Blog by Marie Dipple, RSPB Beach Nesting Bird Coordinator The journey begins…! I am thrilled to introduce myself as the new Beach Nesting Bird Coordinator, working on the Life on The Edge (LOTE) project, taking over from the brilliant Lizzie Bruce. With 8 years in the conservation sector, and experience as a little tern warden at Chesil Beach in Dorset and Gronant Dunes in North Wales, I am eager to apply the knowledge I've gained in my career so far to this new role. Having worked on coastal restoration projects, building partnerships, and contributing to nature recovery strategies, I've learned invaluable lessons from my colleagues and fellow enthusiasts. Following in Lizzie's footsteps, I am determined to continue the great work already achieved and continue building relationships with existing partners and exploring new opportunities. The LOTE project wraps up this year, and I'm excited to be part of the culmination of efforts from our team as well as the dedicated project partners. Although in saying this, I realise I don’t want to be seen taking credit too soon, as I’ve conveniently come in as the reports are being written… In my first two weeks, I've already seen the immense dedication of reserves staff, volunteers, managers, and stakeholders towards beach nesting bird recovery in England. Collaborating closely with my LOTE colleagues, I've enjoyed diving into breeding data, case studies, and reports on species like terns, gulls, ringed plover, oystercatcher, and redshank. These birds depend on effective coastal and marine habitat management, and through adaptive management and sharing best practices, we can implement the most appropriate conservation measures. Watch this space for this work developing! There will be some exciting outputs to follow.
I hope this role promises to challenge me, inspire growth, and allows me to work with incredible people. So far, it has absolutely delivered on the latter! I love connecting with people and am keen to collaborate with new and existing partners and stakeholders to drive this work forward; to halt species decline and promote recovery. Here's to new beginnings, and the exciting path ahead! Photo Credits: Marie Dipple
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Happy World Seabird Day! July 3rd is the annual World Seabird Day, chosen to mark the last recorded sighting of the now-extinct Great Auk in 1844. We've marked today with a blog about the seabirds and waders at South Walney Nature Reserve by Rebekah Watts, Shorebird Warden, Cumbria Wildlife Trust The Reserve South Walney Nature Reserve is a coastal reserve which has been managed by Cumbria Wildlife Trust since 1963. Located at the Southern end of Walney Island, South Walney Nature Reserve is comprised of a variety of habitats such as dunes, saltmarsh and shingle. This combination of habitats makes South Walney a very appealing location to a wide variety of birds and other wildlife. South Walney is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) and a special protection area (SPA). The birds and disturbance Many bird species reside at South Walney Nature Reserve and throughout the year this reserve is home to species such as ringed plover, oystercatcher and eider. Black tailed godwit, dunlin and knot are examples of wintering species and through the spring and summer, species such as wheatear and little tern spend their time here. During the breeding season, March through to August, many species breed at South Walney including the UK’s second rarest seabird; the little tern. There is no beach access and dogs are not permitted. These restrictions immensely reduce the stress to nesting birds, allowing them to raise their chicks. Livestock grazing and the wild population of rabbits ensure that the habitat is in perfect condition for nesting birds such as great black back gulls and lapwing, who choose short grass when nesting, allowing them to observe predators from their position. The largest gull colony in Europe, comprised of herring and lesser black backed gulls, used to reside at South Walney Nature Reserve, with numbers in excess of 45,000. Due to predation these numbers dropped dramatically, to around 400 pairs. The installation of a predator proof fence has allowed these numbers to begin recovering. Last breeding season, 2023, the total colony number was 1630 pairs and it continues to rise. The ground nesting birds that choose Walney as their nesting grounds are in decline. Despite the apparently large amount if herring and lesser black-backed gulls seen in towns, their numbers are falling. Lesser black-backed gulls are amber listed and herring gulls are in even poorer numbers and are a red listed species of concern. Little terns are also amber listed as well as being a schedule one protected species. Ground nesting birds are easily disturbed. The separation from their eggs and chicks can result in predation from other species such as crows and foxes, and eggs can be cooled. Energy loss can be fatal to a bird, using up energy stored for hunting for food. Repeated disturbance results in adults abandoning chicks and eggs due to stress. Other Wildlife The benefit of these restrictions is not limited to birds. South Walney Nature Reserve is home to a thriving grey seal colony. Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s marine team conduct surveys on these seals during their breeding season, and counted 409 individuals on their last count. The lack of beach access allows the seals to haul out and moult, breed and digest their food without interference. Other mammals such as otters, foxes, stoats and badgers also call this reserve home. Marine wildlife can also be seen when sea watching at South Walney Nature reserve, including bottlenose dolphins, harbour porpoises and recently, a basking shark! So why is Walney important! The combination of habitats at South Walney Nature Reserve allows many ground nesting species with different requirements to nest and here successfully. For example, grazed pasture and saltmarsh allows lapwing to nest and to provide their chicks with the correct diet, teaching them to feed on invertebrates in muddy margins. Another example is little tern, who create their nest in sand and shingle, fishing for sand eels in the sea. When given respect and space, ground nesting birds can succeed enormously and that is why it is so important to offer these amazing birds a safe place to lay their eggs and raise their chicks free from disturbance. South Walney Nature Reserve is able to provide this environment and with the public, volunteers and staff with the same vision, wildlife is able to thrive. Link to Bekka's other South Walney blog
First blog: LIFE at South Walney Second blog: Nesting Season Preparation Photo credits: Rebekah Watts |
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Photo credits: Oystercatcher by Katie Nethercoat (rspb-images.com)
LOTE Logo credits: Saskia Wischnewski |