Little Terns 2019 Season

Del.Monte

Things have kicked off at Kilcoole, Co.Wicklow for the 2019 season and the first blog post is available here: https://littleternconservation.blogspot.com/2019/05/returning-terns-hello-everyone-and.html?showComment=1558330832060#c5948550126956660478

and at Baltray, Co.Louth here: https://www.louthnaturetrust.org/busy/

Fingers crossed for good weather.

OpenYourEyes

The BirdWatch Ireland branch in Fingal in north Dublin are also monitoring and protecting Little Terns on the beach at Portrane this year. They did an excellent job last year, so hopefully this year is similarly successful!

gzoladz

Very informative blog! I have actually never visited one of the little terns colony so will make sure I do so this year.

One friend wardened one last year in Fingal and another one is in Rockabill this year with the Roseates, tremendous amount of workmand effort goes into it!

Del.Monte

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

The BirdWatch Ireland branch in Fingal in north Dublin are also monitoring and protecting Little Terns on the beach at Portrane this year. They did an excellent job last year, so hopefully this year is similarly successful!

Just had a look in at their page here: http://www.bwifingal.ie/ they are looking for volunteers.

gzoladz

I presume pictures are not allowed if you go to visit the colony, as they are effectively nests correct?

gzoladz

Really interesting visit to the colony yesterday (the one in North Co Dublin), very informative explanantion by the wardens too. I was shown (from the wardens "base", outside of the fenced area), a few birds sitting on eggs, courtship display, etc

Ringed plover nest there too and on the way back we saw what looked like walking stones and it turned up to be 3 chicks that promptly ran to cover under the parents wing.

Del.Monte

A torrid time being had at the Kilcoole colony with predation by foxes and hedgehogs not to mention nests being washed away due to stormy weather. Not all gloom though as things have settled down again now. Latest blog post here: https://littleternconservation.blogspot.com/2019/06/colony-update.html?showComment=1561274451514#c6914424702378865716

Del.Monte

The colony at Kilcoole seems to have had a good season despite predation and bad weather with 250+ chicks ringed and an estimated survival (fledging) rate of 90%. The full summary is now available here: https://littleternconservation.blogspot.com/

The final summary is not in for Baltray yet but 42 chicks had been ringed by the 11th July: https://www.louthnaturetrust.org/little-terns/

Harder to establish exactly what's the latest success or otherwise at Portrane but here's the Twitter link: https://twitter.com/BWIFingal