96 6 .4.2 Ringing new birds During the new moon periods from mid-March through to September, while the shearwaters were ashore after dark, 1661 individual full-grown birds were handled by Observatory staff, several more than once during the season, with a total of 1749 handlings. Of these, 1234 new birds were fitted with a ring, the remaining birds were recorded as re-captures (see below). In addition to these, 146 young birds were ringed in the nest, giving a grand total of 1380 new birds ringed compared to 861 last year. 6 .4.3 R e - capturing ringed birds In addition to the 1380 new birds ringed, 515 individual birds were recorded that were already wearing rings, including 88 same-year recaptures, with some individuals being captured multiple times. Fig. 6.3 A ringed adult shearwater prior to being recaptured
97 Table 6.3 Some examples of Manx Shearwater recovery details received from the BTO in 2022 FB55281 4 12.07.2019 Bardsey X 29.07.2022 Southend, Argyll and Bute (possibly avian flu) 1830 days 288 km 349˚N FR94560 1 31.08.1989 Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire FB60620 R 28.04.2022 Bardsey Island 11928days 119 km 18˚NNE 6 .4.4 Chick growth rates As aforementioned, monitoring restrictions implemented as a result of HPAI limited the amount of data that was collected. Therefore, the growth rates between 2015-2021 were analysed in 6.4.5 and 6.4.6 below. Since 2015, an additional study of the productivity burrows has been carried out each summer to monitor the growth rate of Manx Shearwater chicks. The nests are visited once a week from when the chicks first hatched until they have fledged. On these visits the maximum wing-chord and weight was measured. In addition, the chick was ringed once it had reached a suitable age. These data were compiled and only birds that fledged were included in the results. The sample size varies from year to year depending on the productivity of the burrows chosen; 28 were monitored in 2015, 26 in 2016, 21 in 2017, 16 in 2018, 20 in 2019, 31 in 2020 and eight in 2021. This gives a sample size of 150 over the seven-year period. 6 . 4 . 5 Wing lengths The age of the chicks when the first measurements are taken varies annually, most frequently they are taken in the first week post hatching, but can be up to 2.5 weeks. The average Week 1 wing length from 2015-2021 was 27.11mm±s.d.6.74. It slowly increases up to Week 2 before a period of rapid growth is observed up until the chicks start to reach fledging size. Standard deviation of the mean increases between weeks 3-8, which highlights the variability between individuals.
98 Fig. 6.4 Mean wing length of Manx Shearwater chicks per week for each year (2015- 2021) Fig. 6.5 Mean wing length of Manx Shearwater chicks per week 2015-2021. Error bars denote standard deviation. 0 50 100 150 200 250 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Mean wing length Week 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 0 50 100 150 200 250 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Mean wing length Week
99 Fig. 6.6. A five-week old shearwater chick Growth per week varied considerably throughout the season, though the peak mean growth is observed between weeks 4-5 at 33.26mm±s.d.7.49. The highest recorded increase in a single week was 72mm, recorded in 2015. In the final weeks, wing growth generally began to fall before chicks reached their fledging size, reaching their lowest growth per week in the final week. The mean weekly growth rate was 23.87mm±s.e.0.52 per week over all seven seasons. Fig. 6.7 Average weekly growth of wing-length from 2015-2021 (mm/week) 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 1-2 2-3 3-4 4-5 5-6 6-7 7-8 8-9 9-10 Growth (mm) Week
100 Table 6.3 Growth of wing-length (mm/week) 2015-2021 Week 1-2 2-3 3-4 4-5 5-6 6-7 7-8 8-9 9-10 Mean 24.18 30.73 38.64 40.75 37.90 31.71 29.14 22.47 17.27 s.d.± 6.27 17.59 24.88 25.76 23.28 20.16 15.70 13.52 9.69 Max 42 38 49 72 63 46 40 30 20 Min 2 10 17 20 5 6 15 4 2 6 .4.6 Weights Across 2015-2021, the chicks had a mean weight of 104.91±s.d.55.42 on the first visit. In the initial weeks, both adults return to shore most nights to feed their chick, which then rapidly gains weight, with an average increase of 116.68g±s.d.47.22 in the first two weeks. Over the first four weeks the chicks increase most rapidly; on average by 96.19g±s.d.22.19 per week. The growth rate then decreases by the fifth week, before it plateaus between weeks seven and eight. Fig. 6.8 Mean weights of Manx Shearwater chicks per week per year (2015-2021). Fig. 6.9 Mean weights of Manx Shearwater chicks per week from 2015-2021. Error bars denote standard deviation. 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Mean weight Week 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Mean weight Week
