Little Helping Hands

This spring term, Blakeney Primary School Key Stage 2 have been helping us conserve Little Terns at Blakeney. Sabrina (Membership Manager) has links with the primary school and Ajay has previously made decoys with primary school children in Northumberland. The two of them, along with Lucy (Visitor Welcome Assistant) and Val (Volunteer Ranger), have been helping the children make clay decoys to attract Little Terns to nest in suitable places on the reserve.

Made In Cley gallery very kindly fired the childrens' decoys free of charge, which we are immensely grateful for. The children then did a fantastic job painting their decoys to look like Little Terns.

One of the decoys

Last Thursday, Temple seal trips kindly ferried us all to Blakeney Point so that the children could put their decoys out in time for the first prospecting Little Terns.

Teaching the children about sand dunes

The decoys were put in a fenced enclosure on the main shingle ridge to the east of the Watch House; the Watch House colony as we call it. In the past, Little Terns have nested on areas of beach vulnerable to tidal flooding when spring tides combine with northerly winds. This has happened numerous times and has led to dozens of eggs and chicks failing.

Putting the decoys on the shingle ridge will hopefully attract Little Terns to nest high enough up to avoid being flooded. We have used decoys effectively in the past.

Visiting the colony

Last year, we had a record number of pairs nesting in the Watch House colony and fledging an excellent number of young. We have put the decoys here this year to try to encourage as many birds to nest here again and hopefully have a similarly successful season.

Putting the decoy in place

Little Terns typically follow others when it comes to nesting. Putting the decoys out early in the season will hopefully have the same effect of encouraging other birds to nest.

Whilst on the Point, on 3rd May, the children were lucky enough to spot the first Oystercatcher egg of the season, which was a very exciting moment. That day, six Little Terns were spotted displaying over the Watch House colony. A few days later, this had risen to 14.

We will keep you updated throughout the season. We will also have rangers and volunteers based at the Watch House colony on a daily basis, at our hide on the edge of the colony. Their work involves monitoring and protecting the Little Terns, including greeting walkers that visit the Point. Please follow their advice to avoid accidental disturbance to the colony and please respect the seasonal dog restrictions. This will help the Little Terns to have a better chance at hatching and raising their young.

Text: Ajay Tegala; Photographs: Sabrina Fenn