Roseate Tern LIFE networking trip to Brittany FINALroseatetern.org/.../35804201/...trip_to_brittany_1.pdf · visit of the UK and Irish managers to Brittany took place between 25th

LIFE14 NAT/UK/394 Roseate Tern

EU LIFE+ Roseate Tern Recovery Project

Exchange visits between the roseateternsitemanagersfromBrittany(FR),IrelandandtheUK

©Brian Burke

Compiled as part of the EU funded LIFE project “Improving the conservation prospects of the priority species roseate tern throughout its range in the UK and Ireland”. LIFE14 NAT/UK/000394

October 2017


TableofContents

INTRODUCTION 3

FRENCH MANAGERS’ VISIT TO NORTHUMBERLAND 3

COQUET ISLAND 5 HAUXLEY RESERVE 9 THE CLIFFS AT DUNSTANBURGH CASTLE 9 LONG NANNY 10

NETWORKING VISIT TO BRITTANY 12

10-YEAR HISTORY OF FRENCH ROSEATE TERNS 12 INFORMATION ABOUT SITES VISITED AND KEY POINTS 13 ILE AUX MOUTONS 13 DUCS D’ALBE 16 TRÉGOR-GOȄLO, CȎTES-D’ARMOR 17 ILE DE LA COLOMBIÈRE 18 L’ARCHIPEL DE MOLÈNE 19 ILE AUX DAMES 22

PRESENTATIONS AT BRETAGNE VIVANTE 22


Introduction

Roseate terns from France, Ireland and the UK constitute the same metapopulation, which means that there is an exchange of birds between colonies located in the three countries. To this end, it is fundamental that all colonies are managed according with the best available practice so that birds have the best chance to raise chicks regardless where they settle.

To this end, two networking visits were organised between roseate tern colony managers from Brittany (FR), the UK and Ireland in 2017. The visit of French managers from Bretagne Vivante – Benjamin Callard and Yann Jacob to Northumberland took place between 3rd and 5th of July 2016. The visit of the UK and Irish managers to Brittany took place between 25th and 28th July 2017. The UK and Irish delegation comprised of the following managers: Daniel Piec (RSPB), Leigh Lock (RSPB), Paul Morrison (RSPB), Stephen Newton (BWI), Tony Murray (NPWS), Chantal Macleod-Nolan (RSPB), Matthew Brown (RSPB), Charlotte Belcher (RSPB).

The aims of both visits were to (a) exchange knowledge and experience in managing roseate tern colonies, (b) to improve best practice management, (c) get familiar with local constrains and conditions and (d) to improve collaboration between managers.

Frenchmanagers’visittoNorthumberland

The RSPB invited Benjamin Callard and Yann Jacob from Bretagne Vivante (BV) to Northumberland. BV has been involved in the management of roseate tern colonies in Brittany for many years. They managed LIFE Dougall project (LIFE05NAT/F/000137) between 2005 and 2010. Therefore, it was in the interest of the project team to invite BV to English colonies and receive feedback on our management and for the French managers to learn about practices used in the UK.

The plan for the visit included Coquet Island and Farne Islands (4th July) and Long Nanny colony of Arctic and little terns (5th of July). The map with these sites and other tern colonies in Northumberland are on Figure 1.


Figure 1 Location of tern colonies in Northumberland

Benjamin and Yann arrived to Alnmouth in the evening of 3rd July, where they were welcomed by Daniel Piec (RSPB Project Manager) and Paul Morrison (RSPB Coquet Site Manager). It was too late for the site visit that evening, but Paul suggested to have a supper on the boat in the mouth of Amble harbour. The evening was very calm and we were surrounded by hundreds of terns fishing in the harbour, including roseate, common, Arctic and Sandwich terns. During the evening, we discussed the plan for the rest of the visit and the general management of Coquet island.


Figure 2 From left to right: Yann Jacob, Paul Morrison and Benjamin Callard (photo: Daniel Piec)

CoquetIsland

On the 4th of July, the plan for the day was to visit Coquet Island in the morning and Farne Islands in the afternoon. However, it was raining all day and while we were setting off to Coquet, we were not sure if the cruses to Farne Islands would be running that day.