101 Most chicks reached their peak weight seven weeks after hatching, at a maximum mean weight of 538.50±s.d.73.55. The heaviest bird recorded over the seven years reached 750.20g after seven weeks in 2020, whilst the lightest recorded individual at peak weight was 302g in 2018. Weight gain continued to fall throughout the last weeks of chick rearing until the last two or three weeks, when birds began to slowly lose weight, having been abandoned by their parents. One bird in 2015 lost as much as 147g in a single week before fledging, which constituted 24.59% of its fledging weight of 451g. Table 6.4 Weight difference (±g/week) Week 1-2 2-3 3-4 4-5 5-6 6-7 7-8 8-9 9-10 Mean 118.96 106.96 91.26 67.58 44.54 18.48 -4.43 -36.31 -60.22 s.d.± 42.12 44.61 46.51 49.48 53.10 53.05 56.62 51.04 34.08 Max 284 226 195 193 191.4 200.1 134.4 90 37 Min 28.25 18 -97 -59 -90.1 -118 -124.6 -139.1 -147 Fig. 6.10 Mean weekly weight difference (±g/week) per year (2015-2021) -100 -50 0 50 100 150 200 1-2 2-3 3-4 4-5 5-6 6-7 7-8 8-9 9-10 Weight difference (±g/week) Week 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2015
102 Fig. 6.11 Mean weekly weight difference (±g/week) from 2015-2021. Error bars denote standard deviation. Fig. 6.12 Manx Shearwater chick weighing 370gms -100 -50 0 50 100 150 200 1-2 2-3 3-4 4-5 5-6 6-7 7-8 8-9 9-10 Weight difference (±g/week) Week
103 6 .4.7 Fledging Once the shearwaters reached a size where their wing-lengths were c190-200mm (c85% of their fledging wing-length) in week eight, they began to slim down and lose weight in the final three weeks prior to fledging as fat reserves are converted into muscle and feathers. The mean 2015-2021 fledging wing length was 228.48mm±s.d.13.36, whilst the mean fledging weight was 474.97g±s.d.43.09, with the smallest fledgling leaving the nest with a weight of just 310g in 2017 and the largest with a weight of 525g in 2018. The mean weight-loss was 92.88g±s.d.46.43, with a maximum loss of 234g from 684.2g to 450.2g in 2020. Fig. 13 highlights the variation in weight relative to wing-length; the R2 value shows that 0.16% of the variation in wing length is explained by variation in weight, hence there is little correlation between the two factors at fledging. Fig. 6.13 Fledging size of chicks (weight against wing-length). Trendline represents linear regression across all seven years. R² = 0.0016 360 380 400 420 440 460 480 500 520 540 560 216 218 220 222 224 226 228 230 232 234 236 238 240 242 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 Weight Wing
104 Fig. 6.14 Manx Shearwater chick just before fledging 6 . 5 Discussion The productivity of Manx Shearwaters on Bardsey in 2022 (0.77) was 5.08% higher than the long-term mean 1998-2022 (0.73 ±s.e.0.02). Over the years the productivity has ranged from 0.88 in 2003 to 0.60 in 2018. Whilst the productivity has fluctuated dramatically, the trend shows an overall decline. One of the reasons for the decline could be the increasing population on Bardsey, with the 2019-2022 census producing 26,424 pairs, up from 20,675 since 2014-2016. This steady rise in population will likely result in more immature and inexperienced pairs breeding on the island, which could in turn lead to a lower productivity. Most importantly this year, the figures shows that Manx Shearwater productivity was not impacted by HPAI, which was a serious concern given the contagiousness and virility of current AI strains. Much like 2021, there was no clear pattern in terms of productivity in relation to habitat or location; productivity simply varied across the island. The burrows above Cristin were omitted due to the manipulation of the adults being fitted with GPS trackers, however they continued to show a high failure at egg stage, possibly due to a higher level of predation. Tŷ Pellaf and Mountain South burrows exhibited the lowest productivity figures this year, potentially due to a small sample size for the former and higher predation levels for the latter, given the exposure of many burrows. Nant Valley West and Barcut had the highest productivity of 1.00, however the sample size was only three burrows for each site. Most failures occurred at the egg stage; once the chicks hatched, all but two reached the fledgling stage.
