Assistant Warden, John fills us in on a busy spring at our key site on the Welsh side of the Dee Estuary reserve:
Since May I have been leading on our ‘EU LIFE+’ funded project at Point of Ayr for the protection of little terns. The aim of the project is to provide a secure habitat for breeding birds that are dispersing from the large colony at Gronant (3 miles west of Point of Ayr). I am happy to say that this year we have once more fledged one little tern chick from the single pair that chose to reside at Point of Ayr this breeding season. This success, along with the previous 2 years, is positive for the establishment of a second colony here on the North Wales coast in the future; however it hasn’t been without its difficulties this year.
The project starts back in May with a team of eager volunteers to establish the secure electric fenced pens to prevent ground predators from snapping up the contents of nests. These sections of electrified stock fencing need to be under tension, by running a top wire around the entire area, as well as preventing gaps forming between the supporting wooden fence posts and the ground. This is done by pegging approximately 750m of fencing.
Volunteers securing predator fencing – Image by John Langley
Once complete it became a waiting game to see if any terns like the look of our shingle. Eventually a pair settled within the pen towards the end of May with the chicks emerging at the end of June. During this period the little terns had to put up with a pair of oystercatcher that chose to breed very close by and took a disliking to the adult little terns flying close to their nest and chicks. The breeding terns were also at risk from a very high tide at the end of May which flooded all but the highest sections of shingle, luckily the area chosen by the pair. This required a clean up and ‘re-pegging’ of the fence line by our volunteers.
Volunteers cleaning up and re-pegging the fence line – Image by John Langley
Eventually two chicks were first seen on 24 June on a very wet and windy visit to the site. This is always a relief to see chicks but also signals a stressful period of time until the birds fledge. With the birds hatching during a period of terrible weather it was great to see that they survived, these welsh birds are going to have to get used to the rain! Luckily the weather improved which allowed the adults to feed for small fish and sand eels, leaving the chicks for periods of time without them getting too cold and wet during such a high risk period when the young terns are so vulnerable. During my regular visits to the site it was great to see the birds developing and becoming bolder and more active without the adults birds around. It was during one of the two co-ordinated counts with all northern tern colonies that we last saw one of the chicks. Both birds were developing their flight feathers and were extremely active, moving between the secure pen and the surrounding sand dunes. Without being able to fly the chicks are extremely vulnerable in this situation with stoats, foxes and even dogs off a lead being a potential predator to a flightless chick running around by itself outside the electrified pens!
So after the initial disappointment of losing a chick so close to fledging it was still massively exciting sight to see the young bird taking a very short flight on one of my visits. Over the following week, these flights gradually became longer, with adult birds teaching them how to fish until they were fully mobile and start interacting again with birds at the Gronant colony. For me, its great to see the birds have once more been successful at Point of Ayr and makes me hopeful for the future of a new colony forming at the site, securing the future of the birds within North Wales.
It has also been a great experience to take ownership of the project, working alongside our colleagues at Denbighshire Council at Gronant, and being “forced” to work at the coast during a very sunny summer! I have recently taken a look at the trail camera from the site which included images of a breeding plumage golden plover along with a “dancing” ringed plover. The latter is one of five pairs of ringed plover that took full advantage of the protection given by the electrified fencing.
Golden plover – Image by John Langley
Dancing ringed plover – Image by John Langley
Regular visits to the site has been great to get to grips with the sand dunes at Point of Ayr, a personal highlight was flushing a quail, with more regular sightings of grayling and paint lady butterflies still seen at the site. The floral diversity at the site is fantastic with orchids dotting the site in early summer with pinks and purples, including common spotted and pyramidal orchids. As the summer progresses the orchids fade and are replaced by the vivid blue of sea holly providing food for bees and butterflies. On my last visit to the site, albeit it very wet and windy, the passage of sandwich terns was evident as was the increasing numbers of oystercather and curlew. This signals a change of work at Point of Ayr to a autumn/winter wardening scheme that relies on volunteers to help protect wader roosts from disturbance during high tide periods. If this is something that you would be interested in assisting with then please contact me via email: john.langley@rspb.org.uk .
It must be very rewarding when all the hard work pays off. Well done John and all the team.