Appeal for volunteers to help rare coastal seabird

Appeal for help to protect 'Little Terns' on east coast Credit: Kevin Simmonds

The RSPB's appealing for volunteers in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex to help one of the UK's rarest seabirds, the Little Tern.

Their numbers have seriously declined in recent years as they struggle to find safe beaches to nest and feed their young.

Over a third of the UK breeding population make a home in East Anglia.

These tiny birds travel a 6,000 mile round trip each year to breed on beaches in the UK. Credit: Kevin Simmonds

The RSPB says that the birds are often disturbed when nesting by people as well as being vulnerable to predators such as crows or foxes. Severe weather events have also affected numbers in recent years.

Every summer, a team of volunteer little tern wardens support the Little Tern Recovery Project by monitoring the beach at Winterton-on-sea where these special birds make their homes.

The Little Tern Recovery Project helps to ensure that little terns have a successful trip to the Norfolk coast, and return to West Africa with their young in September.

The RSPB is now appealing for more volunteers for these projects.

The project is currently looking for volunteers to help the RSPB manage the little tern colony at Winterton-on-sea.

But the charity is also interested to hear from anyone willing to check the beaches at Caister and North Denes, monitoring for little terns looking to raise families there.