105 6 . 6 Summary In total 124 burrows containing birds incubating eggs were monitored to completion. Productivity was calculated and a total of 80 chicks fledged. This gave a productivity of 0.65 chicks per pair, a decrease of 12.16% on last year’s productivity (0.74), and 3.27% lower than the ten-year mean (0.67 ±s.e.0.02). This is 10.96% lower than the mean since 1998 (0.73 ±s.e.0.02) when Bardsey Bird Observatory began monitoring productivity. Ringing and re-trapping birds was again successful, with 1350 individual birds handled during the year, and of these 723 new full-grown birds were ringed. A further 538 unique birds were recaptured a total of 603 times. One individual captured in 2021 was originally ringed in 1985. The bird was ringed as an adult, so it is at least 36 years old, since juvenile birds do not return to breed until they are three to four years old. In addition to the 723 full grown birds, a further 138 young birds were ringed in their nests, giving a grand total of 861 birds fitted with new rings during the year. No young were weighed and measured to completion this year due to monitoring restrictions regarding HPAI, so instead data over the last seven years was holistically analysed. The mean fledging wing-length from 2015-2021 was 228.48mm±s.d.13.36, Fig. 6.15 Manx Shearwater chick out of its burrow shortly before fledging
106 whilst the mean fledging weight was 474.97g±s.d.43.09. The mean weight-loss was 92.88g±s.d.46.43, with a maximum loss of 234g from 684.2g to 450.2g in 2020. 6 . 7 Acknowledgments Thanks to Kate Fox, Bethany Wilson, Ed Betteridge and others who helped with monitoring the burrows and measuring and ringing the chicks. 6 . 8 R eferences and selected bibliography Else, R.J. 2011. Manx Shearwater population census and productivity monitoring. Rep. Bardsey Bird Fld. Obs. 54: 111-113. Leaper, G. 2002. Census of the breeding population of Manx Shearwaters Puffinus puffinus on Bardsey 2001. Rep. Bardsey Bird Fld. Obs. 45: 93-99. Perfect, E. 2018. Manx Shearwater Studies: productivity, ringing and chick growth. Rep. Bardsey Bird Fld. Obs. 61:190-201. Stansfield, S.D. & Carter, M. 2017. Manx Shearwater Studies: Manx Shearwater 2014- 2016 population census. Rep. Bardsey Bird Fld Obs. 60:152-158. Walsh, P.M. et al. 1995. Seabird Monitoring Handbook for Britain and Ireland. JNCC/RSPB/ITE/Seabird Group, Peterborough.