Figure 3 Puffins in rain near Coquet Island (photo: Yann Jacob)


Figure 4 From left to righ: Benjamin Callard, Paul Morrison, Isabel Morrison and Daniel Piec (photo: Yann Jacob)

We landed on the jetty and, because of the rain, went straight into the hide where Paul made coffee on the stove and explained the access restrictions. Coquet is run as a sanctuary and access for selected visitors is allowed only at the jetty where birds are used to people. The French approach is different. Colonies are visited only twice or three times in a year to monitor birds, so the disturbance from managers is minimum. The currently main colony - Ile aux Moutons – is fenced off and interpretation signs are in place. Wardens monitor the number of people visiting the island as the access to all islands is generally allowed to the public. Interference with the colony by wardens is otherwise rare.

Paul also explained the need for the hide and requirement for night watches due to the threat of egg collectors. This issue is completely unknown in France and seems to be a British phenomenon. Apart from watches, the site is monitored with three CCTV cameras. There are also special orders with the local police in case of an incident.


Figure 5 Coquet jetty and the hide (photo: Yann Jacob)

It was noted how useful the hides can be for the monitoring of terns, especially ring reading. Since the monitoring of French colonies is carried out during only 2-3 visits per year, ring reading is opportunistic. The low level of ring recoveries from France was the main reason why we could not include French colonies in the demography study. In contrast, there are weekly box checks on Coquet and daily on Rockabill for the monitoring of productivity and chick growth rate (Rockabill only). The productivity of common and Arctic terns is measured within fenced pens with 30 or so pairs.

The management of nesting space in a form of terraces and densely distributed nest boxes drew however the most interest (Figure 6). The visible increase of roseate tern pairs on Coquet from the year 2000 was due to the introduction of terraces and nest boxes. Currently, there are 200 boxes present on Coquet, so almost twice as many as the number of pairs (111 in 2017). In France, terraces are not used and the combination of sparsely distributed nest boxes and rock shelters are used. This, together with disturbance and predation, is probably one of the reasons responsible for the stagnation of the roseate tern population in Brittany.


Figure 6 Roseate tern boxes on terraces

The new platforms for common terns were also discussed (Figure 7). The platforms tackle the problem of vegetation growth and competition from common tern chicks penetrating roseate tern terraces. With the new platforms, common tern chick use shelters provided rather than wondering into the terraces. The platforms also inhibit the vegetation development, which used to be a problem for small chicks during cold and rainy days.

Figure 7 Common tern platforms at Coquet


Vegetation management for Arctic, common and Sandwich tern was discussed. Patches of vegetation are strimmed after the breeding season to create nesting areas.

Predation was also discussed, with a focus on large gulls management. Coquet has a licence from Natural England (statutory agency) to remove nests and eliminate individual gulls responsible for most of the predation events. Every year approximately 10-15 gulls are shot. Agrilaser is also used, which is especially efficient at dusk and down to misplaced gulls from sensitive areas. New generation of gull scarers were also presented with the ability to trigger alarm call of lesser black-backed gull with a text message. This system can also be used as a lure by texting a different code.

HauxleyReserve

Unfortunately, all the cruises to Farne Islands were cancelled due to the bad weather. Instead, we visited a nearby located Hauxley Reserve run by the Wildlife Trust. The newly opened visitor centre was built largely by the Trust’s staff and volunteers using sustainable materials. We had a coffee in the cafe and went for a walk around the lake. Some of the common terns from Coquet were present foraging on the lake.

Figure 8 Hauxley reserve visitor centre (photo: Yann Jacob)

ThecliffsatDunstanburghCastle

Towards the end of the day, we also visited the cliffs at Dunstanburgh Castle. Several breeding species were present – kittiwakes, guillemots, auks, fulmars and puffins. Large assemblage of gannets fishing, shags and cormorants were also seen fishing near the cliff. It was an opportunity to further discuss management and future opportunities.


