The dog playing a vital role protecting Bass Rock's gannets during lighthouse upgrade
Springer spaniel checking for stowaways en route to Forth island
A springer spaniel called Reid is playing a key role in the refurbishment of a historic lighthouse at the island home of the world’s largest colony of Northern gannets.
The biosecurity protection dog has the vital task of checking cargoes of building materials being airlifted to Bass Rock in the Forth for stowaway invasive species such as rats, which could decimate the seabird population.
His involvement is required because the island, which hosts 150,000 gannets in the summer, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Protecting the gannets is among challenges faced by the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) project, with the removal of their guano (poo) from the site requiring workers to use specialist protective equipment.
Washing, changing, eating and resting facilities, as well as a toilet, have also had to be transported to the island off North Berwick.
Rachel Cripps, Reid’s handler, said: “Seabirds breed on islands like Bass Rock because they have usually been free of mammalian predators, so they’re a safe place to lay their eggs and raise their chicks.
“When predators like a rat gets to these islands, they eat the eggs, can predate on the chicks and sometimes even eat the adult birds. The birds haven’t evolved any strategies to cope with predators like that, so it can decimate populations.
“Reid searches for any sign of rats, including droppings or trails left behind, to make sure there’s nothing in the bags being taken to the island.”
Rather than attack any rat he finds, Reid is trained to freeze, sit and stare, alerting Ms Cripps to their presence.
She said: “We call him an active detection tool. He is the best partner to work with. He is always happy to come to work, enthusiastic and raring to go.
“It definitely makes my life easier to have a colleague who is that excited.”
Reid works for Biosecurity for Scotland’s Seabird Islands, managed by NatureScot in a partnership with RSPB Scotland, the National Trust for Scotland and the NLB, and supported by the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund.
The project, which started last month, involves overhauling the 122-year-old lighthouse’s tower and upgrading its electrical system. A derelict winch house and low wall within the lighthouse’s courtyard will also be demolished.
Work is due to continue until January before being paused for the bird nesting season, then resuming in October next year and being completed in January 2027.
NLB project leader Paddy Wemyss said: “The site makes this project particularly challenging. Bass Rock is home to 150,000 gannets between March and September, with restrictions only allowing helicopter access between October and January.
“The working window is therefore short, and during the darkest and stormiest months. There is also no welfare on the island, so it has had to be provided within the tight courtyard space.
“The refurbishment works are a vital part of our provision of a reliable aid to navigation. The lighthouse has been guiding mariners safely through Scottish waters since 1903.”
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