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108 7. Disturbance of Grey Seals on Bardsey
109 7 . Disturbance of Grey Seals on Bardsey 7 .1 Introduction The Grey Seals, Halichoerus grypus, are a feature of the Pen Llŷn a’r Sarnau SAC. They are found on both shores of the North Atlantic and are of the family Phocidae or "true seals". It is the only species in the genus Halichoerus. Grey Seals are large seals, with bulls typically reaching 2.5–3.3 m long and weighing 170–310 kg; the cows are much smaller, 1.6–2.0 m long and 100–190 kg in weight. Individuals from the western Atlantic are often much larger, males reaching 400 kg and females weighing up to 250 kg. It is distinguished from the Common Seal by its straight head profile, nostrils set well apart, and fewer spots on its body. Bull Grey Seals have larger noses and a less curved profile than Common Seal bulls. Males are generally darker than females, with lighter patches and often scarring around the neck and head. Females are silver-grey to brown usually with distinctive dark patches. Over the past few years there has been a fall in numbers of Grey Seals hauled out in and around Henllwyn. In the past there have been visitor boats approaching the seals and forcing them into the water to give the paying guests a ‘good show’. NRW has previously written to all the boat owners who make these charter runs and asked them to abide by the Code of Conduct for boat users. 7 .2 Methods Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory’s base at Cristin is situated in an elevated position, almost in the very centre of the island. From this position the main haul-outs of the Grey Seals at Henllwyn, Solfach and Carreg yr Howny can be seen. Each day BBFO staff spend many hours in the field monitoring the wildlife, primarily birds, on the island. As part of this monitoring, the staff keep records of the number of boats seen in Henllwyn, Solfach and along the west side of the island which are considered to be causing some sort of disturbance to the seals. The data collected are somewhat opportunistic, as it is not possible to have someone watching the haulout areas all day. The data gathered are entered into the Observatory’s daily log. These data include the number and type of vessels involved, and/or the number and location of people involved if the disturbance was from land. Additionally, during the peak Grey Seal pupping season in September, staff from the Bath University spend up to two weeks on the island and help with mapping pup numbers and locations and are building a photo-identification catalogue of known females, in a BBFO-Led study looking at site fidelity of female seals.
110 7 . 3 Suggestions for reducing disturban c e 7 . 3 .1 Education about disturbance During the early part of 2016, two brightly coloured fishing buoys that had been washed ashore were tethered to a post, near Henllwyn where the largest haul-outs are. The buoys had bi-lingual text written on them asking visitors to refrain from going down on the rocky shoreline. In 2018 a sign was placed along the shore at Henllwyn. This sign did seem to have had a positive effect as less disturbance was noted following this. The sign and buoys were both washed away during the gales in the early winter months. BBFO had planned to provide new signs during the 2021 season and the Humane Society International had offered to fund the signage. However, unfortunately our contact with the Humane Society ceased working for them so this did not happen, however, some form of permanent signage is still recommended. BITL have agreed that signs can be placed along Henllwyn and above the main haul-out. Portable signs have also been sourced from Gwynedd Council’s SAC officer to place in high-density seal pupping areas during the latter part of the year, asking people to stay clear of the pups. These are temporary fixtures positioned by Bird Observatory staff in prominent areas throughout the pupping season. BBFO would like to see BITL and NRW disseminate the Boat Users Code of Conduct annually to all skippers who are known to use waters around the island; they should also be asked to tell visitors they take to the island to avoid disturbing the seals. All day visitors could be asked to stay away from the rocks by a visitor liaison/education person on the island and notices in the Trust houses should be placed in obvious areas. BBFO would encourage BITL’s Island Manager to continue to notify Trust visitors to keep away from the seals in the same way the Observatory staff do with visitors at the Bardsey Lodge. Posters have also been sourced from Gwynedd Council’s SAC officer to place in all BITL cottages advising people not to disturb seal pups and their mothers. As part of the educational talks and guided walks, visitors from both the Observatory and the BITL cottages are informed about the Grey Seals by the Observatory staff. They explain the importance of the seals being allowed to remain undisturbed during the haul-out period at low water, allowing them to digest their food. This, however, often happens towards the middle or end of the week after guests have been on the island for several days and may have already disturbed the seals. Long-stay visitors are not so much of an issue and many of the more notable disturbance events are from day visitors and people coming ashore from their own vessels.
