By Nicki Gwynn-Jones, Species on the Edge Little Tern Warden volunteer
Seabirds are often thought to be the souls of the dead, but I have always believed that terns are angels. A keen swimmer, I have always felt a special affinity for sea birds, so I was so thrilled to be able to volunteer with Species on the Edge this summer. I was really keen to be on the little tern project and was delighted to be invited to join the team.
Our brief was to patrol the beach and dunes at Barrier 4, taking note of anything that might cause disturbance to breeding birds, from dogs running off leads and members of the public wandering through the nesting areas, to sightings of arial predators – bonxies, arctic skuas and black-backed gulls being good examples.
Unfortunately only six little terns returned to the colony this year, and they did not breed. During one of my shifts we heard their distinctive chirruping call overhead and were so hopeful that many more birds were not far behind. But sadly it was not to be. Little terns are tiny – I always think that they look like fairies – and they over-winter in West Africa, from where they migrate to the UK each spring in order to breed. The colony was disturbed last year and the nests were abandoned, but we speculated that there may have been additional reasons for the poor showing this year. They nest in scrapes on the ground and prefer stony beaches, but the winter storms brought many changes – the stones have largely disappeared, and the beach is now a long stretch of beautiful golden sand; fabulous for human and dog activities but all wrong for little terns. We can only hope that the resident ringed plovers and sanderlings managed to raise some chicks, and that the terns will try again next year.
There was better news from the Arctic tern colony at Birsay. I have been following these birds closely for some years now, and love to sit for hours with my long lens, hoping to capture images of their beauty and elegance for everyone to enjoy. After a couple of years of chick predation, I was concerned that the colony would no longer be viable, but in fact, more birds returned this year than last, and I believe that some chicks did manage to fledge.
Arctic terns are the true nomads; the masters of migration. The average bird will live for 30 years, an extraordinarily long lifespan for a small bird with such an extreme lifestyle. During that time they will travel around 1.5 million miles, the equivalent of three trips to the moon and back, journeying between the Arctic and the Antarctic – the longest migration of any animal on earth. They experience more sunlight than almost any other creature, and they are so lightweight (they weigh only 100 grams) that during migration they utilize the ocean breezes, gliding for miles with their disproportionally long wings, up to 75 cm on a body of 30 cm. Apparently, they are capable of flying 1000 miles in a day.
Species on the Edge is a great way to get involved with your local wildlife, which, let’s face it, needs all the help that it can get. I so enjoyed meeting the other volunteers – truly a wonderful and fascinating bunch of committed folk – and I loved speaking to members of the public, both locals and visitors, pointing out the many treasures to be found on the beach, and helping to educate them on the best way to be good wildlife stewards.
Here’s to next summer!
