Plovers in Peril: Reckless beach drivers put vulnerable birds in peril

A warm hello from Wynona,

When I started my post as Ringed Plover Project Officer for the RSPB, I was under no illusion that the ringed plovers on this stretch of beach have a heart-breaking number of challenges to face in order to raise a family here.

For me, what keeps me going is the knowledge that I am part of a project that has the capability to generate real, positive change for a species that is hurtling toward being lost from our coastline altogether. A project that will hopefully be a catalyst in reversing the trajectory of their decline here, to a point where we can look forward to them being present in our future.

Image: Incubating ringed plover on the beach by Phill Gwilliam 

Nearing 5pm on Friday, 23 April at the South Heacham end of the Plovers in Peril project site, I was just about ready to head off site and was stealing some end-of-the-day moments, watching two pairs of ringed plovers digging out scrapes on the upper shore. I'd noticed their footprints in the sand heading up from the mudflats toward the top of the beach and smiled when I saw them settling amongst the shingle, flicking orange feet as they turfed out sand to make a perfect nest for their eggs, uttering a gentle, contented call - a reminder to me that living alongside each other without discord is beautifully within our reach.

Image: Ringed plover footprints in the sand by Wynona Legg

The softness of their calls was then broken by the sound of engines. I looked up to see five quad bikes tearing across the beach in my direction and my heart totally fell away. Within less than a minute they had reached me and my efforts to politely wave them down were futile. One of the drivers gave me a wave as he tore past me before driving up onto the soon-to-be nesting site, joining several of the others snaking through the heart of the ringed plovers' nesting habitat, driving tracks over the scrapes I’d watched them settled in just seconds before.

For those who are familiar with Snettisham Beach and the birds which nest here you may find this video a difficult watch:

Image: Quads approaching by Wynona Legg

The quads were seen driving across wildlife rich coastal land owned by Ken Hill Estate, internationally important coastal habitat forming part of The Wash SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest), the RSPB Snettisham Reserve and through narrow permissive public footpaths not designed for vehicle use. The warm weather had brought many visitors to the beach that day and many were still enjoying the beach when the quads raced down the beach, weaving between them.

I made my way back to along the beach from Snettisham with my heart in my throat whist scanning the upper shore for birds. I caught up with the two pairs I was watching before the quads appeared. The energy was different now as I watched them settle back on the beach, rebuilding their scrapes from scratch amongst a chequerboard of tyre tracks. They called to one another and shimmied their little, white bellies down into the soft sand, picking up tiny fragments of shell and pebbles among the furrows of tyre treads, preening, dusting themselves off, adjusting themselves back to the quiet to start over.

Some of these pairs started scrape building in early April and will accompany this with several weeks of courtship displaying, pair bonding and nest prospecting in the lead up to egg laying. As a team we watch the birds at every step of their journey whilst working hard to give them the space and protection they need. My eyes moved over lost scrapes flattened by a criss-crossed mash of vehicle tyre tracks and banked up fresh sand in wide circles across the narrow strip they will nest within. Flattened and hidden here is all that precious time and hard-won energy these birds have invested to find, build and establish a nest. Hidden here is the message that beach nesting birds need our help to thrive here before they too are vanished from the coastline under the tyre tracks of our joy rides.

Image: Ringed plover scrape with quad tracks either side by Wynona Legg

The tenaciousness and resilience of these birds to keep going in the face of such disproportionate challenges blows my mind and gives me hope. In fact, they have so much tenacity I spend a lot of time wondering if they might actually be indestructible. The potential impact of events like this always gives me a gutting reminder that they are not. We are thankful that no eggs had been observed at the time of this incident – however had there been active nests with birds incubating eggs, the damage for the birds would have been severe (and the offences committed punishable by law).

Over half of England’s most threatened breeding bird species nest on or near to the ground. Ringed plovers are one of these birds and their severe decline is in part a result of increased visitor pressure on beaches where they nest.  Plovers in Peril is a partnership project funded by King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council via the Habitat Monitoring and Mitigation Fund. We are working collaboratively with Ken Hill Estate and Norfolk Coast AONB to raise awareness of beach nesting birds on this site and hope to demonstrate that by watching your step and giving breeding birds the space they need, together we can ensure their presence here is safeguarded long into the future.

At this critical stage in their nesting season I find it incredibly saddening watching the video of the quads on play back. It is my hope that the video stirs something in others too. We have a collective duty to ensure the beaches we love are respected and are safe places for us and for our wildlife, especially now as since the event has taken place, our site team has recorded active nest sites on this stretch of beach.  

Image: Ringed plover nest by Wynona Legg

The RSPB are working with Norfolk Police to see that reckless disturbance like this is halted on our much-loved beach but as a community WE NEED YOUR HELP!

In sharing this video with you, myself and a team of dedicated volunteers and staff hope to encourage you to support us in our work to protect these and other beach nesting birds during the nesting season - and to report any information about this or other events like this causing disturbance to beach nesting birds or damage to their nests, eggs or young. PLEASE HELP us by reporting any incidence of wildlife disturbance or damage to the police as soon as possible, either on 999 if the event is occurring, or on 101 if the event has passed. If you are unsure about what a wildlife crime can look like, see here for our handy guide.

Whether you live here, work here, visit little or a lot, we welcome your support. Help us give these birds a chance.

All my gratitude

Wynona, Ringed Plover Project Officer

wynona.legg@rspb.org.uk