Assistant warden sought for Coquet Island to help safeguard Britain's last colony of Roseate Terns

                                                            

Accommodation will be in the island's lighthouse (photo: Mick Knapton/ Wikimedia Commons)

THE RSPB is looking to recruit an assistant seasonal warden for its Coquet Island  reserve off the Northumberland Coast.  

In summer, the island is home  to more than 40,000 breeding seabirds  including Puffins, Eiders,  Arctic, Common, Sandwich and Roseate Terns. 

For the Roseates, Coquet is the last British colony and of global importance. 

The post runs from mid-April to mid-August this year, and the pay is the equivalent of £26,379 and £28,319 per annum. 

The role will include laying rodenticides and  using a laser device to  scare off gulls which predate seabird eggs and chicks. 

Accommodation will be in the island's lighthouse. 

For further information, contact stephen.westerberg@rspb.org.uk

               

The sort of laser gun used to scare off gulls - it is commonly used at British airports to reduce the chance of bird strikes

The Wryneck says:  It is a shame that the RSPB has deemed it necessary to use laser devices to beam into the eyes of gulls. If challenged, the society would probably clam there is no evidence that lasers are harmful to birds' eyes, but on how much research would such a claim be based? Are there not safer and more ethical means of safeguarding Roseates?