Bob Swann (NTS Project Administrator) arrived on Tuesday 28th November and departed on Saturday 2nd December. Martin Carty, NTS volunteer, arrived on Friday 1st December.
Continued monitoring at the "summer reported rat sighting areas" has shown no rat sign or activity. Checking all the monitoring in the bait stations has been completed on Iolasgor, In-Bye (including Canna House and Beach Road), East Plateau (half), West Plateau (half), Tarbert Road, East Plateau (half) and Nunnery. No rat sign has been detected. Monitoring outside the bait stations has been checked at Iolasgor, In-Bye (including Canna House and Beach Road), East Plateau (half), West Plateau (half), Tarbert Road, East Plateau (half) and Nunnery. No rat sign has been detected. Trap boxes along the pier and part of Beach Road where checked. No rats were caught or detected.
Bait and monitoring stations from Tarbert Road (Line A), Tarbert Paddocks (TPG and TJ), Nunnery, Iolasgor, East Plateau and West Plateau (half) were removed.
As the stations are removed from areas, they are packed into bulk bags (50 per bag) and the wires (holding wires, crow clips and bait wires) are straightened and packed into bundles of 50’s. A set of wires are added to each bulk bag before storage. All this equipment is stored in the loft in the main shed.
Establishment of the long-term monitoring line has been continued. So far this has been established on Sanday and on Canna from the pier, along Beach Road and Tarbert Road and around the coastline to Bresgor.
The school have had more good results with the monitoring project for mice. Mice have been detected in at least two more stations around the school. They have had to continue to deal with interference from crows and cattle.
Richard Luxmoore (NTS) and Jon Taylor (Astrale, EU Life) arrived on Tuesday with the intention of staying for three days, but unfortunately owing to the very bad forecast and possibility of ferry cancellation only stayed for 30 minutes (whilst the rubbish skips on the pier were changed by Highland Council).
Bob Swann discussed contingency and quarantine procedures with the islanders. The most appropriate and practical methods will be implemented and checked before the team leave the island. Procedure protocols and information sheets will be left on the island. Waste disposal arrangements were also discussed.
A bulk bag of bait stations and wires and bucket of monitoring equipment was sent to Rum for use in a possible control programme at the shag colony. Two bulk bags of bait stations and wires were sent to Eigg for use in a control programme on a small offshore island.
Weather has been poor, with two days lost to very bad conditions (gales and torrential rain – the ferry was cancelled on Thursday). The stations and wires were packed away, assistance was given at Canna House, rodent motels were finished and chocolate wax was made during those days.
Biz Bell, Dave Boyle and Paul Garner-Richards – WMIL, Sunday 3 November 2006
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