111 7 . 4 D ata collection 7 .4.1 Seal numbers Grey seals were counted in Solfach, Henllwyn and elsewhere on the island every day during the season by Observatory staff, see fig. 7.2. Halichoerus grypus (Fabricius, 1791) Grey Seal Grey Seals were counted throughout the season in Henllwyn, Solfach and on Carreg yr Honwy. In addition to these three focal areas, the smaller numbers that haul out around the South End and along the rest of the island’s coastline were also recorded on a regular basis. The peak counts this year came in August when 262 were recorded around the island on 18th, mostly in Henllwyn where 171 were seen, with two on Solfach, 89 on Carreg yr Honwy and a further 11 on the narrows and South End. Table 7.1 Grey Seal numbers in 2022 M A M J J A S O Max Count 90 142 197 171 158 262 182 151 Seal-days 645 2015 2245 1405 2257 3907 2447 1486 Days Seen 12 29 31 29 30 30 29 20 Fig. 7.1 Undisturbed Grey Seals hauled out in Henllwyn
112 Fig. 7.2 Daily counts of Grey Seals on Bardsey in 2022 Fig. 7.3 Five-day totals of Grey Seals and peak monthly counts in 2022 Phoca vitulina Linnaeus, 1759 Common Seal This year there were numerous sightings of Common Seal, involving at least three individuals. The first was sighted on 7 March, then singles were recorded on one day in July, and 21 days in August with two individuals on 6th. Singles were further recorded for 11 days in September and one in October. This species is a vagrant in Welsh waters (Thompson et al. 2019) but seems to be increasing in number. Fig. 7.4 Undisturbed Common Seal hauled out in Henllwyn 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 J F M A M J J A S O N D Daily count of birds 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 J F M A M J J A S O N D Max. daily count per month Seal-day totals Five day periods Five-day totals Max count
113 Fig. 7.5 Undisturbed Common Seal hauled out in Henllwyn
114 7 .4.2 Disturbance The term ‘disturbance’ relates to ‘One or more hauled-out animals reacting to people or vessels’, ranging from simply changing their resting behaviour, i.e., noticing people or vessels, through to a full-scale stampede from the rocks into the water. Disturbance in the water includes acute change to behaviour such as rapidly fleeing. Most disturbance tends to happen during school holidays, with notable increases on bank holidays. In 2018 BBFO trialled a new way of recording seal disturbance, see table 7.2. BBFO have continued to use this method of disturbance recording since 2018. 7 .5 Results and observations Incidents of boat disturbance during the season were noted when BBFO staff and visitors saw non-local boats which were considered to be causing disturbance in the bays and are detailed in Tables 7.3 and 7.4. During the summer months, there were far fewer numbers of incidents of disturbance of Grey Seals by visitors on the island than previous years. Visitors were again seen approaching the seals to try to obtain photographs, see table 7.4. Generally, if any member of BBFO staff was nearby the perpetrators were asked to move away to an appropriate distance. As in previous years there were several incidents of boat disturbance, but many fewer than in 2021. Fig. 7.6 Grey Seals becoming alert as a boat passes close to Carreg yr Honwy – 11 August 2022
115 Table 7.2 Levels of disturbance Level of disturbance Description of reaction ashore or in water 0 All seals remain sleeping/bottling 1 One or more seals lift heads and become alert 2 One or more seals show signs of agitation e.g. shuffling/going under water; seals may wave a fore-flipper in warning 3 Seals begin to move and prepare to enter the water/seals begin to swim away 4 One or more seals are disturbed and enter the water/seals in the water begin to alter direction of travel acutely to move away 4A – non-breeding individuals are affected and 4B – mother is driven from dependent white-coat pup, with the potential that this causes abandonment. 5 Over 50% of the seals enter the water/50% disappear below the surface 6 Mass stampede leading to all seals in the sea/lots of splashing as seals rapidly flee – 6A – stampede into the sea is just over a few meters; 6B – stampede is tens of metres across the shore (often rocky in Bardsey). 7 As 6 but with seals recorded being harmed/cut on the rocks and pups may be trampled Long-term Disturbance Description of reaction 8 Population begins to decrease over time 9 50% fewer seals than previously 10 Extinct as breeding/haul-out Fig. 7.7 Slightly alert Grey Seals – level 1 disturbance
