The Wirebird project at Deadwood Plain has started to show some beneficial results but more time is required to confirm an established trend of Wirebird population growth.

Wirebird at nest – Deadwood Plain photo Eddie Duff

Deadwood Plain is one of the larger and more populated Wirebird feeding and breeding habitats.  For the Wirebird, successful feeding and breeding depends on an expanse of open terrain.  A prerequisite is short grass and reasonably flat or gently sloping ground.  The Wirebird favours these conditions for feeding on invertebrates and for breeding.  Potential predators can be sighted at some distance in this type of landscape.

Cattle are grazed at Deadwood Plain.  To improve the pasture, [and the habitat preferred by Wirebirds] paddocks were erected so a rotational system of grazing could be introduced.  The cattle now rotate between the paddocks finding a succession of fresh grazing areas while at the same time keeping the grass as short at the Wirebirds like to have it.  Invasive vegetation, such as the long and tough bull grass, has also been removed.  The result is better pasture management, improved pasture and early signs of increased nesting and chicks.

A research student, Fiona Burns, is also in St Helena undertaking a six months Wirebird study.  The main purpose of Fiona’s work is to study behaviour patterns and predation threats.  Wirebirds are being ringed in order to log their individual movements around the island and small field cameras are being placed near nests to collect data on the success rate of eggs to fledgling chicks.      

The cameras are also used to collect hard evidence of predation of eggs and chicks.  After only a few days using the cameras, a Mynah bird is already shown on film destroying Wirebird eggs.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds [RSPB] is very active in St Helena and is behind most of the Wirebird research projects.  International interest in the Wirebird stems from the bird’s status as a critically endangered species.  This means, simply, that if recent Wirebird population trends continue, the bird is likely to become extinct.  In order to help the Wirebird re-establish itself, much more needs to be known about it.  Research into feeding and breeding habits, lifespan, intra-island migration patterns, threats and dependencies is a continuing process.  As is so often the case, finding out more about the Wirebird only reveals how much more needs to be known.

Specialists from the RSPB have visited St Helena on several occasions to further Wirebird research.  The most recent visitor was Mark Bolton who came to teach Eddie Duff, our resident Wirebird specialist, and research student Fiona Burns how to ring Wirebirds safely and how to take measurements of their legs, heads and wings accurately and without harming them.  In the short time Mark was on the Island he also took genetic samples of the Storm Petrels which use the island coast.  The purpose of this research is to find out if, as with several other species of flora and fauna, the Storm Petrels inhabiting St Helena have evolved into a different species.    

Mark is now in the UK working away in the laboratory with his genetic samples to find the answer.  He will be making comparisons with North Atlantic Storm Petrels.  We wait to find if St Helena has another endemic avian species.

Another aspect of Wirebird protection is providing extra suitable habitat to compensate for the loss of Wirebird ‘territories’ when airport construction starts.

A ringed Wirebird – Deadwood Plain photo Eddie Duff

No plan has been implemented yet but the intention is to make additional areas of the island suitable for Wirebirds as part of the Air Access Wirebird Mitigation Plan.  This will involve improving and expanding existing pastures, removing invasive species from otherwise suitable terrain and possibly installing irrigation systems to create the right conditions for cattle as well as Wirebirds.

With all this activity either taking place or planned it is necessary to co-ordinate the various strands of work to ensure there is no wasted duplication and every opportunity is taken for each activity to complement other related work.

Dr Rebecca Cairns-Wicks is heading this exercise.  She is co-ordinating the many areas of work, including; research, pasture improvement schemes, a review of relevant legislation, promoting public awareness, education and securing funding. 

After much which has already been achieved for an island with minimal resources, we all acknowledge there is much more to know. 

A tidal wave of work needs to be completed by do or die deadlines.

Related Information