Blog by Flora Burn, RSPB Research Assistant

I was initially employed in 2023, as a HPAI research assistant and following the end of the breeding season; have since been working on the EU funded LIFE on the Edge project. After much perseverance, my goal of being employed in the conservation sector finally came to fruition. It can only be up from here!

Donning full PPE in baking heat and pouring rain was made worth it to see some of the beautiful, special spots of the Northumbrian coastline. Home to thousands of seabirds. The Farne Islands was where I spent the majority of my visits through the week – also rotating around Lindisfarne and Long Nanny site.

​My first visit to the Farne Islands, I had few words. The beauty was extensive. I had never been so close to such a vast expanse of different seabirds, each drowning the other out with a cacophony of calls. Though it was sobering to see the avian flu wash through the colonies. As a research assistant, I monitored the birds daily; collecting and recording data, reminding myself that the data will help us to understand this deadly virus and inform future decisions for the protection of species. 

​​After many hours spent watching a variety of species, the sea of black and white (Kittiwakes, Guillemots, Razorbills, Shags) covering the rock faces gradually started to become patchy, with more and more heading off to their wintering grounds. I took my last boat ride back to land, after finally having (just about) found my sea legs, having watched thousands of young grow, fledge and leave.

It was time to get back to work in a slightly less wild environment, but no less interesting. I was taken under the wing of a pre-existing team, and joined in on the EU funded project, LIFE on the Edge. My work helping with the creation of a toolkit guiding best practice of conservation projects managing beach nesting birds has taught me a lot. The aim is that it will aid the conservation of beach nesting birds across the UK.

​In helping to create a ‘toolkit’ it provides a central resource, a hub of information, for site staff, volunteers, members of the public and generally anyone of interest, to access. In essence, a go to guide / manual on how to protect beach nesters. Time was spent reading, researching and writing.

​Having worked as a Little tern warden previously, joining the project felt like a natural fit – having experienced the hard work and team effort it takes to protect these vulnerable species. I thought back to the days of trudging beaches for miles, lugging fencing, fishboxes, shovels, pleading with visitors to keep away from birds, doing everything possible to protect the little visitors whose numbers are so low, in efforts to protect them. I couldn’t help feeling like a manual would have been useful!

I threw myself into the research and collation of information, determined to pull together an informative, accessible document. Some species I already had a good level of understanding of their needs, some I knew less about, such as the Mediterranean gull.

​Gulls seem to get a bad rep. They are an amber listed species, and with reduced suitable natural nesting sites, much like many other beach nesting species, numbers are dwindling. A few years ago, egg collectors decimated a mixed colony of Black-headed and Mediterranean gulls at Poole Harbour. 60-70% of nests were emptied by illegal collectors overnight, to be sold on and served in a few high-end luxury restaurants. This has a huge impact on breeding success. Disturbance, predation and climate change are all severely impacting seabirds, and we need to do what we can to put measures in place to offer the best chances of survival.  

​Through my work, I have vastly expanded my knowledge of a variety of beach nesting bird species and their conservation practices. It’s encouraging to know that the work being produced will inform UK wide conservation in practice, with detailed sections providing information on species, monitoring methods, predator monitoring (trail cameras, fencing etc), predator management (chick shelters, audible deterrents, diversionary feeding etc), disturbance and management (signage, zoning, patrols etc), habitat management, and engagement with the community. We can only do our bit, and long may it continue. 

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Editor's comment: Please note this toolkit is still being written, but will be placed on the LIFE on the Edge website once it is finalised.

All photos are copyrighted: Flora Burn 
Instagram: @flora_burn    

Blog by David Mason, National Trust - Suffolk and Essex Coast Ranger

April 2023 was an exciting month for the Northey Island Coastal Adaptation Strategy and the LIFE on the Edge project. After several years of planning and preparation the final parts of the embankment were lowered on April 28th and the tide came into the new starter creek, finally overtopping onto the Eastern fields at high tide on the 4th of May. Hurrah!

We have timelapse cameras on site to record progress and these are quite useful in comparing before and after photos.

