Blog by Rebekah Watts, Shorebird Warden - South Walney, Cumbria Wildlife Trust ​

Nesting Season
Spring has finally arrived and with it, changes are occurring. Flowers are blossoming, days are lengthening and here at South Walney Nature Reserve, birds are carrying sticks and feathers and nests are popping up along our beaches which means that nesting season has begun.

Nesting season is the most important time of year. The productivity of our birds is highly important and to assist them during this season, a lot of preparation is undergone during the Autumn and Winter months.  

Nesting Season Preparations
Funding provided by ‘LIFE on the Edge’ (also known as LOTE) helps substantially at South Walney nature reserve when it comes to nesting season. LOTE is a Life Nature project which is lead by the RSPB and National Trust. This project aims to improve the quality of target coastal areas as well as providing recommendations for longer term coastal habitat management and/or creation, with focus on little tern, oystercatcher and ringed plover. LOTE have provided South Walney with equipment for electric fences such as solar panels and energisers, monitoring equipment such as trail cameras and thermal scopes and permanent hybrid fencing. LOTE also provides funding for a seasonal shorebird warden to work with the sole purpose of protecting coastal nesting birds. With the help of LOTE, we at South Walney are able to provide protection to nesting coastal birds throughout the season.

Preparation for nesting season begins in late August / early September. At this time, we start checking our permanent fences for damage and repairing them. Debris is removed and the gates are shut to stop livestock from entering. Holes in the fence are repaired, wire is replaced and holes dug by predators into the fenced area are filled in. The area around the electric fence is cut back with a brush cutter to reduce interference with the wires. The inside of the fence is also brush cut to create the correct nesting habitat. The fence is now ready to be made live closer to the start of the season.

During the nesting season, temporary electric fences and signs explaining what we are protecting are erected. Before this, the area around the perimeter of the fence is brush cut and litter picks are completed. During this season and the previous season, an area of land to past the boundary wall of the reserve to the north was fenced. This land was kindly temporarily loaned to South Walney Nature Reserve, as little terns choose this location to nest. The habitat is shingle and sand, close to the sea which is a perfect location for terns to nest and fish.

To provide more habitat for nesting coastal birds, a tern raft is moved into place, floating in the pool of the oyster farm. The anchors are dropped, a camera is installed and the raft is ready for occupants. There is a permanently placed raft which is used by the same Oystercatcher pair each year. The parents are currently sitting on eggs there now!

Chick shelters, nest cages and cameras are important to protect vulnerable chicks and adults from predators and extreme weather. Shelters of different shapes (for different chicks) are placed on the tern rafts, inside the fences and along the beaches to provide shelter and safety to chicks. Cameras are crucial for monitoring wildlife. They are placed directly on nests and at crossing points to catch predators. Cameras are placed out early in the season and checked regularly throughout the season.

New to 2024
A new sound lure and hand-crafted little tern and herring gull decoys were created in 2024. In an attempt to attract a mixed gull colony of herring and lesser black backed gulls to nest in a new location, 10 adult and 6 juvenile herring gull decoys were created and placed in a temporary 8 strand fenced area. This fence was put in place at the start of the season with decoys and a trail camera, and has successfully attracted first year herring gull visitors since the addition of the decoy birds. We hope to see these gulls return next nesting season! To attract little tern, 40 little tern decoys were crafted and placed on the tern raft, in the temporary 12 strand fence to the north of the reserve and in the fenced area on Foulney island nature reserve. In combination with the decoys, a sound lure was created and is played on loop in the daylight hours. This has successfully attracted 12 pairs of little terns and we are hoping to see chicks in the next couple of weeks. 

Good Luck, Birds!
Now that fences are live, decoys and sound lures are in place and cameras are being regularly checked, it’s up to the birds to raise their young. We wish them the best! 


Link to first South Walney blog by Bekka: LIFE at South Walney

Photo credits: Rebekah Watts

Blog by Rebekah Watts, Shorebird Warden - South Walney, Cumbria Wildlife Trust 

Hi! I’m Bekka, and I’m this year’s shorebird warden at South Walney Nature Reserve for the 2024 nesting season. I am a residential warden. This amazing and diverse reserve is teeming with wildlife including many bird species, and that is what I am here to protect.

As a shorebird warden it is my job to protect and observe my target species: little tern, oystercatcher, ringed plover, great black backed gull, lesser black backed gull, herring gull and lapwing. 

​What wildlife can be seen at South Walney Nature Reserve?
Walney is home to a large, thriving grey seal colony, with more than 400 individuals. Pupping season starts in September, and watching the little white pups laying on the beach under the watchful eyes of their protective mothers is always a treat. Our amazing mammals include otters, badgers, foxes and stoats. These mammals are rare and exciting to spot here! Sea watching from out sea hide can yield even rarer sights; including bottlenose dolphins, harbour porpoises and recently, a basking shark! South Walney Nature Reserve is home to many incredible species of birds, including wildfowl, wading birds and passerines. 

How does a shorebird warden protect shorebirds?
I monitor my target species by completing shorebird surveys, low tide nest counts and trail camera surveillance. The wonderful team of volunteers and I maintain the electric fences which protect the gull and tern colonies from predators such as foxes and badgers. When eggs are found I take into account the incubation period and use this to calculate hatch dates. I place cages around nests which are outside the fence and then I wait! When eggs hatch, I revisit the site of the scrapes (nests) and watch for signs of life such as parents carrying food for their chicks or a view of the chicks themselves. All of this helps me to work out the productivity of each species in this area. 

Visitor engagement is also an important part of my job. I explain the issues of disturbance of both birds and seals, teaching people how to reduce disturbance and to share outdoor coastal spaces with wildlife in positive way, such as moving away from a distressed bird, staying 100m away from hauled out seals and not forcing wildlife interactions.

When ground nesting birds feel threatened, they may abandon their eggs or chicks, or may perform a distraction display, which expends a lot of energy which the bird has stored to find food. All of these responses leave chicks and eggs vulnerable to predation. Working together we can protect these vulnerable species and give them the best chance at a successful nesting season.

​2024 season up to June
Passerines, perching birds (up to now) in 2024
Although these species aren’t on my target list, I am still monitoring their success. The table below shows the species which have been successful in the 2024 nesting season so far:

​​Shorebirds (up to now) in 2024
Fox predation has been an issue this nesting season and due to this there are less nests than in the previous season, however our fences are providing protection to many of the species listed below:

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​Wildfowl (up to now) in 2024
As with the passerine birds, wildfowl aren’t on my target list, however I am still monitoring them:

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​Good luck, everyone!
The season is progressing, chicks are beginning to hatch and I will continue to monitor these special birds until the outcome of the last chick is known. South Walney is a truly dynamic reserve with so many exciting species and being able to assist them during this crucial time is an amazing experience. I hope for a successful nesting season.