As part of the LIFE IP AZORES NATURA project, coordinated by the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Action, vital conservation work has been carried out on the Praia Islet, on the island of Graciosa, namely through the installation of artificial nests, to create favourable conditions for the nesting of threatened seabird species, such as the Monteiro’s Storm-petrel (Hydrobates monteiroi) and the Madeiran Storm-petrel (Hydrobates castro).

The first nests installed on Praia Islet were made of clay, but their fragility and the excessive temperature inside led to them being replaced by nests made of a mixture of cement and sawdust, with a 5 cm diameter entrance, specifically adapted to storm-petrels. These new nests, installed between March and May of this year, proved to be more effective at thermal insulation and more robust in the face of the adverse weather conditions characteristic of these islets.

Work will continue in the coming weeks, with the installation of the remaining nests and increased monitoring of the birds.