​​This photo shows the ‘before’ of the pond the water voles were translocated from, with Brent Geese settled in the field. The area on the right is the location of the first managed realignment in England carried out in 1991, which laid the foundation for later realignment projects around the country.

​This is the same view after the embankment was removed, showing the tide coming over the 1991 realignment.

​On particularly high tides the incoming water covers the lowered embankment and spills into the pond. Here little egrets and other wading birds can be seen in the shallows.

​May the 4th be with you. The forces of nature take charge at Northey as the first high tide overtops the new starter creek onto the Eastern field.

​Saltmarsh plants have already begun growing in the Eastern field, predominantly along the edges of the creek and scrape, whilst birds including lapwing, little egret, redshank and greenshank make use of the new intertidal area

Bank Reprofiling

The bank in the Northern field has been reprofiled with a shallow back slope to make it more resilient to overtopping by the tide during storm surges.  Capped with topsoil from on site this will quickly regenerate and forms part of a new circular walk around the site, open April through to September. A new borrowdyke has been dug out further inland.  This drains the field and links to an outlet pipe with flap valve that takes excess water into the saltmarsh.  The ditch contains a deeper pond area for freshwater wildlife. The field has been re-fenced and will continue to be used for hay making and grazing which keep the grass in good condition for brent geese, lapwing and curlew to use in the winter.

Water vole update-
As the landscaping work has finished, the fencing to keep the water voles in their new pond has been removed.  It now looks like part of the landscape and the voles are free to roam into the network of freshwater ponds and ditches.

Fish survey training

​National Trust staff undertook fish survey training with Steve from the Institute of Fisheries Management.  After laying out fyke nets in the creeks at low tide, we trawled a tidal pool with a seine net while waiting for the tide to rise and bring the fish in to the creeks.  The seine net caught a range of small fish including common goby, bass, thin lipped grey mullet, gold grey mullet, stickleback, prawn and shrimp.  Larger bass were caught in the fyke net nearest the seaward end of the creek. The surveyed marine life were returned to the creeks and scrapes following identification to continue their journeys around the estuary and further afield.
 

Links to previous blogs about Northey Island
​Part 1:  www.projectlote.life/news/northey-island
Part 2:  www.projectlote.life/news/ntconservationadaption
Part 3: https://www.projectlote.life/news/ntwatervoles​
Part 4: www.projectlote.life/news/northey-update

​The terns that choose Foulney as their nesting grounds are protected species and they are in decline. It is so important to offer them a safe place to lay their eggs and raise their chicks as they are easily disturbed by human recreational activities, dogs, aerial and ground predators (such as sparrowhawks and foxes). Their nests are vulnerable as they nest where there are no visual obstructions to allow them to watch for predators but this means that they nest out in the open, making their chicks and eggs susceptible to predation. Their eggs are at risk of being trampled by people, as their camouflage is very successful. Terns nest on shingle and require close access to the sea to feed. That’s what makes Foulney the perfect place for them. Terns return to the same colony to breed in most cases and Arctic tern travel 22,000 miles on their migration. This special little island hosts these incredible birds and it needs to be protected. 

Breeding Season Preparation
Preparation for breeding season on Foulney Island is an intense operation! For this year, the main island was turf stripped to provide extra habitat for shore nesting birds. This new shingle area was fenced off to protect the birds using it to raise their young, from ground predators such as foxes, rats and hedgehogs. Turf stripping involves the removal of the top layer of vegetation and in this case, changing the habitat to shingle. The vegetation was then buried beneath the layer of shingle. This area has been used this season by eiders, ringed plovers and oyster catchers who’s chicks began hatching recently, proving the success of the change in habitat! Skylarks and meadow pipits also benefited from the ground predator protection in this area as they too nested here, inside the fence on the edge of the shingle where vegetation remains.

