Helen Booker is Senior Conservation Officer for RSPB in South West England. Amongst other projects, she has worked on the Seabird Conservation Project on Lundy and the Isles of Scilly.
Helen was one of the people who inspired my Guillemot studies on Lundy. She suggested Guillemot diet and provisioning studies to the Wardens on Lundy in 2006, the year I started working in the Marisco Tavern.
Articles about Helen's work on Lundy can be found by searching for her name in the Lundy Field Society bibliography:
http://www.lundy.org.uk/index.php/resources/lundy-bibliography
Helen Booker, David Price, Peter Slader, Tim Frayling, Tom Williams & Mark Bolton. 2019
Seabird recovery on Lundy: population change in Manx Shearwaters and other seabirds in response to the eradication of rats. British Birds, 112, 217-230.
Abstract Lundy once supported large numbers of breeding seabirds, but declines during the twentieth century left the island with only remnants of its former colonies. One major concern during this time was the impact of rat predation on eggs and chicks, especially of burrow-nesting Manx Shearwaters Puffinus puffinus and Puffins Fratercula arctica. A major project to eradicate rats from Lundy was completed in the spring of 2004. This paper examines the latest Manx Shearwater survey and how the species has responded since rats were eradicated, and sets this into the context of how the overall status of seabirds on Lundy has changed over the last 15 years.
Helen Booker, Senior Conservation Officer for RSPB in South West England said: “This study clearly shows how quickly and positively seabirds respond to the removal of non-native predators. Of course, we had anticipated major population increases when the project was launched, but the scale of this recovery has far exceeded our expectations... The partners are grateful for all the support we’ve had over the years from a huge team of volunteers without which both the work to eradicate the rats and our knowledge of the seabirds’ recovery simply would not have been possible”.
Puffins near St Philip's Stone, Lundy (photo by Shelley Sherman)
Helen Booker, Tony Taylor, Andrea Ayres, Dean Woodfin Jones, Susannah Bolton and Mark Bolton. 2018
Lundy Storm Petrel Survey, July 2018. Annual Report of the Lundy Field Society 68, 91--94.
Helen Booker, Peter Slader, David Price, A J Bellamy and Tim Frayling. 2018
Cliff Nesting Seabirds on Lundy: Population Trends from 1981 to 2017. Journal of the Lundy Field Society, 65--76.
Helen Booker and Tony Taylor. 2016
Manx Shearwater Nestboxes. Annual Report of the Lundy Field Society, 101--102. View online.
Helen Booker and Mark Bolton. 2016
Trial Survey Approaches for Lundy Storm Petrels. Annual Report of the Lundy Field Society, 103--105. View online.
Helen Booker and David Price. 2014
Manx shearwater recovery on Lundy: Population and distribution change from 2001 to 2013. Journal of the Lundy Field Society, 4, 105--116. View online.
Boost for rare Dartmoor bird
A new bird study on Dartmoor reveals dunlin numbers have increased in response to efforts to restore the moor’s famous mires.
http://ww2.rspb.org.uk/our-work/rspb-news/news/382542-boost-for-rare-dartmoor-bird
David Price, Peter Slader and Helen Booker. 2013
Breeding Cliff-nesting Seabirds 2013. Annual Report of the Lundy Field Society, 63, 85--92. View online.
RSPB - A light at the end of the burrow?
http://ww2.rspb.org.uk/our-work/rspb-news/news/350497-a-light-at-the-end-of-the-burrow
Andy Brown, David Price, Peter Slader, Helen Booker, Leigh lock and Deborah Deveney 2011
Seabirds on Lundy: their current status, recent history and prospects for the restoration of a once-important bird area. British Birds
Abstract Once host to some exceptionally important seabird colonies, the island of Lundy, in the Bristol Channel, lost much of its special seabird interest during the twentieth century. However, the eradication of rats (significant predators of seabirds on islands throughout the world) from Lundy in 2003-04 may pave the way for a return of the island’s once-flourishing colonies. This paper sets out, for the record, what is known of seabird population changes on Lundy. While it is too early to formally recognise the start of recovery, we identify some very encouraging signs that the recent eradication has been effective and that the island once again provides conditions in which seabirds are able to flourish.
https://britishbirds.co.uk/article/seabirds-on-lundy-their-current-status-recent-history-and-prospects-for-the-restoration-of-a-once-important-bird-area/
Helen Booker and David Price. 2010
Manx Shearwaters on Lundy: A study of population and distribution change from 2001 to 2008. Journal of the Lundy Field Society, 2, 105--112. View online.
Helen Booker and Chris Townend. 2010
Lundy Storm Petrel Survey 2010. Annual Report of the Lundy Field Society, 60, 81--84. View online.
RSPB - Marine Act will not protect the south west seabirds
https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/our-work/rspb-news/news/details.aspx?id=tcm:9-250718
Haw, K, Appleton, D, Booker, H and Bullock, D. 2009
Lundy - Britain's 'Kingdom of Heaven'. British Wildlife, 20:6, 413-22.
Helen Booker, David Price and Tony Taylor. 2008
Manx shearwater breeding success on Lundy 2007. Journal of the Lundy Field Society, 1, 47--56. View online.
David Appleton, Helen Booker, David J. Bullock, Lucy Cordrey and Ben Sampson. 2004
Interim report on the Sea Bird Recovery Project: Lundy. Annual Report of the Lundy Field Society, 53, 57--61. View online.
D. Price and H. Booker. 2000
Manx Shearwaters on Lundy. Annual Report of the Lundy Field Society, 51, 95--103. View online.
