in scientific studies of birds and the environment, including ringing and more casual observations whilst out enjoying the areas they reside within. The results of these studies are made freely available to researchers and to the public who are welcome to then visit the observatories.
What benefits would a Bird Observatory bring to Alderney?
This is a project, born out of the Living Islands initiative, which has already attracted regional media interest and expects to focus the national media on the Island. It will also bring visiting scientists and it is believed a significant number of birdwatching enthusiasts form the UK and Continental Europe, as its reputation develops. It will be the only official Bird Observatory in the Channel Islands and the most southerly Observatory in the British Isles. The Trust also envisions the facility will bring an economic boost to the fragile Alderney economy by sustainably exploiting a resource which to a large degree Alderney owns and controls, attracting visitors who would like to participate in the work of the Observatory or who simply want to visit an island which has this resource and reputation.
Such visitors will stay in the Island’s existing accommodation (mostly in the shoulder months when migration occurs) and over time there may also be the potential to establish a new ‘hostel’ class of accommodation. This would provide cheaper dormitory or shared room style accommodation for visiting groups, including universities and clubs.
From a wildlife perspective, the Alderney Bird Observatory will provide a mechanism to ensure a high level of continuity and scientific rigor in research, both through observational sightings and through ringing. The potential for reporting sightings of rare species of birds will be vastly increased through the coordination of the Alderney Bird Observatory’s full time Warden.
The Trust sees the Alderney Bird Observatory as very much a Channel Islands initiative. Environmental organisations and individuals from Jersey, Guernsey and Sark, as well as the host island of Alderney, will all be participating in developing the Observatory.
Alderney Wildlife Trust is looking for help funding the start of this project and you can contribute here
More information is available from Alderney Wildlife Trust here
iBats surveyors needed
When: Five or six evenings per volunteer in July and five or six evenings per volunteer in August. Transects start 30mins after sunset, require an hour and 20 mins driving which is followed by uploading GPS and bat call data. Survey event may take three hrs from start to finish.