Figure 9 The cliffs at Dunstanburgh Castle. Daniel Piec and Yann Jacob (photo: Benjamin Callard)

LongNanny

The following morning, we visited a colony or 800 pairs of Arctic and 35 pairs little terns at Long Nanny, managed by the National Trust. We met Gwen Potter from the National Trust. This colony is located on dunes, which present other plethora of challenges, namely mammalian predation and disturbance from the public. The access management comprises of access control managed by fencing, interpretation boards and wardening. There is a diversion path leading to the observation hide located a few meters from the colony of Arctic tern. The birds are used to people’s presence. The wardens are staying in tents throughout the season. The fence is used to stop foxes.

Little terns nest near the tidal zone and the nests are vulnerable to flooding during storms. The wardens move and place the nests on the fish boxes to save clutches.


Figure 10 Little tern colony, fencing and visitor hide at Long Nanny. The bottom photo: Daniel Piec, Gwen Potter and Poul Morrison discussing management challenges. In the background warden tents. Photo: Yann Jacob


NetworkingvisittoBrittany

10-yearhistoryofFrenchroseateterns

In France, the breeding roseate tern population has historically only been located in the region of Brittany (Bretagne). The population followed a similar declining trend to the rest of the Europe, however it continued to decline whereas several other countries’ breeding populations stabilised/ increased. France had an average of 360 breeding pairs in 1954-1973, however after 1980, there were between 90-100 breeding pairs. In 2005, there were only 70 pairs breeding in France, the majority located on Ile aux Dames in the bay of Morlaix, which has been their main nesting site since 1986. Around 2011, the colony at Ile aux Dames moved to Ile aux Mountons due to consistent predation from a nearby nesting pair of peregrine falcons. This was despite the intensive management against mink and large gulls predation during the LIFE project.

Roseate tern monitoring in Brittany is coordinated by the Orom (Observatoire régional des oiseaux marins en Bretagne / Seabird Monitoring Programme in Brittany) lead by Bretagne Vivante (Bernard Cadiou: all species of seabirds and Yann Jacob: terns). In 2016, Kemenez supported 3-5 pairs of roseate terns and there were 49 pairs on île aux Moutons.

Table 1. Number of pairs, chicks and productivity figures for main roseate tern colonies in Brittany in 2007-2016

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Chausey P. 0 0 0 0 6-7 0 0 0 1 0 Y. - - - - 0 - - - 0 -

Y/P. - - - - - - - - - -

La Colombière

P. 7 1 0-1 (10) 3-5 11-16 15 17-18 0 0 Y. 4-5 0 0 0 0 12 15 10-12 - -

Y/P. 0,64 - - - - 0,88 1,00 0,63 - -

Trégor-Goëlo P. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0-2 0 Y. - - - - - - - - 0 -

Y/P. - - - - - - - - 0,00 -

Sept-îles P. 0 0 0 0 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 Y. - - - - 0 - - - - -

Y/P. - - - - 0,00 - - - - -

Île aux Dames

P. 56-62 57 50-54 47 0 0 0 0 0 0 Y. 31-34 13-22 32-38 15 - - - - - -

Y/P. 0,55 0,31 0,67 0,32 - - - - - -

Banneg P. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 Y. - - - - - - - - 0 -

Y/P. - - - - - - - - 0,00 -

Kemenez P. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3-5 Y. - - - - - - - - - 0

Y/P. - - - - - - - - - 0,00

Île aux Moutons

P. 0 0 0 1 1 21 13 13 26 46 Y. - - - 1 0 20 6-8 5-6 16 13-30

Y/P. - - - 1,00 0,00 0,95 0,54 0,42 0,62 0,47

Total France P. 63-69 58 50-55 48 9-11 33-38 28 30-31 30-32 49-51 Y. 35-39 13-22 32-38 16 0 32 21-23 15-18 16 13-30

Y/P. 0,56 0,30 0,67 0,34 0,00 0,90 0,79 0,54 0,52 0,43 2012: 1pair Roseate tern x Common Tern at Gravelines (2,136332989 ;51,01839561)

Y = young fledged; P = breeding pairs


Informationaboutsitesvisitedandkeypoints

IleauxMoutons

Nesting Species Present: Sandwich tern, common tern, roseate tern

Hosts from Bretagne Vivante: Yann Jacob (Project manager), Bruno Ferré (conservationist of de l’île aux Moutons), Gaétan Guyot (ornithologist), Benjamin Callard (scientist), Léa Daures (seasonal warden at l’île aux Moutons).

