SOS Puffin - Saving the Puffins in the Firth of Forth
SOS Puffin is the Seabird Centre's 5 year project to save the puffins on the islands in the Firth of Forth. One of the UK's largest puffin colonies, numbers on the nearby island of Craigleith had crashed from around 28,000 pairs to just a few thousand, due to a giant plant, tree mallow which grows to 3m (9ft) in height. Introduced to the islands by lighthouse keepers 300 years ago for medicinal use, the plant has spread rapidly in recent years, helped by mild winters (linked to climate change), taking over the islands and preventing the puffins from nesting and rearing their pufflings.
Over 140 work parties have made regular trips out to Craigleith and neighbouring Fidra island to cut down the tree mallow, with the project being run and supported entirely by more than 700 volunteers. Thanks to this tremendous support, excellent progress has been made and monitoring is showing that the puffins are returning to the islands to re-use old burrows where mallow has been removed. Other nesting birds such as eider ducks and fulmars have also benefited. It is hard work but good fun, and very rewarding to see the progress being made.
You can watch Bill Bailey's 'Wild Thing I Love You' to find out more about SOS Puffin. See Bill and the team pictured at the Seabird Centre and take a look at our diary updates below.
If you are interested in getting involved please contact info@seabird.org or call 01620 890202 or you can adopt a puffin online.
We have come to the end of the work parties for this Spring and I attach notes on the recent visits to Fidra and Craigleith. Since the start of the year we have had six visits to Fidra, five to Craigleith and the one to the Lamb. 20 planned visits were cancelled – mainly because of the weather though four were cancelled because we had run out of tree mallow.
I have been grateful to David Ross and James Leyden who have led four of the work parties in my absence due to a bad cold.
All three islands are now effectively clear of tree mallow. It is likely that there will be the usual vigorous regrowth on Fidra during the summer but that may not happen to the same extent on Craigleith because of the greater impact of the rabbits. We shall see.
A summary report of progress made with the project will be published shortly, last year's report can be seen at SOS Puffin - Progress Report, December 2010.
SOS Puffin Updates
The following light hearted pieces, written by John Hunt, about SOS Puffin have appeared in the Scottish Seabird Centre weekly Bulletin
The Mallow Marathon (February 2011)
In the early heady days of SOS Puffin, when we were first cutting our way into the forest of tree mallow on Craigleith, there were ambitious plans to have mallow bashing declared an official Olympic sport in time for the 2012 Olympic Games.
The idea had a lot going for it. It would bring competitors and spectators to North Berwick from all over the world, a gold medal would be a dead cert for locally bred talent and in between it all a lot of tree mallow would get cut down. However, sadly, it all fell through when no one could decide what to do with the stadium on Craigleith once the Games were over.
The Olympic dream may have died but I am glad to say that the competitive spirit lives on. Among our regular volunteers a considerable tension has built up recently as they vie with each other to achieve the most work parties. Margaret Wight from Macmerry has nosed into the lead with an amazing 62 work parties after coming out on both Saturday and Sunday last weekend, just one ahead of David Ross from Mid-Lothian. Not far behind are local lads James Leyden with 54 work parties and Howard Andrew with 48. There may not be medals to be won but the glory alone is clearly providing plenty of motivation.
Since this particular race has several more years to run, it is not too late for other volunteers to make a start and catch up with the leaders.
The Social Scene (August 2009)
In between the Open Golf in July and the start of the grouse shooting season on 12 August, a new date is now firmly established in the social calendar and a must for anyone who matters.
The 1 August is of course the start of the tree mallow season at the end of the long summer recess, a time when invitations to attend select events on the islands are eagerly awaited. The dress code is informal though the ladies can compete with their fashionable sun hats and elaborate picnic lunches. Lively debate can be assured and there may even be time for the more energetic to enjoy a little sport demolishing the odd tree mallow.
That is one perspective on SOS Puffin but with many of our 400 volunteers keen to get back into action this month there is now a slight sense of elitism and privilege about the work parties. Places in the boat are at a premium and some deserving folk are being turned away. With all this support the season has started with a bang and already there have been two trips to Fidra and one yesterday to Craigleith with everyone enjoying the garden party conditions.
When we stopped for the breeding season in mid-April it was becoming hard to find any tree mallow to cut down on either island. Rash statements were made that the war was won. However this resilient plant has staged a miraculous revival while we have been away and the green shoots of recovery are now there in abundance at up to four feet in height. Happily the seedlings are not as dense or as tall as they were a year ago but there is plenty to keep us occupied for the coming months. Those who do not wish to miss out on the social scene should book their place – Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays, weather permitting, through to the autumn.
