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Shearwaters Return: Canna Reclaims Seabird Colony
29 Oct
Summary
- Manx shearwaters are being reintroduced to Scotland's Isle of Canna.
- Rats devastated the island's population, but were eradicated in 2005.
- Forty young shearwaters were moved from nearby Isle of Rum.
Conservationists are actively working to re-establish a population of manx shearwaters on the Isle of Canna, located off Scotland's west coast. This island was once home to up to 3,000 breeding adult birds, but a severe rat infestation led to the colony's devastation. Rats, which first arrived on Canna about 100 years ago via ships, had a destructive impact on seabirds by consuming their eggs by the 1990s.
Following the successful eradication of rats from Canna in 2005, with assistance from New Zealand trappers, efforts are now focused on reintroducing the manx shearwaters. The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) has moved 40 young birds from the nearby Isle of Rum. Rum is a critical habitat, supporting approximately a quarter of the world's breeding manx shearwater population, with at least 120,000 breeding pairs.
This ambitious reintroduction project, dubbed 'The Return of the Manx,' is described by NTS as a monumental conservation undertaking. It involves close collaboration with the communities of Canna and Rum, the Highland Ringing Group, NatureScot, and dedicated volunteers. A film documenting this significant conservation effort is scheduled for release next year.
