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When looking for a new des res young
couples ready to settle down and raise a chick know it’s all about location,
location, location. And 38 pairs of little terns couldn’t resist being inches
away from the action on one of Britain’s busiest and most popular beaches at
Holkham National Nature Reserve (NNR).
Natural England’s team of reserve staff had spotted the potential for a new
area of shingle formed last year (2009) to offer a rare opportunity for ringed
plovers – squeezed out by increased visitor numbers – to nest in peace. So
they cordoned off the area to prevent disturbance and waited to see what would
happen next.
It wasn’t long before a single pair of ringed plover and oystercatcher both
nested, but more surprisingly, a few pairs of little terns also investigated
the site. Encouraged by the first nesting attempts staff put up signs asking
the public to help them look after the site, and deployed extra warden patrols
to monitor the area of shingle.
Natural England’s senior reserve manager Michael Rooney continues: “We
couldn’t believe that 38 pairs of little terns arrived and began nesting this
year, as well as two pairs of ringed plovers. This is the busiest part of a
very popular beach. It is probably the equivalent of pitching a tent on
Piccadilly Circus. But despite exceptionally high storm tides washing away
some nests in June, the fantastic news is that a total of 28 young finally
fledged last week.”
Numbers vary from year to year but Norfolk generally supports between 400 and
600 little terns, around a third of the UK population. Holkham usually
supports around 100 pairs of little terns across four or five different
colonies, so establishing a new colony of 38 pairs is a great result.
Michael Rooney added: “This success is a testament to the birds’ adaptibility
to live and breed alongside hundreds of thousands of visitors during the busy
summer months, the foresight and hard work of Natural England’s NNR staff, and
support and co-operation from the Reserve’s visitors.” |