​In preparation for the electric fence the vegetation was strimmed. Insulator stakes were knocked into the ground and electric wires passed through the insulators. To prepare the public, signs were put up in the carpark, the causeway and on the island stating that dogs are not allowed and explaining why, and the rope fence to fence off the beach area, where the birds nest, was put up. Lastly, the caravan was put in place. Then it was time to begin surveying! ​

Warden life on Foulney

Hi! I’m Bekka, and I’m this year’s seasonal warden on Foulney island nature reserve. This beautiful little island reserve is home to many species of breeding birds over the summer including oystercatchers, ringed plovers, eider ducks and little terns. In addition to the birds, the island is home to and visited by mammals such as grey seals and voles; as well as insects such as butterflies and moths.
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Sharing an island with such beautiful wildlife is an amazing experience. Being the only person living on an island might seem lonely, but I have plenty of fishermen to chat to, and of course the wildlife! During the season I have been lucky enough to experience finding nests and watching parents lovingly incubate their eggs, and have watched eggs hatch into beautiful chicks. Watching eider females with crèches of up to 30 ducklings swimming across the water and oyster catcher parents leading their chicks across the shingle are sights that will never get old.

Hello, my name is Mark Appleton and work as Beach Nesting Bird Project Officer along the Solent. I joined the RSPB in this role, this March 2023.

​So, what does a Beach Nesting Bird Project Officer do? I will attempt to explain some of the tasks I have undertaken so far.

Thanks to the LIFE Programme (LIFE on the Edge) and the Solent Seascape Project, I was recruited to help change the fortunes of shore nesting birds on multiple sites, both on and off natures reserves across the Solent. This even includes working at the Browndown Military Training site. The area of Solent that I am responsible for ranges from Hurst Spit on the Western Solent to Pagham harbour on the Eastern Solent.
 
Spread out across the Solent’s shingle and saltmarsh coasts, a diverse range of coastal ground-nesting birds make their home each summer. Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher and Little Tern regularly attempt nesting on our shingle beaches looking for new sites each year to raise a new generation as well as returning to old favourites.
 
At the time of writing, we are in the very busy period where all our beach nesting birds are beginning to hatch, and a lot of my time is spent monitoring and trying to protect them

Dense colonies of Sandwich Tern, Black-headed gull and Mediterranean Gulls take advantage of the water surrounded shingle and saltmarsh islands whilst common tern use a mixture of sites varying from man made structures to secluded shores. All these species are facing the growing challenge of fitting in on our very busy coasts. That’s where we are aiming to make a difference.
 
I have been involved in the creation and deployment of these manmade structures, rafts for the common terns, working both with the RSPB Pagham wardens and volunteers to implement.

​Another part of the role is to develop, empower and support teams of volunteers to deliver shore nesting bird protection. Both the RSPB Pagham volunteers and RSPB Gunner point volunteers have been essential in providing support. Without them a lot of the jobs would not get done. At Hayling Island Gunner point this year we have continued developing the Ringed Plover Project that was set up by local conservationist Trevor Codlin. With the help of volunteers, we have cordoned off a section of the beach with mesh fencing to give Ringed Plover space to nest and bring up their chicks free from human and dog disturbance. The volunteers helped to install the fencing and regularly patrol the area to educate, raise awareness and inform visitors about how we can help Ringed Plover here by giving them lots of space and keeping away from fenced off areas so they can incubate their eggs without nest failures. I have created a Whatsapp group for the project so we can all provide each other updates on patrols and monitoring results.
 
At the time of writing, we have had 3 successful nests with a total of 8 chicks with 2 very close to fledging. Unfortunately, our Ringed Plovers cant read and one family regularly wonders outside the fence. Only this week a dog was seen chasing the family and was only saved by the adult male luring the dog away by flying along the beach with the dog in close pursuit. This is why our brilliant volunteers are so important in raising awareness. To support our volunteer rangers I have created signage, a periodical update board and leaflets to inform the public.

​​Deploying and creating signage is a very important part of the role as areas of prime nesting area need protecting

​​Monitoring of breeding Ringed Plovers has identified that predation is one of the main factors in preventing hatching success.  High levels of predation are likely to be exacerbated due to loss of good quality habitat, rising sea levels, and increasing human disturbance which could be resulting in birds nesting in sub optimal conditions and closer together. This year I have been part of the RSPB scientific study to test the effectiveness of nest cages on the hatching success of beach-nesting Ringed Plovers. So far the results are very encouraging and trail camera footage has shown protection from foxes, carrion crows, dogs, kestrel and even a tawny owl.

