In 2013, St Agnes and Gugh began rat eradication; 12 yrs later, Manx shearwater sites hit record 225

In the latest 2025 monitoring data, St Agnes and Gugh recorded 225 apparently occupied breeding sites (AOBs) for Manx shearwaters In 2013, a major conservation effort began on St Agnes and Gugh in the Isles of Scilly to remove brown rats that had been harming nesting seabirds. According to the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust, the rats had arrived on the islands following shipwrecks in the 18th century and had become a threat to birds that nested in burrows, including Manx shearwaters and European storm petrels.For this, the Isles of Scilly Seabird Recovery Project was started which brought together local residents, conservationists and wildlife specialists who worked with Wildlife Management International Ltd (WMIL) to look for rat nests and signs of activity before the removal programme began.The intensive baiting operation started in November, 2013. Bait was placed across the islands and monitored every day, with teams checking how much was being taken. By the end of the month, the last evidence of rats had been recorded, but further monitoring continued to make sure the animals had not survived or returned.The recovery of the seabirds has since been tracked through regular survey...