RSPB Team Member (Biosecurity Island Incursion Team Member)

Rathlin Island is home to Northern Ireland’s largest seabird colony, with over 200,000 birds, including the largest Guillemot colony in the UK and Ireland and over 1,000 Puffins. However, these populations are under serious threat from invasive non-native predators—rats and ferrets—which prey on seabird eggs, chicks, and adults.

Introduced unintentionally in the 1800s (rats) and deliberately in the 1980s (ferrets), these predators have significantly impacted Rathlin’s wildlife. For example, Puffin numbers have halved since 1985, with chick survival rates dropping from 75% in healthy environments to just 33%. The Corncrake, another vulnerable ground nesting bird, is also at risk. Rathlin remains the only breeding site for Corncrake in Northern Ireland.

An incursion is when a non-native invasive mammal has recently spread to the island but has not yet established a population. As part of the shared protection plans, we are building a network of trained volunteers to respond to an incursion and react rapidly to any reported invasive predator and remove this threat as quickly as possible.

We will provide training and host occasional team days, but you will only be called upon in the event of an incursion. We do not expect that everyone will be available all the time, but by having a large network of volunteers we aim to ensure that we have enough when needed.

Depending on your skill set and interests there may be other tasks you can help the team with such as more regular surveillance checks, reviewing trail camera footage, constructing wooden rodent motels, or helping with maintenance and stock takes of hub equipment. Awareness raising is an important way of improving biosecurity, so any way you can help with this, be it through communicating with your friends/family or at a larger public event would be much appreciated.

As a LIFE Raft biosecurity volunteer, you’ll be part of something big – a team of amazing and dedicated people who donate their time, energy, talent and skills to help birds and other wildlife. We will help you gain skills and give you an invaluable insight into essential biosecurity work.

What you will be doing

• Routinely checking the permanent monitoring loops to see if there are any signs of rats. This means checking monitoring station based around Rathlin in the routes most likely to have a rat incursion.

• Contacted if an incursion has occurred, likely at short notice.

• Assist with practical on-the-ground incursion conservation work. This will involve the active control of invasive predators, by use of traps or rodenticide if there is an incursion.

• You will be involved in setting out and checking equipment (monitoring/poisoning/trapping equipment) in the first 48hrs of any incursion response.

If you are not a Rathlin resident it will be possible to carry out day trips, you may also be required to stay on island, if necessary, accommodation will be provided. You will be working alongside other volunteers, RSPB NI staff and key stakeholders as a team.

Other tasks you may have the opportunity to get involved with if you are interested include helping at events, reviewing trail camera footage, constructing wooden rodent motels, or helping with maintenance and stock takes of hub equipment.

The skills you need and the skills you can bring

The Island incursion role is varied, and the list below is an example of the type of skills required but not all are necessary, there are other aspects to the role which may be more suited to you. Everyone will bring a range of valuable skills so come and have a chat with our Biosecurity Manager to see if this role is for you.

• Follow procedures required for the removal of invasive predators and learn necessary monitoring skills required.

• Able to attend required training and follow health and safety requirements. Work as part of a team of 3-8 people to carry out the main tasks.

• Be flexible and adaptable to change.

• Have a friendly nature and be able to communicate effectively with people.

• Physically able to embark and disembark boats– including small tenders and where no hard slipway is present.

• Comfortable moving across rugged terrain in all weathers, including slippery rocks, steep slopes and at a safe distance from cliff edges.

• Be able to carry equipment across rugged terrain – as a minimum 5 – 10kgs (this would include personal equipment, food/drink, and incursion response materials).

• Able to camp, if necessary and cook as part of a rota for other team members.

• Maintain any equipment provided.

• Carry out responsibilities in an environmentally aware manner, ensuring as little damage to the environment as possible. Our aim is to ensure all resources are used effectively and efficiently.

What's in it for you

Biosecurity on Rathlin is a shared sense of responsibility to ensure the island remains invasive predator free long after the LIFE Raft project is completed, by being involved you will:

• Be helping to save some of our most iconic seabirds in one of the most spectacular locations in Northern Ireland and enable some ground nesting birds to breed and increase in numbers.

• Be part of a team to help maintain the legacy and socio-economic benefits of maintaining an invasive predator free status along with the residents of Rathlin

• Gain valuable experience and training in implementation of biosecurity measures

• Meet and work with other passionate volunteers and staff expert in the biosecurity field

If you volunteer for LIFE Raft, the RSPB will reimburse you for travel and subsistence expenses, we will provide you with the equipment, training and any PPE needed for you to complete the role.