Bird-loving volunteers have raft of ideas to help tackle decline of tern
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A PROJECT involving RSPB Scotland and local volunteers to help breeding common terns in Ross-shire is helping sustain the species which has been declining in the UK in recent years.
RSPB Scotland has been working with local businesses in Avoch and at Foulis for many years providing and maintaining alternative breeding sites on floating rafts
There are three rafts with shingle floors located just off the shore at Avoch in the Moray Firth and one at Foulis in the Cromarty Firth.
They recently recorded 231 nests with eggs on the Avoch rafts.
Alison Phillip, RSPB conservation officer, said: “It is fantastic to see common terns doing so well in this area, and it is great to know that the tern rafts are providing a safe habitat for these birds to nest on and rear their chicks. Although we have a little less than last year’s record of 258 nests, from which 398 chicks fledged, it is still an exciting increase from 2017 when we had 165 nests.
“The first raft was set up in the 1990s when a pair of common terns tried nesting on a floating equipment barge at a local fish farm. We worked with the fish farm staff to make the barge a suitable habitat for the terns to nest on. It was then set aside to provide a secure home for the terns and their chicks. Twenty-one years later and we now maintain four rafts dedicated to common terns, with thanks to Aqualife Services Ltd, and Foulis Estate who own the seabed where the rafts are located."
She added: “The rafts can be occupied by common terns from April right through to September and over the last ten years, the rafts have been five times more successful in producing chicks than natural sites. This is fantastic news for a bird that has been declining in recent years.”
Beaches all along the Cromarty and Moray Firths provide important breeding habitat for both Arctic and common terns.
To raise awareness and provide advice on how to protect the birds during the breeding season, RSPB Scotland staff have put temporary signs up at tern colonies which ask people to avoid the nesting areas and to keep their dogs under close control.
They have issued a plea to all of those who will be exploring the beaches around the coast this spring and summer, to keep a safe distance from any nest sites so no disturbance is caused to the birds.
Common terns, sometimes nicknamed sea-swallows due to their long, forked tails, have one of the longest migrations of all birds. In one year, they can clock up an average of 21,000 miles.
Every spring, they travel from the southern hemisphere to the UK to breed. Shingle and sandy beaches along the Cromarty and Moray Firth coasts provide ideal breeding grounds for these birds.
However, these locations can come with some difficulties, including high tide, predation and disturbance. This makes common terns very vulnerable when they attempt to breed.
