Here's our Plovers in Peril Project Officer, Wynona, with an update on what's currently happening on our North West Norfolk beaches...
Well what a whirlwind few weeks for both the nesting Ringed Plover and for our hard-working team of volunteers! We have seen challenges from tides, predation and the impacts of summer crowds on the nesting birds, often all at once on the Plovers in Peril stretch and as the crowds ease a little we can take a little breather and check in with you all for an update on how the ringed plover families are doing and the highs and lows of their nesting journey so far.
Throughout May we were delighted to see new nests popping up all along the beach on the Plovers in Peril site from Snettisham reserve to South Heacham. To ensure these precious nests are protected from accidental trampling we have been fencing them with post and rope cordons as they appear on the upper shore. With around 20 nests in total on the Plovers in Peril site (and some inevitable relays due in the coming weeks) I feel like I am one step closer to looking like Popeye with each passing day!
Incubating ringed plover, Les Bunyan
As we reached the end of May we were sadly affected by some high tides and with storms pushing winds in from North West, a lot of the beach at the South Heacham was flooded with water and many of the nests at the North end were lost to tidal flooding.
Flooded ringed plover nest, Wynona Legg
Washed out cordon, Wynona Legg
With climate change contributing to sea level rise, these high tides pose an increasing problem for many coastal sites and add to the struggles faced by beach nesting birds. Several pairs had quite cleverly taken up residence high up on the shingle shelf cut out by the April tides which meant they were high and dry, safe from the risk of flooding. Sadly, though it’s never easy for these birds and with this higher elevation and closer proximity to the cover of marram grasses these nests were vulnerable to a different challenge – predators. We have lost several nests to natural predation from aerial predators such as crows and ground predators such as stoats and foxes. Whilst we will be taking every step possible to protect the birds from these challenges, this is a wild site we can expect some losses from predation and tides – it’s part of the cycle of life and there is often not a lot we can do.
Predated ringed plover egg, Wynona Legg
There are however several things we can ALL do to give these birds the best chance of success.
By keeping dogs on leads and keeping well away from the fenced off areas – we can reduce the amount of disturbance to the adult bird as they incubate those eggs. People passing too close or dogs left to run free inside fenced areas cause the adult birds to fly off the nest, leaving the eggs vulnerable to resourceful predators like crows. If the parent bird is sitting tightly on the nest, they are safe and protected. With our help, these birds can thrive here at Snettisham and South Heacham and we can look forward to seeing chicks running about on the shoreline of these wildlife rich beaches!
Many of you will have seen the heart-breaking footage of quads from April aired on local news and RSPB social channels. We have been overwhelmed by the support shown by the community and comments of sadness at such news on this beach which is such a stronghold for these nesting birds. For those who missed the news you can read more about the story here. Whilst we are thankful that no eggs were destroyed on this occasion, we urge anyone witnessing any quads driving on this beach to report it to the police straight away by calling 999 or 101 if the event has happened. The more support we receive in this way, the more we can do to make sure we stop it happening again.
For those of you still reading I save the best until last! We were delighted this week to announce the news of our very first chicks! The first chick was seen on bank holiday Monday on the reserve, a brave little ball of fluff exploring the shores of The Wash for the very first time under the watchful eye of mum and dad. We have since seen a new family of chicks at the sailing club and eagerly await the arrival of chicks on Snettisham and South Heacham beaches. These tiny new things have a lot of growing to do to grow into those long legs but during the first month of their lives they are wobbly, unsure of the world and unable to fly. Please watch your step on your strolls along these beaches this summer and most importantly if you have four-legged friends with you, please keep them on a lead to keep these little fluffbags safe from harm!
I leave you with these photos taken by Les Bunyan of our first of the Snettisham ringed plover ‘class of 2021!’
Ringed plover chick, Les Bunyan
Take care, keep safe and see you on the beach!
Wynona