A special place... The Isles of Scilly are one of only two places in England where Manx Shearwaters breed

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Under threat...The Isles of Scilly hold 3,000 fewer pairs of breeding seabirds than 25 years ago

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We need YOUR help to protect our important seabird heritage

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Apple Day October 2015.

The children of St Agnes School collect apples to make juice and bird feeders. Each year they remove apples to reduce available food for rats - if a rat gets back.

Press release Sep 2015 - Footage of storm petrel chick nesting on St Agnes (using burrowscope)  

Manx shearwater chicks outside burrow, St Agnes September 9th 2015  filmed by Nick Tomalin

Manx shearwater chicks on Gugh Sep 2015 

Manx shearwater chick emerged from burrow 3rd Sep 2015, Wingletang, St Agnes 

Volunteer Holly Paget-Brown captures footage of a Manx shearwater chick on Gugh Aug 20th - Sep 2nd 2015 

Manx shearwater chicks on trial camera, Gugh 2015

Razorbill chick, Roseavear, Western Rocks, SPA survey 2015 

Puffin on nest site, Mincarlo, Northern rocks, SPA survey 2015 

Guillemots on the western rock. SPA seabird survey 2015 

Shag chicks, Rosevear, Western Rocks. SPA seabird survey 2015 

Manx shearwater incubating 2 eggs on St Agnes filmed by Lydia Titterton July 2015.

081711 from jaclyn on Vimeo.

This fooatge was taken using a burrowscope. The research assistants gently slide the scope into the rock burrow to see evidence of nesting birds. You see the female starts to call, this is in reponse to a tape of the call of the Manx shearwaters being played - this is another method by which we survey Manx shearwaters in the burrows, a call back means an occupied burrow. You can see as the bird shuffles, she rearranges not one but two eggs underneath her. Incubating two eggs is rare for these birds. We have nick named here 'Double- yolker!'

Manx shearwaters at sea 

Manx shearwaters filmed on trail camera at night filmed by Holly Paget Brown 

Storm petrels calling from nest sites 

Storm petrels calling on Isles of Scilly from Alec Taylor on Vimeo.

This was taken on the island of Annet, a protected bird sanctuary, during the seabird breeding census in July 2015. Storm petrels only leave and return to their breeding sites (boulder beaches, burrows and stone structures) under cover of darkness, which makes them hard to survey. Recording the number of birds responding to a taped callback allows an estimate of the total breeding population.


Project film- watch here!

‘Trouble in Paradise’, the Project Film by Matt Brierley

Scilly shrews....It is not just seabirds set to benefit from the removal of rats on St Agnes and Gugh 

Hannah Stitfall, Cornwall College Project Vidoes to support student studies 

Hannah Stitfall,  Cornwall college has produced this footage for to contribute to; A degree level modulE, BSc Applied Zoology & Conservation, this contains a 2nd year module on invasive species and biosecurity, validated by Plymouth University and delivered by Cornwall College from the Centre for Applied Zoology at its Newquay campus; MSc based around international case studies. With thanks to Dr Peter McGregor, FRSB, Research and Projects Manager & ResM coordinator

Audio 2016/2015 

St Agnes school 'willow wildlife' and rat monitoring checks December 2015 

Storm petrel chick heard calling back from nesting chamber (September 2015)

Storm petrel chick calling back on Gugh (September 2015) 

Date with Nature walks - Jaclyn talks to visitors 

'Holiday club' childrens Scilly shrew hunt Aug 2015 (thanks to Council of the Isles of Scilly)

Seabird Ecologists discuss their surveys from full Annet survey June 2015 

Martin Auld (RSPB sabbatical) recording storm petrels mnesting on Annet July 2015 

Guillemots calling during SPA survey on Gorregan (adults and chicks) 

Natura 2000 Day! 21st May 2015. Five Islands School, Blue Class tell us all about our seabird trip

Five Islands School Head Teacher Linda Todd tells us why it is important for the school children to engage with their seabird heritage 

Project walk on Gugh, interview with 'walkers' May 2015 

Full SPA Seabird Surveys get underway - meet the team! May 2015

Cornwall College, Newquay visit the project and tell us why they are smiling! May 2015 

Community 'rat monitoring' group tell us about their refresher training April 2015 

Young Ambassadors (Xanthe, Kerry, Keely and Katherine)  Easter St Mary's activity 2015


Principal Funders

  • Eruopa
  • Natura 2000
  • Heritage Lottery Fund
  • DEFRA

Project Partners and Supporters

  • RSPB
In addition to generous support from LIFE, the EU’s progamme for financing key environmental schemes across the continent and the UK’s own Heritage Lottery Fund, the Seabird Recovery Project is also being supported by the Isles of Scilly’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Sustainable Development Fund and the Isles of Scilly Bird Group.