Little Tern Recovery Project
Eccles-on-Sea, Norfolk
The little tern is one of our rarest, and one of our smallest, breeding sea birds. They measure only 21-25cm in length and arrive on the UK’s coastline each April to breed, having flown over 3,000 miles from the west coast of Africa.
But the number of little terns in the UK and Europe is declining. In the UK there were 2,500 breeding pairs in the 1980s, this reduced to less than 2,000 pairs in 2000 and now current estimates are at about 1,500 pairs or less, occurring in about 60 breeding colonies of various sizes.
This dramatic decline is due to a range of factors, including human disturbance, predation, habitat change and high tides and surges linked to summer storms.
The RSPB has been involved in little tern conservation for 50 years, taking the lead in responding to the decline of the species and loss of colonies in the 1970s by establishing protection and warden schemes at sites around the UK. A major new five-year partnership (2013-2018), includig the RSPB, Natural England and other conservation groups, aims to build on this success with funding from the EU Life+ programme.
The aim of the Little Tern Recovery Project is to lay down the foundations for the long-term recovery of little terns in the UK by increasing numbers of breeding pairs and productivity, identifying long-term plans for conservation and increasing public awareness and support.
One of the largest colonies in the UK is at Winterton-on-Sea and at nearby Eccles-on-Sea on the East Norfolk coast where RSPB wardens and volunteers provide 24/7 surveillance and monitoring of the breeding birds from April to August each year.
I joined them as a volunteer warden for the 2015 season and have tried to capture the life of the colony over the summer months and in particular illustrate the various factors affecting the success (or otherwise) of their breeding season.
All photos were taken by Fabienne Fossez under a Natural England Schedule 1 photography licence. (Except Nos. 1, 16 & 21 )