Charity Insights

I am now back in London, having had a fantastic time on Rathlin Island and having completed my placement. The whole experience has been unrivalled by anything I have ever experienced before.

The final week at the RSPB Seabird Centre went smoothly, although there were very few breeding birds left to show people so late in the season. However, it was great to see so many people who were enthusiastic about coming to the centre to learn about the conservation of RSPB despite our lack of puffins and guillemots. We also had some extra excitement around the centre last Friday, when committee members involved in the Northern Irish parliament came to Rathlin Island and visited the Seabird Centre for a presentation about the proposed new marine bill, aiming to establish Marine Protected Areas and increase conservation efforts in coastal areas of NI, including Rathlin Island. It was interesting to see how practical work at reserves such as the RSPB Seabird Centre could be applied to national-level environmental decisions, and I was glad to help set up the event and speak to some of the comittee members.

While the week consisted for the most part of running the visitor centre and occasional practical work such as ragwart pulling, the focus for the week was closing up the Seabird Centre for the season. The last open day for visitors was Sunday, September 1st, after which we spent the last days of the season packing up the RSPB material, taking inventory, and carrying the exceptionally heavy boxes up the treacherous 90 steps from the lighthouse to the storage room. (pictures below). We also helped the Visitor Services Manager with counting cash in the various donation boxes and cash registers. It was strange to see the Seabird Centre so empty – however, I plan on returning sometime soon to see it in its full glory with the quarter of a million or so birds that are breeding during peak times.

On the ferry back towards mainland NI on Tuesday, September 3rd, it struck me how much I had learned in the 3 weeks of my stay on Rathlin Island. Not only have I picked up extensive facts about various seabird species and their breeding habits, but through the numerous walks I took around the island and the knowledge the locals shared with me, I learned a lot about the history of the island and why nature is so important to life on the island. The island is unique in having been inhabited by humans since Neolithic times, and until the Second World War, seabirds and their eggs were one of the main food sources and a valued resource. The Sea of Moyle (between Rathlin Island and mainland NI) and its strong currents is vital to the aquatic life in the area, and is also an important crossing point for many migrating water mammals, including whales, dolphins, porpoises and basking sharks. My general verdict is that it is an amazing island, and I definitely plan on visiting again soon.

Now that my placement is over, I am excited to continue my studies with a possible focus on ornithology. I am also interested in the opportunity to apply for other residential volunteering placements with RSPB. For now, I shall conclude my Charity Insights placement with some photos (proper ones this time) of my stay on Rathlin Island and at the Seabird Centre.

Order from left to right, top to bottom:

1) My first sight of Rathlin Island in the distance from the north coast.

2) The harbour on Rathlin Island.

3) The cliffs, with kittiwakes nesting on the ledges – not a lot of space for them to move!

4) The Seabird Centre from the outside.

5) The puffin head (right) and razorbill skull (left) that we like to spook visitors with.

6) The day that cows invaded the Seabird Centre.

7) The crazy steps and long walk up from the lighthouse/seabird centre to the welcome point.

8 ) The West Lighthouse, which houses the RSPB Seabird Centre.

9) A fulmar chick taking its first flight from its nest!

10) Some shags flying over the massive waves along the cliffs.

Read Rathlin Island Days 15-21 in full

Hello again from Rathlin Island!

I have nearly reached the end of my first two weeks here and it is hard to imagine where all the time has gone. The days tend to blur together with working at the seabird centre and spending the evenings socializing with other volunteers and locals. I feel very comfortable around everyone I have met here, and am getting better at managing things at the seabird centre. Just a couple of days ago I was given the responsibility of opening up the centre with the other volunteers while the boss was running an errand. Although everything went smoothly, we had an interesting beginning to the day when we found that the gate to the centre was open and approximately 40 cows had invaded the welcome area and bus park of the centre. It took an extra 20 minutes for us to usher the cows out of the gate along the Cliffside, making sure they were out of harm’s way both from the cliff and the incoming buses.

Although nothing else quite that bizarre has happened, there is plenty to keep us busy at the centre. I have learned to recognize the signs of kittiwake and fulmar chicks that are preparing to fly – one that is nesting just a few metres below the viewpoint has been flapping its wings as if it wants to take off. We have also had a lot of sightings of birds of prey such as peregrine falcons, ravens, buzzards, and gannets. I also spotted my first oystercatcher a few days ago. The visitors also have interesting stories to tell, from other RSPB reserves they have visited to the species of birds that they get in their backyards. A few days ago we even had a MP visit the seabird centre

Sometimes we will run into some of the day’s visitors in the island pub later that evening. It is strange and nice to be in a place where one is so easily recognized and where so many people all know each other. There have been relatively many events occurring on the island this week, from the rathlin run (a half marathon around the island) to live music nights at the pub. Tomorrow, the town if ballycastle, where the ferry from the mainland departs for rathlin island, there will be a festival called the lamas festival. As I have been given a day off tomorrow, I think I will take the ferry back to ballycastle and see what festivities will be on. After that, there is just one week before my placement as a residential volunteer is over. It should be an interesting week, as the centre is closing for the season and so there will be lots to do in the way of closing up the centre.

