The Teesmouth Little Tern Project

Management of an area of public beach to protect a nesting colony of little tern. The site is fenced before the birds arrive in May and then wardened by volunteers throughout the nesting season. Wardens liaise with the public to prevent disturbance to the birds especially by dogs. Wardens guard against predation, taking action when appropriate to prevent losses of eggs or chicks. Very close monitoring is necessary to be aware of losses to predation. Monitoring is also to measure of success of the project observing and counting how many birds, lay eggs, how many eggs hatch and how many chick survive to fledge and fly back to Africa.