The Green Carpet Treatment (2008)
Yes, we are still at it! Our intrepid volunteers have been venturing forth at least once a week during September and October to continue the good fight against the tree mallow. The beastly stuff has been growing fast throughout the autumn but the seedlings are being knocked back by a combination of loppers, shears and brushcutters.
However it could be that all this hard work is not really necessary. Paul Nixon has come up with a brilliant idea which could be the ultimate solution to the tree mallow problem – cover the islands with carpet. A recent visit to Craigleith saw us putting his theory to the test. Loose rolls of carpet are fiendishly awkward to man-handle from a boat onto slippery rocks but the volunteers took it in their stride. Paul assisted by carpet fitter Iain Kerr then did a very neat job carpeting around the solar panels which now look extremely smart. This pilot project will be monitored carefully before we move on to carpet the rest of the island but hopes are already high that the tree mallow will not be able to force its way through high quality Axminster.
There has been considerable debate about the aesthetic aspects. Will a uniform covering of slightly unnatural green which remains unchanged through the seasons be acceptable to the good people of North Berwick – indeed will they even notice? Cost is a consideration but sponsorship by a carpet firm must be a real possibility. One possible drawback is that Scottish Natural Heritage may insist that the carpet is cleaned regularly but at least hoovering would be a change from cutting.
So a new clean green future could beckon for Craigleith. The only slight worry is will the puffins be able to burrow through the carpet? However, let us deal with one problem at a time …
The Philosophy of Tree Mallow Control (2007)
Opinion polls do not yet suggest that tree mallow is a major issue of concern for the British public but it is certainly one on which many people hold strong and widely ranging views. Having heard a considerable number of forthright opinions on “what to do about tree mallow” I find they fall into four main schools of thought.
The first is what one might call the traditionalist approach. Its exponents believe that it should all be done by hand with honest labour and the sweat of the brow. Nothing mechanical should intrude on the tranquillity of the island and any modern aids would make it all too easy and remove the moral satisfaction of a job well done. If it takes decades to complete, what does that matter in historical time scales?
Then there is the scientific method. Here you move cautiously and monitor everything. Decisions could be premature or, even worse, unscientific. If in doubt set up another five year research project.
The third line of thinking is the pastoral philosophy. Why toil away when our four-legged friends can do it all for us? Sheep, goats, wallabies and rabbits – they all have their supporters. How nice to lie in bed when the winds have prevented yet another boat trip and think that the dreaded plant is being quietly nibbled away.
The final view, held mainly by the male sex, is the technological or militarist option. Don’t pussyfoot around, get in there with machinery, the bigger the better. Flame throwers, liquid nitrogen, napalm and aerial spraying with agent orange – you name it, nothing is too terrible for public enemy number one.
With such a wealth of advice to guide its deliberations, I am sure that the Craigleith Management Group will have a most constructive meeting when it holds its annual get-together later this month.
The Lazy Days of Autumn (2007)
Craigleith was at its Mediterranean best last weekend with warm sunshine, light breezes and wonderful views of the island-studded Forth. As the volunteers contentedly settled to their work there was time to observe and reflect on the finer points of tree mallow control.
As always knowledge of one’s opponent is essential. Tree mallow comes in all forms from near invisible seedlings to nine foot monsters with every imaginable variation in between. A good eye for the lie of the land is helpful in deciding whether to advance on a broad front or carry out a series of pincer movements to isolate pockets of the enemy which are then mopped up later at one’s leisure.
There are the continuous tactical decisions required between use of loppers or shears. Is it best to approach the task standing, kneeling or sitting down? Later in the day the latter position seems to be favoured.
Many hours of cutting are needed to hone the skills required. Only then can one savour that moment when a single well judged cut with a lopper brings a giant plant crashing down. A true craftsman with shears is a pleasure to watch as they slice through several smaller plants at each stroke. No less important is the needlework-like patience required to pull up the tiny seedlings with the constant pressure of knowing that the one you miss could get away and tower over you in two years time.
There are frequent intellectual challenges such as that faced by the lady volunteer trying to get her armful of mallow cuttings on top of a pile which is already twice her height.
Maintaining morale is of course crucial. A lively discussion is a distraction from that aching back while close examination of a nearby bird provides a good excuse for a breather. Lunch is invariably the highlight of the day but over indulgence is to be avoided as it can lead to a prolonged siesta.
Those who assumed that mallow-bashing was all brute force and ignorance should think again. At its best, mallow control is a blend of art and science with, one has to admit, lots of fun as well.