116 There were very few incidents this year of vessels causing disturbance, and only two incidents which caused a large amount of disturbance; in August when seven Jet-skis came close inshore at low water and caused a mass stampede from Carreg yr Honwy, and in September when two ribs disturbed a large number of seals in Henllwyn. Table 7.3 Observed incidents of disturbance by vessels, where vessels were considered to be causing disturbance to seals around the island. Date Level of disturbance Description of vessel disturbance 11 August 2022 3 Seals became aware of boat as it passed close to Carreg yr Honwy, a few animals moved into the water 21 August 6 (B) Seven Jet Skis and two Ribs dashing around the island making lots of noise cause massive stampede of all the seals on Carreg yr Honwy 12 September 6 (B) Two Ribs with divers approaching seals in Henllwyn at low water causing massive stampede across the rocks. One rib repeatedly approached different groups in the water causing lots of splashing and diving Fig. 7.8 Jet Skis causing havoc amongst seals and birds on Carreg yr Honwy
117 Fig. 7.9 Jet Skis causing havoc amongst seals and birds on Carreg yr Honwy Fig. 7.10 Jet Skis causing havoc amongst seals and birds on Carreg yr Honwy
118 Fig. 7.11 Jet Skis causing havoc amongst seals and birds on Carreg yr Honwy Fig. 7.12 Jet Skis causing havoc amongst seals and birds on Carreg yr Honwy
119 Fig. 7.13 Alert Grey Seal in Henllwyn © Steve Stansfield
120 Table 7.4 Observed incidents of disturbance by visitors, where visitors were considered to be causing disturbance to seals around the island. Fig. 7.14 The seal pup on Solfach that was most frequently disturbed by guests Date Level of disturbance Description of visitors causing disturbance 1 June 6 Many seals scared off rocks into water by three children running towards them 25 July 6 Divers swimming amongst seals in Henllwyn, scattering seals in the water 29 August 5 A number of seals were disturbed by two families swimming in Solfach and generally being noisy on the beach 6 September 4 Female scared from pup by photographer 20 September 4 Visitors approaching pups to take photographs. Were asked not to do so and signs pointed out to them
121 In August, three signs were deployed asking people to keep away from the seal pups. One by the boathouse, where day visitors come ashore, one near Solfach, and the last hear Henllwyn where the densest rookery is. Fig. 7.15 Signage in place by the Boat House – the same signs were placed at Solfach and Henllwyn © Ollie King
122 7 . 6 Breeding Grey Seals From late-August to early November Observatory staff count, monitor and map occurrences of pupping Grey Seals on Bardsey. In 2022 a minimum of 62 pups were born on the island, the same as in 2021. Numbers of pups have been steadily increasing in the past 20 years, see Fig. 7.24. Fig. 7.16 New-born Grey Seal on Solfach Fig. 7.17 Same Grey Seal on Solfach three days later
123 Fig. 7.18 Same Grey Seal pup as 7.16 & 7.17 after almost 3 weeks. The pups are recorded and mapped every few days and a careful check is made of the coastline. Care is also taken not to double count any pups that have moved or washed from their original location. A study looking at site fidelity of female seals using photo identification is being undertaken and the results thus far suggest several animals return to the same small coves and beaches each year to give birth. Table 5 Seal pupping dates – see map Fig 7.19 Pup Date Pup Date Pup Date Pup Date 1 27/08 17 13/09 33 24/09 49 05/10 2 30/08 18 14/09 34 28/09 50 09/10 3 03/09 19 14/09 35 28/09 51 09/10 4 05/09 20 18/09 36 28/09 52 09/10 5 05/09 21 18/09 37 28/09 53 09/10 6 05/09 22 18/09 38 28/09 54 16/10 7 07/09 23 18/09 39 28/09 55 24/10 8 07/09 24 18/09 40 01/10 56 05/11 9 07/09 25 18/09 41 02/10 57 07/11 10 09/09 26 18/09 42 02/10 58 10/11 11 09/09 27 18/09 43 05/10 59 12/11 12 11/09 28 21/09 44 05/10 60 15/11 13 11/09 29 21/09 45 05/10 61 18/11 14 12/09 30 21/09 46 05/10 62 20/11 15 12/09 31 21/09 47 05/10 16 12/09 32 24/09 48 05/10
124 Fig. 7.19 Grey Seal pupping sites on Bardsey in 2022 see table 5 46 2 20 7 13 10 35 36 45 28 29 30 41 43 48 4 22 23 24 40 14 5 1 6 8 18 32 39 42 51 52 56 57 59 16 12 49 11 37 44 15 19 25 38 53 17 21 31 55 34 47 54 3 50 58 60 61 62 9 26 27 33
