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. 

Blog by Kieren Alexander, RSPB Site Manager for Old Hall Marshes

It was a fantastic year on the newly created beach at Horsey Island. For those not familiar with this project, this was the creation of a new beach for little terns and other beach nesting birds to breed on, using 50,000 cubic metres of sand and shingle from the major channel deepening project carried out by Harwich Haven Authority.

Along with providing breeding habitat for little terns and other beach nesting birds, the aim of the recharge scheme was also to help reduce erosion of the saltmarsh at Hamford water. This protected habitat, is vital for carbon storage, aiding in the fight against climate change. The project also assists in providing a natural wave break for the wider Hamford Water area, absorbing the energy before the waves reach the mainland and reducing pressure on the surrounding seawalls.

Nesting on beaches, Little Terns are highly vulnerable to disturbance and erosion exacerbated by rising sea-levels throughout their breeding grounds. The project at Horsey Island, raises the height of a shingle beach out of the reach of the highest tides and hopefully secures this nesting location for the next 60 years.

Below is a little video on how we created this new beach:

Now in its 3rd year and approaching its 3rd breeding season, it is time report back on the results from 2023’s breeding season; in total 28 pairs of Little Terns successfully raised 42 chicks during this year’s breeding season at Horsey Island in Essex. Figures indicate that this year has seen the highest number of chicks taking to the skies since 2006.  
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The site has also provided valuable habitat for other species including a Common Gull which fledged one chick this year from Horsey and is a rare occurrence in Essex and is possibly the first to have bred in Essex.

This is an incredible result and a real success for all the organisations involved in the management of the beach from Tendring District Council, who warden the site and the wider Hamford water embayment, the landowners and HHA and the Environment Agency who helped fund the work.

We will continue to monitor the beach both ecologically and geo-morphologically, with one final drone survey this Spring before we move to an annual monitoring drone flight to see how it is evolving over time and continued annual monitoring of the little tern population led by Tendring District Council and with the assistance of the landowners.


In case you missed it, here is the link to first part of Horsey Island Recharge Project blog, the second part, the third part and the fourth part.

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Video credits: Jim Pullen/RSPB

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

Thanks to Rebekah Wall, RSPB Little Tern Volunteer, for this lovely guest blog.

Conservation is something you’ll commonly find on the news but is such an important topic for the generation these days. To take part in it is something even more important and wonderful. Conservation is my career path and to have the option to become a volunteer is very rewarding and has been something I have done since graduating from University. 

I applied to be a bird warden for the RSPB in April (2023) for something new to volunteer for,  to improve my mental health, and to be more involved in the current need to support conservation and breeding opportunities for the Little Terns.
 
To be given the opportunity to work amongst RSPB staff and experienced volunteers and to be working closely with the Little Terns, a thrill of excitement made me ecstatic, and I was looking forward to starting my shifts.
 
As well as actually working alongside the Little Terns, the fences needed to be put up at Winterton-on-sea and at Eccles. Many volunteers popped up to help and it was interesting to talk with the new and experienced volunteers about what to expect from a shift and how to engage with the public and their dogs. 

During the induction, one of the staff spoke about the night shifts, the golden hour that we could witness, and the experiences we could obtain. Instantly I knew I wanted to do as many night shifts as I could, fitting it around my day job.

I began my first night shift at 10 p.m. in the middle of June, wrapped up warm with many layers, thermals, waterproofs, a woolly hat, gloves, flask filled with hot coffee and snacks. Sitting in a camping chair can be very comfy until it gets very cold. Fortunately, blankets were available to use and sudden spurts of bats and moths flew over one's head and gave me a buzz, excitedly looking for more wildlife in the sky.
 
The night shifts were so different from the day shift. As said by previous volunteers, you get to witness the golden hour which was so magical to see. You have to watch the birds wake up from their hiatus as they are always on the watch, protecting their eggs, chicks, and colony.

To witness them fly up, fluttering over the sea and quickly in dive to catch any amongst the Clupeidae sp. to give their chicks the first meal of the day. Listening to their calls is so distinct, made my heart flutter. And the first time I saw a chick, my heart burst into happiness, knowing for a fact this is the environment I want to be in. How small they are! Little balls of speckled fluff.

During the night shifts, you literally have to be the watchful eye, a protector to help the success of the breeding Little Terns. To physically chase away the predators with a shaker (a bottle with small stones and pebbles in it). Whether they are flying raptors and four-legged mammals - muntjacs for the eggs, foxes for the eggs and chicks, a few domestic cats now and again, and the occasional squirrel.

​Finishing a night shift every morning is very different from the last. One morning, driving on my way home from a night shift I happened to come across a situation quite bizarre. Two Rheas were running on a country road right in front of me in the car. Completely bewildered I thought I may have been over-tired. I managed to snap some shots and pass them on to the Little Tern group. A few hours later, I was informed that they were from a farm and had escaped, I saw two of the twelve that were roaming around Norfolk.
 

Working as a bird warden is so much more than looking after the birds, you are able to gain transferable skills, work as a team, get the chance to take part in other events such as witnessing kestrel chicks being ringed, working on RSPB sites such as Berney Marshes engulfed in magical greenery and wildlife, many bird species and mammals and public days such as ‘’Smooch your Pooch’’ promoting dogs on leads during the breeding season of the Little Terns. 

​Being given the chance to take part in volunteering alongside the RSPB for the past five months has been an amazing opportunity that I have thoroughly enjoyed and look forward to the next season.