​An important part of the role is to continue building partnerships across a broad range of organizations so that we collaborate and achieve optimum success in trying to help nature. I try to provide updates and communication between organizations to achieve this and collaboration has include RSPB Pagham, Natural England at North Solent Nature Reserve, Hampshire Countryside Service at Lymington and Keyhaven Nature Reserve and Hook with Warsash , Browndown Military Training camp and many amazing volunteers.
 
I hope this gives a flavour of some of the tasks involved with the role. If I had to summarise the role I would say: -

• To deliver site protection on known shorebird nesting sites (working with existing staff and partners), preparing infrastructure, monitoring bird presence and productivity
• Work with external organisations and the local community to establish a fuller picture of shore bird nesting potential across the region and monitoring sites across the region
• Help set up, support, and lead a network of shorebird nesting volunteer teams where needed
• Run events to increase knowledge and support for nesting shorebird across the Solent. 
  ​Come and meet me on July 1st :-

Buckler’s Hard Website:
https://www.bucklershard.co.uk/events/conservation-awareness-day/
 
Facebook:
https://fb.me/e/3h8QvEutw

• Support the existing reserve wardening staff to deliver the wider habitat creation elements of LIFE On The Edge

 
Happy summer holidays but please remember to look out for our beach nesting birds and give them lots of space with dogs under close control 😊
 
Thank you for reading
 
Mark

Blog by Louisa Claxton, RSPB Conservation Intern

In March of this year, I started on an exciting new journey with RSPB Old Hall Marshes, as the conservation intern. Old Hall Marshes is situated on the Blackwater Estuary, it is comprised of ancient coastal grazing marsh and agriculturally improved grassland with reedbed and some scrubby areas. 

​​Grazing is an important part of managing the reserve is to keep the sward short which benefit breeding lapwing, their grazing pattern also has some great benefits for our redshanks by creating tussocks to build their nests inside. 

​​This means that it is currently an exciting time for everybody on the reserve. Chicks are hatching left right and centre, with fluffy lapwing, avocet and redshank chicks plodding about. Only a month ago I saw my first ever avocet chick, now I have counted over thirty-seven on site. Another highlight for me so far was coming across a redshank nest with four babies huddled together inside, amazing.

​​Lapwings are a priority species on the reserve and are intensely monitored during the breeding season. We have two agriculturally improved wader fields, our primary wader field Bale and our secondary wader field Salcott. Since my arrival in March The reserve warden, Neil Lincoln and I have been monitoring lapwing nest and chick numbers daily on Salcott field. This involved scoping sitting lapwing from the seawall and directing the other person to the nests with questionable hand signals on my part. We then staked near the nests, assigned it a number, and recorded the number of eggs and GPS location. This field has shown to be successful for lapwing, from thirteen nests around fifteen chicks have been seen recently and many off these are almost fledged. 

​The important task of monitoring lapwing nests on our primary field, bale field is done solely by one of our dedicated volunteers. Between the start of April and the end of May they recorded sixty-six nests and there are still more to be discovered.
 
Bale field is ideal for breeding waders. A wind pump and drainable pipes maintain correct water levels for feeding chicks throughout the spring, and its permanent electric fence provides freedom from hungry badgers and foxes. Last year before I arrived, some exciting work was carried out by the European Union funded LIFE on the Edge project, with the creation and reprofiling of footdrains and raising of bunds to hold back more water. This has made this field even more attractive to breeding waders this year by holding water at different and variable depths across this field, opening up lots of feeding and foraging areas for young chicks. Further work is planned this autumn, which will be exciting. 

​I am continually astonished and humbled by the level of biodiversity and the endangered species that flock to this site, seeing beautiful wildlife every day, such as, marsh harriers, cuckoos, egrets and many species of invertebrates is a privilege. I have enjoyed every minute of my internship here so far and have already gained lots of experience and skills in conservation. I am excited for what the rest of the internship will bring.