Return of the Terns

~Listen to the audio recording at the bottom of this post to hear Kate L’Amie talk about Return of the Terns ~

Kate carried the bronze sculpture as we walked further on round the coast, surprising me with her lack of tiring at its weight. I offered to relieve her a few times but she said the weight was satisfying to hold onto, turning it in her hands as she spoke about another of Chichester Harbour Conservancy projects, Return of the Terns. 

Terns are migratory sea birds, who spend the summer in the UK and migrate to warmer climates for the winter. They lay their eggs in shingle, and so are extremely vulnerable to any impact on their nesting ground, from building developments, to dog walkers innocently letting their dogs run along the shoreline. Habitat loss, rising sea levels and human disturbance are their biggest threats. Funded mainly by the charity Friends of Chichester Harbour, Return of the Tern oversaw the construction of shingle covered rafts, which were then deployed onto the water of Chichester Harbour. A huge success, many common terns have come to nest on these shingle rafts, not only here but at a number of different locations, including the Haling oyster beds. There are two key reasons why these rafts have been so successful. Firstly, the rafts are out on the water, so the nesting terns are safe from foxes and other land-based disturbances. Secondly, the rafts are launched onto the water after the Blackheaded and Mediterranean gulls have made their nests, allowing the terns to nest in peace.

Over the last two years many sea bird populations around the UK have been hit badly by avian flu, which this year sadly reached the terns here in the harbour. Some common terns did still nest and fledge, and as Kate says, the hope is that birds start to develop immunity to the flu.

Another approach to help the terns nest was the deposit of a shingle island, providing safe ground above the level of the high tides. Although no common terns have made their nests there yet, the shingle island has seen a couple of oyster catchers and one pair of little terns nest and fledge at least one chick nearby. Next year will be another chance to see what birds make their nests here, and also on the re-deployed rafts as they are sent back out.

After saying our goodbyes, we returned to Ailish, welcoming two new crew mates on board, Dolly and Chegs who form the film duo, Dolche films. with all of their filming equipment loaded on safely, we pushed out onto the water of the harbour. Little Itchenor grew even smaller as we picked up speed, and the salt marsh restoration site drifted away into the distance as we headed swiftly back out down the winding channel to exit Chichester Harbour with enough tide beneath us.