After a week of finishing touches and getting the pens electrified we are now ready for Little Terns to start nesting. Numbers of terns peaked at 120 on the bank holiday Monday (11/05) but became harder to see after that as the weather had been a bit cold. With the warmer weather this coming week we are hoping they will start nesting. High tides could be an issue so we'll keep a close eye on that situation and may have some debris to clear from fencing on 16th-17th. The wardens will be on site to meet any volunteers and visitors from now on. There will be tasks such as predator watches, public engagement and monitoring to help with in the coming weeks so please come down. The photo above shows the view from the new monitoring hide, access to which members of the North Wales Little Tern Group are allowed. The hide is situated adjacent to one of the breeding pens and will offer unrivaled views of the breeding Little Terns. There are already nesting Oystercatchers and Ringed Plovers on view. If you are interested in using it please ask the warden on duty. N.B. it may not be possible to use the hide on occasions due to bad weather or if it needs to be used for other purposes.
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Thanks to the combined efforts of over 30 people during the last week all the fencing for the breeding pens is now up and is already hosting occasional inspections from the Little Terns. This was no mean feat as the pickup delivering the equipment couldn't get that near to the site this year due to soft mud getting in the way, so there was lots of carrying of equipment just to get it on site. With the additional support from the RSPB, Presthaven ranger, NWWT and volunteers from Northop College we got more fencing up than ever, protecting as much high quality breeding habitat as possible. The coming week will see us electrify the pens to keep foxes (and people) out during the breeding season. From a pile of 'stuff' in a trailer to fully installed pens for the breeding terns.
Little Tern numbers continue to grow with 60 seen on the tide line today (05/05). The earliest date for nesting on record was set last year, on the 15th. Could the nice weather this weekend see that record get beaten by over a week? Time will tell. Just a quick heads-up to willing participants that from 1st-4th of May we will be on site every day from 10am to put up the fencing. This is mainstay of our efforts to help the Little Terns as it keeps terrestrial predators, and people, away from the nests. There are a range of tasks, not all very physical, so please come down at meet at Shore Road Car Park, Gronant if you would like to get involved. The photo below is of fencing being put up in a previous year. Of great interest was the first Little Terns of the season - spotted on 20/04, with 7 roosting at high tide with Sandwich Terns and gulls towards Talacre. This is the earliest ever record at Gronant.
We are days off from the first Little Tern appearing at Gronant and we are rapidly making preparations for the season ahead. Rhyl Harbour fencing was installed in record time thanks to volunteers and students from Llysfasi College near Ruthin (pictured on the left), and a pair of Ringed Plovers are already making their home there. On the week of the 23rd we will be putting in the shiny new visitor center and hide. We will need to transport the panels down to the site first thing and get it put up during the day. Then the following day we will be assisting the RSPB with putting up fencing at the Point of Ayr site just down the coast by Talacre, where a pair of Little Tern has nested the last few years. Volunteers are needed to keep an eye on the new structures before the wardens start their duties so if you can find a spare few hours please come down to the dunes. 10am on May the 1st is the start of installing fencing at Gronant. We will be putting up over 2km of netting, with posts, tension wire, insulators and a lot more to put in place. This will take us several days at least and the more pairs of hands the better. If you haven't taken part in this activity before please come down and there are many tasks to choose, with a range of physical requirements. |
AuthorHenry Cook Archives
March 2022
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