Manx Shearwater chicks can fall prey to rats

Manx shearwater numbers were decimated by brown rats which raided the birds' burrows and ate chicks.

However, a National Trust for Scotland (NTS) led programme to exterminate the rats has allowed the shearwaters to begin a recovery.

The Manx shearwater colony on Canna once had 1,500 pairs but suffered a drastic decline during the 1990s.

NTS said the first phase of the rat eradication programme, which was funded by the EU LIFE-Nature programme and Scottish Natural Heritage, took place last winter and killed almost all of the estimated 7,000 rats.

Attracting a nesting pair back to the island in the first year was beyond our wildest dreams NTS officer Richard Luxmoore

Richard Luxmoore, head of NTS nature conservation which owns and manages the island, said more shearwaters could be attracted to Canna.

He said: "We were confident that this project would be successful in the long-term because we expected shearwaters from the neighbouring island of Rum to recolonise the island.

"However, attracting a nesting pair back to the island in the first year was beyond our wildest dreams."

NTS said monitoring by wild bird organisation, Highland Ringing Group, has shown key bird species to be increasing in numbers.

Poisoned baits

Razorbills, which nest amongst boulders, have gone from 27 successful nests in 2005 to 273 in 2006.

A colony of shags have increased from 48 pairs last year to 72 pairs in 2006.

Rare wood mice, taken off Canna to protect them from the poisoned baits used, have been returned to the island.