Storm petrels are extremely rare in England. They are found only in the West Country.

Storm petrel enjoys a revival in the West Country

An extremely rare seabird has made a comeback in the West Country this year. Thanks to successful conservation programmes, it is breeding in new areas.

The storm petrel is a tiny seabird - about the size of a sparrow - that is found only in the West Country. Until last year, it only nested on a few outer rocks and islands in the Isles of Scilly.

This year, however, the birds were found nesting on the islands of St Agnes and Gugh, after a project to remove rats that prey on chicks.

They also nested successfully on Lundy - where rats were removed 10 years ago - for a second year.

Senior seabird ecologist Vickie Heaney, said: "I have monitored St Agnes and Gugh for storm petrel nest sites for 15 years, and never had any response…

"After witnessing the prospecting behaviour of adult storm petrels over the years, we were thrilled to hear them calling back for the first time from six sites on St Agnes in July when they should be sitting on eggs.

"In order to prove successful breeding we returned to these sites in early September and were over the moon to hear the calls of hatched chicks from the within the nest sites."

Jaclyn Pearson, who project manages the Isles of Scilly Sea Bird Recovery Project, said this had exceeded all her hopes.

"I was absolutely delighted when we managed to get both sound recording and video footage of chicks… All the hard work that everyone has put into the project is all worth it when you know that a species has returned to habitat which is rightfully theirs."

The project is the result of a partnership between the RSPB, Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust, Isles of Scilly Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Duchy of Cornwall and Natural England.

It is part of a global effort to revive island seabird populations and has also benefitted other species on the Isles of Scilly, such as puffins, guillemots and Manx shearwaters.

You can hear and watch the footage of the storm petrels here: www.ios-seabirds.org.uk

Image © Danmantle/Wikimedia Commons CC BY 3.0