The site of Ile aux Moutons is located south of Finistère, near Concarneau and Fouesnant. It is considered to be part of the Glénan archipelago. The conservation bodies that the Roseate Tern LIFE staff met at this site were Bretagne Vivante – SEPNB and Reserves Naturelle: Saint Nicolas Des Glenan.

The island currently supports three breeding terns’ species: Sandwich terns, common terns and roseate terns. In 2017, there were 2552 pairs of Sandwich terns and 271 pairs of common terns. In addition, since the site of Ile aux Dames failed in 2011, it now holds the majority of the breeding roseate terns in France, with 43 pairs nesting there in 2017 (46 in 2016). Unfortunately, productivity for this year appears to be poor with 10 dead chicks recorded.

The monitoring of the tern colony is undertaken by interns/warden, who rotate on/off the island every month between May and August. They have basic accommodation; small equivalent of a bothy. The island is managed by Bretagne Vivante and Conservation du Littoral.


The roseate terns nested along the garden wall predominantly on the outside facing the sea with only 2 pairs nesting inwards. The garden contains the entirety of breeding common terns, while Sandwich terns nested both inside and in the vegetated area outside the wall. Roseate terns nested in either wooden nest boxes or rock shelters (created by the wardens). Predation control is undertaken each year to prevent large gulls from nesting within the tern colony by removing their nests. The vegetation is also managed each year and shingle has been added to the make the tern-nesting habitat more suitable.

Yann, Paul and Steve had a lengthy discussion about the improving the roseate tern nesting area with more nest boxes set up on a terrace, using the Coquet island as case study. Although the roseate terns used the rock shelters, the chicks do not stay in them as long in comparison to those using wooden nest boxes and as a result are more exposed to weather and potential predators.


In 2016, 1953 boats and 3570 visitors visited the island between mid-April and the end of August aiming to enjoy the sandy beach area. As a result, parts of the island have been roped off to prevent disturbance during the critical breeding season and the presence of the on-site seasonal warden/intern helps reinforce the importance of the no entry areas. In addition, signage has been erected at a viewpoint which provides a detailed explanation on the various ground nesting shorebirds and seabirds present (common, Sandwich, roseate and little tern, oystercatcher, Kentish plover) on the island.


Ducsd’Albe

Nesting Species Present: common tern

Hosts: Yann Jacob (Project manager, Bretagne Vivante)

Stopping at a good viewpoint allowed Yann to explain how the 200 pairs of common terns, which regularly nested on an artificial gabion in Brest Harbour, moved to a new site after heavy disturbance from two peregrine falcons. They chose to nest on the two mooring dolphins (les ducs d’Albe de la pointe de l’Armorique) beside the island, Ile Ronde in Rade de Brest. The dolphins are located 400 metres from the shore and are 70 metres apart. Terns have apparently used this site in the past; however, productivity is usually very poor due to heavy predation from gulls. Unfortunately, it was the same case this year. In addition, the presence of boats (yachts, scuba diving clubs, patrol boats, etc), which moor at the dolphin also disturb the tern colony meaning the nests are more susceptible to predation. The Armorique Regional Park (Le Parc Naturel Régional d’Armorique) is working on getting a 100-metre perimeter limit put in place around the mooring dolphins in the summer, which will minimise the human disturbance during the breeding season.

Although no roseate terns have ever nested on these artificial structures, the benefit of these structures for the more adaptable common tern is notable.

Ile Ronde is highly vegetated and unsuitable for tern species; however, it does have some nesting large gulls present.

This year, there were also up to 75 pairs of common tern that nested on a disused port infrastructure in the port of Lanvéoc-Poulmic. This is on the other side of the river Daoulas. The colony unfortunately failed, however due to the lack of regular monitoring the cause is not known.


