Chesil's Little Terns

Guest blog by Chris Goding, RSPB Project Officer & Assistant Warden 

Hello everyone! I’m Chris and I am very pleased to have started this year as the project officer with the Chesil Little Tern Project, having previously worked as a tern officer for 3 seasons at RSPB Hodbarrow. Chesil Beach, Dorset, is the UK’s most south westerly site for breeding little tern, and it has been very exciting to get to grips with conservation interventions for such a charismatic species!

Little terns and fledglings on a buoy in the Fleet lagoon, Chesil. Credit: Angela Thomas

​As project officer I manage the day to day running of the colony together with Megan, our assistant project officer. This involves maintaining the electric fence, engaging the public, conducting population counts, and monitoring disturbance and predation. Much of this work is undertaken by a team of more than 60 volunteers, many of whom have been involved in the conservation of beach nesting birds longer than I have!

View of the colony looking north west across the Fleet towards Wyke Regis. Our temporary hide is visible on the left. Credit: RSPB Images

​A smaller group within these volunteers work closely with staff members and under licence to carry out nest management within the colony. A particularly interesting part of this work is the ‘sand-patching’ of nests laid on pebbles. Research in the 2000s showed evidence of nest failure as eggs chilled on Chesil’s pebbles. As a result, starting in 2013 nests found on pebbles have been relocated on top of sand patches buried into the shingle. These patches are constructed from flower pots filled with pebbles with roughly an inch of sand on top, separated by a disc of hanging basket lining (see image below). Work to fully assess their impact is ongoing, but current evidence suggests they considerably reduce mortality at the egg stage by providing more optimal incubation temperatures. 

​We also work closely with our local partners at the Wild Chesil Centre, including Dorset Wildlife Trust and the Chesil and Fleet Nature Reserve, who are very supportive with their time and knowledge, and help to locate the little tern project within the wider context of wildlife and visitor management at Chesil Beach. 

Diagram of a sand patch. Credit: RPSB Images

​This year has been a great season for the little terns, with 51 nests producing a minimum of 37 fledglings. This estimate is slightly lower than the previous two years, but still represents at least 0.7 fledglings/nest, the productivity needed to maintain population size at the colony. We also had 3 oystercatcher nests within the colony (minimum 1 fledgling), and 4 ringed plover nests (3 fledglings). Great to see other species benefitting from the project, albeit in a modest way.

We are also especially pleased with the new solar set-up powering our electric fence, switching from mains at the beginning of this season. This is hopefully a greener and more independent power source, and has maintained adequate voltage throughout the season with a few minor repairs to the fence itself.

All that remains now (more or less!) is to take down our fencing and temporary hide and store it for the winter. Roll on next season!