125 Fig. 7.20 Suckling Grey Seal pup at about two weeks old Fig. 7.21 Number of Grey Seal births per day in 2022 Fig. 7.22 Number of Grey Seal births per day 2019-2022 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 28/07 01/08 05/08 09/08 13/08 17/08 21/08 25/08 29/08 02/09 06/09 10/09 14/09 18/09 22/09 26/09 30/09 04/10 08/10 12/10 16/10 20/10 24/10 28/10 01/11 05/11 09/11 13/11 17/11 21/11 2022 2021 2020 2019 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 25/08 30/08 04/09 09/09 14/09 19/09 24/09 29/09 04/10 09/10 14/10 19/10 24/10 29/10 03/11 08/11 13/11 18/11
126 Fig. 7.23 Female Grey Seal and pup Fig. 7.24 Pup numbers on Bardsey 1998-2022. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Grey Seal pups born on Bardsey
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128 8 Other funded projects
129 8 . Other funded projects As part of the Section 16 Agreement, BBFO undertook additional works to the projects outlined above. 8 .1. P ublic outreach - educational talks and walks For many years the Observatory Warden had been doing a weekly talk for visitors to the island, many of the regular guests had seen the presentation and talk on number of occasions. The 2015 season saw BBFO start to incorporate the interpretation talk into a series of guided walks and talks where visitors actually get to see some of the features of the island and the NNR rather than just being shown a number of images of them. The walks incorporated showing guests the flora and fauna, taking them to see some of the seabirds from Pen Cristin, the Choughs, Sharp Rush and rare lichens, and showing them the lowland heath on the mountain and explaining about the maritime heath, the seabirds, passage birds, butterflies and moths etc. This ‘hands on’ approach gives visitors a better feel for the nature and wildlife of the island and its features of the NNR. In 2015 a weekly guided walk was undertaken, weekly ‘Meet the Manxies’ Manx Shearwater walks were done, and ‘Moth Mornings’ were held daily. This work was continued throughout 2016 and 2017 and expanded upon in several ways in 2018 and 2019. Unfortunately, due to the restrictions set out by the Welsh government to avoid the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus BBFO were unable to operate fully in 2020 and staff took only 40 guests on educational walks in 24 small groups. Unfortunately, once again, due to restrictions set out by the Welsh Government, BBFO were unable to operate fully in early 2021, and a handful of walks were undertaken with the increase to near normal numbers late in the season. The 2022 season saw the return of a near-full program of walks and events with guests allowed to participate once again. Once restrictions had been lifted, from late spring we were running walks at full strength. In total there were 34 ‘events’ led, with a total of 341 visitors being taken out on wildlife walks or on shearwater sessions. The shearwater walks had to be discontinued after 4 August when NRW put a restriction on seabird activity due to Highly pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1(HPAI). Table 8.1 Number of guests taken on educational walks in 2022 Adults Children Total Wildlife walk 178 8 196 Manx Shearwater Walk 87 7 104 Manx Shearwater Chick walk 39 2 41 Total 304 17 341
130 Fig. 8.1 Guests and staff on a wildlife walk 8 .1. 1 . Moth mornings Moth mornings were run on 152 dates during the year from March to October. The actual number of guests attending was not counted this year, though there were regularly up to 20, and sometimes more guests attending during the busy summer periods, some would attend on a daily basis during their stay. 8 .1. 2 . Educational presentations During 2022, a number of presentations were given about Bardsey and the work of BBFO regarding the NNR etc. and to attendees via Zoom. Two presentations were given via zoom and a total of over 100 viewers (multiple viewers per logon in some cases) who saw the presentations. These included natural history societies in Lancashire and in Norfolk, as well as several talks to members and friends (regular guests to the island) of both BBFO and BITL. One talk was given in person to the Cley Bird Club in December 2022 with over 90 members in attendance. The presentation has had great reviews in various newsletters etc from the clubs that have seen it. It lasts between 60 and 90 minutes depending on the club/society’s needs and comprised of 170 slides.
