A new season for the wardens at the Calf of Man Bird Observatory is set to begin this week.

The season runs between March and November every year, during which time the team at the Bird Observatory run a number of projects to record and help a range of native wildlife.

This season, there are three new wardens making the journey to the island.

Aron Sapsford is returning as an ornithological warden, alongside Eleanor Grover as an assistant ornithological warden, Chloe Hurst as an assistant estate warden and Oliver O’Sullivan, who will be working as the estate warden.

The wardens said on Facebook last week that they were ‘ready and raring to go’ thanks to Newsons Venture Outdoors ‘for kitting us out!’

Whilst they officially began their roles last week, there has been a slight delay in the team getting over to the Calf due to weather conditions, but Mr Sapsford confirmed to the Examiner they were hoping to be over there early this week.

We spoke to Dr Lara Howe, marine officer at Manx Wildlife Trust (MWT) at the end of the last season about the warden’s duties, which she described as vast and varied.

She said: ‘Basically, we monitor the birds moving through during migration and also breeding.

‘There will be daily observations of the number of birds passing through and seen on the Calf, and they’ll also ring birds as well if the conditions are appropriate to do so.

‘Then during the breeding season they’ll be monitoring that, particularly the seabirds and, very importantly, the Manx shearwater as well.’

The team will be paying particular attention to the puffins on the island.

Last season, the first photographed sighting of puffins on the Calf of Man for over two decades was recorded.

MWT shared images of two puffins who were seen at Kione my Halby.

They were the first since the trust’s project, funded by the Manx Ornithological Society in 2016, to attract puffins to breed on the Calf of Man, began.

Model puffins and speakers to play their call are placed around the islet every spring and summer but taken away again for the rest of the year as the puffin breeding season usually spans the warmer months.

Despite the weather delay, the new team of wardens still had lots to do, including gluing the feet back onto the decoy puffins.

The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) shared a report last year explaining how climate change is already affecting the UK’s birds.

Its findings were stark: nine in 10 of the puffin population across Britain and Ireland may be gone in less than 30 years, with a population decline of 89% projected by 2050.

The new wardens are hoping to see significant population growth this season.

l Manx Wildlife Trust are looking for new volunteers to help with their marine and freshwater work.

They have called for anyone wanting ‘to share their passion and enthusiasm for wildlife with the Manx community’.

All training and equipment would be provided.

You can find out more at: www.mwt.im/jobs/volunteer-ranger-marinefreshwater