Trégor-Goȅlo,Cȏtes-d’Armor

Nesting Species Present: Sandwich tern, common tern, roseate tern, little tern

Hosts: Yann Jacob (Project manager, Bretagne Vivante), Yann Février (GEOCA), Irène Nègre (GEOCA) and Delphine Mathérion (GEOCA)

Tregor-Goelo is an SPA (Natura 2000 site) covering 353 square miles. Within this area there have been a maximum number of 81 historical tern colony sites recorded. The sites where roseate terns have been recorded nesting are visible from Ile-de-Brèhat (the largest island in the SPA, which has residents and is a popular tourist destination). These small islands are very close to Ile-de-Brèhat and are monitored by Groupe d’Études Ornithologiques des Côtes d’Armor (GEOCA) who undertake the tern counts from boat. As the terns nest on a multitude of sites, there is some difficulty in monitoring the breeding success. In addition, they do not land on the islands and are usually only able to visit the area once a week. It is important to note that although it is classified as a Natura 2000 site, at present, there is no management plan in place to protect the entire archipelago.

Roseate terns have been observed nesting in this area intermittently over the years, with the most recent attempt consisting of two pairs in 2015; however no young are believed to have fledged. The SPA is also known to support breeding common terns (38-74 pairs in 2016), Sandwich terns (30 pairs in 2015) and little terns (1 pair in 2015), although their breeding numbers have greatly fluctuated on an annual basis. In addition productivity of both Sandwich terns and little terns is considered to be very poor.

Human disturbance is likely as there are no signs deterring visitors or locals from taking a small boat over. Brown rats have also been observed on islands in the Trégor-Goȅlo SPA.


IledelaColombière

Nesting Species Present: Sandwich tern, common tern, roseate tern

Hosts: Yann Jacob (Project manager, Bretagne Vivante), Elise Soetens (seasonal warden, Bretagne Vivante), Kevin Dréo (seasonal warden, Bretagne Vivante)

La Colombière is an island, which at low tides is connected to the mainland. There are several signs erected during the breeding season stating that it is an exclusion zone of 100m. It is reinforced with yellow buoys placed in the water around the island.

The island supports breeding Sandwich terns, common terns, oystercatchers and rock pipits. It is a former breeding site for roseate terns and has been used regularly in the last 10 years (consistently between 2007 and 2014), although numbers fluctuate on a year on year basis. In the past, roseate terns have relocated to nest on La Colombière after its main breeding colony at Ile aux Dames had failed, likely attracted there with the prospecting Sandwich and common terns. Since 2010, it has been the second most frequent site in Brittany for roseate terns.

In 2017, a maximum of 74 common terns, 28 Sandwich terns and 6 roseate terns were counted. Due to the location and configuration of the island, it is not possible to monitor the tern numbers from nearby, resulting in the key observations having to be done by boat. This height of the island does not allow the wardens to observe the colony clearly and therefore the numbers reported are only from the outer reaches of the island.

As it is tidal, the island is susceptible to land mammals particularly foxes and rats. The conservation bodies managing the site: Bretagne Vivante and Conseil départmental Cȏtes d’Armor undertake monitoring and predation control (including permanent bait stations with bromadiolone present). This device appears to be effective and the island is rat-free. There has never been any proven evidence of passage of mink on the site.

Foxes, on the other hand, have been frequently recorded at this archipelago and on the nearby coast. During the LIFE Dougall 2005-2010, different solutions were trialled as a preventive measure (live trapping on Ebihens island, scent repellent) however they concluded that the most effective method was the presence of a night warden).

Avian predators have been a limiting factor at this site since 2015, due to a pair of peregrine falcons, which nest on Agot Island (located 3.5 km from La Colombière). In 2017, the peregrine falcon’s nest failed early in the season, which meant the terns were able to fledge some young. In addition, this year, the wardens recorded tern egg predation by turnstones.

Human disturbance is also a major threat to the site, with the public able to access the island at low tide from the beach. At high tide, a 100-metre perimeter, which is marked by yellow buoys, allows boats to know that there is no access however, this is not always adhered to.


L’archipeldeMolène

Nesting Species Present: Sandwich tern, common tern, roseate tern, little tern

Hosts: Yann Jacob (Project manager, Bretagne Vivante), Didier Olivry (Conservation du Littoral), Hélène Mahéo (conservation from the réserve naturelle nationale d’Iroise), Laurent Gager (administer and treasurer from Bretagne Vivante). Also introduced to Soizic and David Cuisnier (inhabitants of Ile de Quéménes, http://www.iledequemenes.fr)

The archipelago of Molène and Ouessant represents the second most important area in Brittany for nesting seabirds (after the archipelago of Sept-Îles). Of the 17 species of seabirds that breed regularly in Brittany, nine species nest each year in the archipelago: shag, cormorant, herring gull, lesser black-backed gull, great black-backed gull, storm petrel, Manx shearwater, little tern and common tern. After the desertion of Ile aux Dames in Morlaix Bay, Sandwich terns and roseate terns have been known to nest irregularly in this archipelago.