As promised, here are some photos of the seabird centre. The stacks in the first photo are what we can see from the seabird viewpoint, and are home to the many bird species that breed in the area. The other shows a fulmar chick being fed by its mother. Neither of the photos are very good quality, but as soon as I get back and have access to my own computer I will be able to upload many more photos!

Read Rathlin Island days 10-14 in full

And so, my first week at Rathlin Island has come to a close. The views are just as breathtaking as ever, and I feel that I am slowly getting used to the relaxed atmosphere on the island. The weather is very unpredictable, with winds bringing different weather from both NI and Scotland. As for the RSPB seabird centre, unfortunately a majority of the birds that were left have flown away for their winter migrations. The few that are left are mostly fulmars and kittiwakes, with the occasional guillemot and gannet flying around. Today I also saw my first great Skua. However, there is still an abundance of things to share with the visitors, from puffins heads (the poor things that had been caught and killed by peregrine falcons, eaten, and their heads and legs left behind) to guillemot eggs to a number of RSPB bird and nature books to peruse. I have now also been trained in membership recruitment, and recruited my first two members this morning! Even a couple of new members recruited at the centre is significant to the centre as it receives a significant amount of funding for every member that joins at the centre. It is also interesting to hear the opinions from visitors and answer their questions about conservation work on the island (focusing mainly on corncrakes and choughs) and the threats that seabirds face today,ranging from overfishing to warming climates to habitat destruction. I think the experience I am gaining here will help me substantially as I address similar topics in my third year at Imperial.

The work we have done on the island has also extended beyond the seabird centre. Just a few days ago we drove over to a local family’s farm and helped them pull ragwarts (yellow flowered weeds that are toxic to livestock that may graze on them) from their fields. The local name for the weeds is bendweeds, a nickname I fully understood once I had spent a few hours bending over to pull them out. The following day we helped the same family tag some of their newly born calves. While both evenings involved hard work, it was interesting to experience the work that locals have to undertake in their daily lives – so different from the city life!

This week two new volunteers have arrived to the RSPB centre. It is nice to meet so many new people who are also interested in the conservation work of the RSPB. I look forward to the coming weeks and hope I will enhance my knowledge of the bird conservation of RSPB even more.

(A shout out from volunteer James, sitting next to me, to all his mates in London and who wanted to be included in this post 😉 )

Read Rathlin Island Days 4-9 in full

I have arrived at Rathlin Island!

I am currently sitting at McCuaigs pub, enjoying one of the few sources of WiFi on the island. The pub overlooks the harbour, from where I can see all the way to the town of Ballycastle in the mainland of Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is my first time in NI and the views  are absolutely spectacular. I have just started working at the RSPB Rathlin Island Seabird Centre two days ago.

I applied to be a residential volunteer with RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) in early April, and was happy to get a position working and staying on Rathlin Island.  Rathlin Island is located a few miles off of the northern coast of NI, and it hosts thousands of seabirds during the summer months of May-August that come to breed on the rocky cliffs. . The main species found include guillemots, puffins, kittiwakes, razorbills, and fulmars, all of which I have had the opportunity to watch as they rear their chicks. The seabird centre is a unique opportunity to view these birds as the island can host up to tens of thousands of Birds at a time, and tourists come from all over the world to see them. The centre is run by volunteers, and my job includes guiding the tourists through the centre, finding and identifying the birds as well as answering any questions on the habits and characteristics of the species, the conservation work at the RSPB and raising donations and recruiting members to the RSPB. I also take care of managing the reserve and keeping facilities clean and ready for visitors.

This experience is unique for me as I am also living on the island and representing RSPB during ny stay.. The island only has one shop open for three hours a day, a pub, a fish and chip shop, and various other amenities used by the locals. The cottage I am staying in is cozy and shared by all the volunteers, of which there are currently three, including me. Although the usual comforts of tv, internet and home are not available, the views and landscape make up for it and I think I will have a fantastic stay. Walking to the seabird centre takes 25 mins on Rocky, hilly roads. In the first two days I have been working I have already learnt a great deal about the birds. One of my favourite facts to share with visitors is that fulmar chicks can use the long nasal tube on their beaks to spit fish oil at incoming predatory birds, as such defending themselves and allowing the parents to be away hunting for days on end. It is very rewarding to spot puffins and show them to visiting kids as well, as many of the visitors come excited to see the puffins. Unfortunately a majority of the birds have already begun their autumn migrations, and spotting some of the species is difficult. During May and June the cliffs are supposed to be absolutely packed with birds, something I would love to see in the coming years.

For now I will get back to the cottage and prepare for the days to come by reading one of the many bird books that have been provided for us. I am really looking forward to the rest of my stay and hope to have plenty to report back in the next few weeks!

I hope to be able to post some pictures soon!

Read Rathlin Island Day 1-3 in full