131 Fig. 8.2 Guests at the Observatory before a presentation Fig. 8.3 Observatory staff showing guests Storm Petrels at night
132 8 .1. 3 Sample Slides from the presentation Fig. 8.4 Opening slide Fig. 8.5 Slide showing some of the conservation designations Bardsey Island NNR Its birds, wildlife and the monitoring work of the Bird Observatory A presentation to Norfolk Wildlife Trust and Cley Bird Club Kindly sponsored by Cley Spy www.cleyspy.co.uk by Steve Stansfield – Director of Operations 17 November2022 Conservation Designations National Nature Reserve (NNR) Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) Ynys Enlli Special Protection Area (SPA) Pen Llŷn Special Area of Conservation (SAC) Llŷn Peninsula Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
133 Fig. 8.6 Slide illustrating the education program Fig. 8.7 Slide detailing sea mammal monitoring work Award winning education programme Sea Mammals - Seals
134 Fig. 8.8 Slide showing Manx Shearwater census results Fig. 8.9 Slide showing all results are published annually Whole island AOB census funded by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) 0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 30000 1918 1922 1926 1930 1934 1938 1942 1946 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
135 8 . 1.4 Audio- visual interpretation media During the year additional material was collected for the presentation that is played in the Observatory’s interpretation room for both day visitors and long-stay visitors. The presentation was fully revamped in 2015 ready for the start of the 2016 season. The presentation was updated during the year to ‘keep-it-fresh’. We continued to collect media in 2021 and updated the presentation for the start of 2022 and will do so through the year. As usual many guests watched the 20-minute presentation from start to finish, with some returning later in the week if the weather was poor to watch it again a second time. A number of requests have been made to purchase copies of the presentation. Fig. 8.10 – 8.20 Sample slides form the presentation
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139 9 Conclusions / recommendations Open access to the east side of the island did not prove problematic for the nesting seabirds, Choughs and Peregrines; most people seem to respect the signs requesting people not to disturb the nesting seabirds etc. However, BBFO will continue to monitor the situation and if there were to be notable drops in breeding success/numbers present then BBFO would probably ask for the area to be made ‘out of bounds’ again to members of the general public. It is hoped that the existing signs informing visitors to the island about the dangers and the nesting seabirds will continue to be effective. Disturbance of Grey Seals continued by both boats and visitors on land. Signs on fishing buoys placed around the edge of Henllwyn asking visitors not to venture onto the rocks were washed away in winter storms in 2019. These may have helped reduce disturbance from the land, but BBFO would still like to see some professionally produced signage around Henllwyn and Cafn and some educational material near the haul-out areas. BBFO would also like to see NRW send the Code of Conduct for Boat Owners out on a regular basis. It is suggested that the BITL Warden continues to ask all guests to respect the wildlife and not disturb the seals. BBFO would also like to see a Visitor Liaison/Public Outreach Officer on the island based at the Observatory during the summer months. The purpose of this post would be to educate both long-stay, and in particular day visitors, about the island’s wildlife and the features of the NNR, and the prevention of disturbance to wildlife, especially the seabird colonies on the east side of the island, the Manx Shearwaters, Choughs and the Grey Seals. During 2016 to 2021 Observatory staff led guided walks around the island with great success. In 2022 just over 340 visitors were informed about the island’s features of the NNR, SPA, SAC and SSSI during these specially organised public out-reach events. The walks lasted 2-3 hours, and inform participants about the work of the Observatory, the nature of the island and its status as an NNR, SSSI, SPA and SAC.
140 1 0 Appendices Appendix 1 – Sample breeding bird cen s us maps
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145 1 1 A cknowledgments BBFO would like to thank all who helped undertake the research work and projects this year. The Observatory staff, Steve Stansfield, Ollie King and Ed Betteridge for undertaking much of the fieldwork and writing the text for many of these reports. Voluntary helpers, Kate Fox, Patrick Davies, Joel Tragen, Tom Williams, Connor Stansfield, Emma Stansfield, for assisting the Observatory staff with fieldwork. All the photographers who have kindly given permission to use their photographs including Steven Stansfield, Richard Leighton, Ollie King and Ed Betteridge Haf Meredydd for translating the Crynodeb/Abstract from English to Cymraeg. Steve Stansfield for the design and production of the report. Emma Stansfield for editing the report. Andy Lawrence for proofreading the report pre-publishing. Thanks to NRW for the funding of the projects, which would not be able to be carried out without their financial assistance.