Ile de Litiry, is a small island, which has dense vegetation and shingle beaches. Little terns nest on the shingle to the southwest of the island, while common terns nest a little higher in the vegetation. An exclusion zone is put (cordoned off with rope and signs) up during the summer to prevent visitors from disturbing the nesting terns. In addition, during the visit, Dr Stephen Newton discovered an active storm petrel nest with an egg in a dry-stone wall, which is a new breeding species for the island. The island is a private island and monitored by Parc naturel marin iroise, however the beaches can be visited by boats.


Ile de Quéménes (Ile de Kemenez) is managed by Conservation du Littoral and regularly supports three species tern: Sandwich, little and common and in 2016, 3 to 5 pairs of roseate terns attempted to nest on the island as well. There are two distinct areas where the terns nest. The monospecific little tern colony nests on the south beach of the island, where the substrate is sandy/shingle; whilst the other colony comprising of mixed tern species is located near the jetty on a stony substrate.

High tides inundating little tern nests are the key cause of nest failure as the island is free of terrestrial predators. In addition, human disturbance is limited. The island does have a farm which people currently live in as the set-up includes supporting its own water and power.


In recent years (after the abandonment of Ile aux Dames), roseate terns have attempted to nest on other islands in the archipelago. Unfortunately, due to predation by either rats (Ledenez vihan de Molene) and peregrine falcons & large gull species (Banneg) they have not been successful is rearing any chicks.


IleauxDames

From 1983 onwards, this island was the main breeding colony of roseate terns, however 2010 was the last year they bred (47 pairs) with the terns choosing to nest on other islands the following year. In 2011, the only 9-11 pairs of roseate terns attempted to breed in Brittany (none on Ile aux Dames), which was the lowest number record in decades!

Ile aux Dames also used to support breeding common (75-100 pairs in 2010) and Sandwich terns (between 1000-1200 pairs in 2010). Currently, lesser black-backed gulls are now the main species that breed where the terns used to nest.

Anti-predator fencing was erected in 2009 following the presence of mink in 2008, however in 2010; there were 54 disturbances from peregrine falcon, which attributed to the poor productivity that year and the subsequent abandonment of the colony.

The island is monitored and managed by Bretagne Vivante and Conservation du Littoral, with an exclusion zone of 80m around the island to deter humans landing and disturbing the nesting birds. The bay is very popular with boating an integral part of the culture in the Bay of Morlaix and is important for fishermen as the bays provide good habitat for fish, oysters and other shellfish.

Due to the amount of effort required, the fencing is no longer re-installed every spring. In addition the island now supports a large number of breeding cormorants and human presence on the island at that time would greatly disturb them. Currently the only management on the island is controlling the vegetation on the southern slope of the island just before the nesting period. The trapping of mink, which was undertaken during the LIFE project, ended in 2013 and recent evidence suggests that this species has been less present on the Morlaix Bay coast.

PresentationsatBretagneVivante

Prior to returning to the UK, the roseate tern LIFE staff visited Bretagne Vivante and gave presentations on Rockabill, Coquet and Lady’s Island Lake. This covered a range of information including breeding species, threats, monitoring, predation and vegetation management. In addition, the techniques used to engage the public (whose access to the island is prohibited) was described: virtual reality equipment and online live web-cam of Coquet Island.


There was a discussion on how to improve Ile aux Moutons and La Colombière before the roseate terns returned next year, with the LIFE staff agreeing to write a list of recommendations and proposing to help with the construction of terraces in March 2018.

Photo Credits: Yann Jacob, Daniel Piec and Chantal Macleod-Nolan

Documents

Roseate Tern LIFE networking trip to Brittany FINALroseatetern.org/.../35804201/...trip_to_brittany_1.pdf · visit of the UK and Irish managers to Brittany took place between 25th