Incubating Little Tern Taken under NPWS licence (P Manley) |
Saturday, 28 May 2016
100th egg
We've reached our next milestone down here on the beach, our hundredth egg was laid yesterday! So far the colony has 52 active nests, and they're still going strong. Last year was a record, with 155 nests, but there's still plenty of time to catch up.
Little Terns are good parents, and our colony are looking after the eggs well, although we are having some trouble with Hooded Crows. When the eggs are first laid, the female will stay with them for the first few days while her mate brings in food, then the male will take his share of incubation. They are very attentive and will sit on the nest for hours at a time, so when it's time to swap places they usually stand around for a while and have a good stretch before heading off to feed.
Wednesday, 25 May 2016
Beach Babies!
So sweet... Ringed Plover chicks Taken under NPWS licence (Em Witcutt) |
We have our first chicks!! Not Little Terns, it’s a little
too early for that… but Ringed Plover. We were carrying out our daily nest
checks of the Little Tern colony and spotted three tiny balls of fluff.
Ringed Plover nests are amazingly camouflaged Taken under NPWS licence (Em Witcutt) |
And their chicks are very good at hiding too! Taken under NPWS licence (Em Witcutt) |
Ringed
Plovers leave their nest very soon after hatching so these guys were probably
less than a day old, and already running around the beach on their long spindly
legs. We have plenty more nests around so hopefully lots more chicks will be
popping up in the next few days.
These birds are excellent parents. If the adults think
something might be threatening the young, they perform a ‘broken-wing dance’. They
stumble away from the nest, holding their wings at an awkward angle. The idea
is that any predator will think the adult is injured so will be an easy meal,
and will attack it rather than finding the nest. Parents literally sacrifice
themselves so that their chicks stand a chance of surviving!
A proud parent with a youngster Taken under NPWS licence (Em Witcutt) |
Elsewhere, our Little Terns are well on their way to
becoming parents too. We’re up to 40 nests now, with plenty more expected over
the coming days. Feel free to come down to the beach for a visit, there will
always be a warden around to give you a view of the birds and answer any
questions you have.
Paddy and Em
Saturday, 21 May 2016
We have eggs!!
The season is now in full swing... we found our first Little Tern nest on Thursday! The pair had 2 eggs and were sat tight protecting their clutch against the wind and rain. Since then there has been plenty more activity despite the poor weather. We're up to 15 nests already, with plenty more expected over the next few days. The adults will sit on their eggs for around 20 days to keep them warm and dry before they hatch.
The Little Terns will be getting more and more settled in the coming days. so now is a great time to come for a visit. The wardens will be happy to show you a Little Tern and answer any questions you may have.
-Em and Paddy
Well camouflaged! A Little Tern nest with 2 eggs (Taken under NPWS licence) P. Manley |
The Little Terns will be getting more and more settled in the coming days. so now is a great time to come for a visit. The wardens will be happy to show you a Little Tern and answer any questions you may have.
Little Tern (Taken under NPWS licence) P. Manley |
-Em and Paddy
Monday, 16 May 2016
Dunlin Rescue
Yesterday, the wardens were enjoying watching all the waders in the lagoon over dinner. A Hooded Crow appeared from the farm and flushed all the waders off their feeding patches, he then swooped into the middle of a tight flock of Dunlin and managed to knock one out of the sky into the lagoon. As waders are not suited to swimming, he began to struggle in the water and attempting to make his way slowly to the shore, the Hooded Crow began to fly up to him and push him under the water in an attempt to drown him.
Luckily for this Dunlin, the wardens were around to intervene and scare the Hooded Crow away. Once the Dunlin had made in into the shallower section of the lagoon the wardens waded into the water to rescue it from the cold water.
By the time he was rescued out of the water he was very wet and cold, so the wardens put him in a box of tissue in the caravan in an attempt to dry him off and heat him up. After an hour or so in the box, he became much more lively and was jumping around the box. Now, the wardens knew he was ready to be released again!
Once he was released back at the shore of the lagoon, he ran down along the mud and started feeding again.
-Paddy and Em
Luckily for this Dunlin, the wardens were around to intervene and scare the Hooded Crow away. Once the Dunlin had made in into the shallower section of the lagoon the wardens waded into the water to rescue it from the cold water.
Dunlin trying to learn how to swim (P. Manley) |
By the time he was rescued out of the water he was very wet and cold, so the wardens put him in a box of tissue in the caravan in an attempt to dry him off and heat him up. After an hour or so in the box, he became much more lively and was jumping around the box. Now, the wardens knew he was ready to be released again!
The Dunlin was feeling very sorry for himself. (P. Manley) |
Once he was released back at the shore of the lagoon, he ran down along the mud and started feeding again.
Dunlin ready to be released (P. Manley) |
-Paddy and Em
Friday, 13 May 2016
Build it, and they will come...
Not a bad view to wake up to.... |
We’re all settled in now: camp is running smoothly; the
anti-predator fences are up and our information boards are out. We just need
the wind to drop so that we can get our observation hide up, then our research
can properly get underway!
The beach all ready for visitors, both bird and human. |
The Little Terns are also getting used to life on the beach. After a drop in
numbers earlier in the week, they have been building again steadily today with
110 around this evening and more coming in all the time. They were probably off
visiting other potential nest sites before deciding that Kilcoole was the best
after all (obviously!). Although they haven’t yet laid their eggs, their
breeding season is well underway. There has been lots of courtship going on;
spectacular flight displays and plenty of fish being presented as a gift to
females by hopeful males. Yesterday we saw our first pair copulating, and there
has been plenty more today. We’re expecting our first eggs next week, and
chicks should start to hatch around 20 days after that.
And it's not just Little Terns we have nesting, the beach is home to a number of Ringed Plover and Oystercatcher nests, and the farmland behind has breeding Skylarks, Goldfinch and Reed Bunting to name just a few.
Oystercatcher nests are amazingly well camouflaged! Photo taken under NPWS license |
We've also had some exciting visitors this week. There are over 100 Dunlin hanging out with the Little Terns and plenty of other waders such as Whimbrel and Black-tailed Godwit stopping by. Yesterday evening we had fly-overs from a Glossy Ibis and a female Hen Harrier, and this stunning Bar-headed Goose roosting near the camp.
A Bar-headed Goose spent the night here yesterday. |
Feel free to visit the colony and see these magnificent
birds for yourself! The Wardens will be happy to answer any questions you may
have. We are on the beach between Kilcoole and Newcastle. We do however ask
that all visitors to the beach keep to the marked path. Little Terns are very
sensitive to disturbance so we need to keep the colony fenced off until early
August. Please follow the signs and keep your dogs under control to give this
rare ad important colony its best chance of another successful breeding season.
Thanks for all your support! See you on the beach!
Saturday, 7 May 2016
Welcome back!
It’s the
start of a new season here at Kilcoole! The Wardens are back, the fences are
going up and most importantly, the Little Terns are here in full force! They
arrived early this year, with over 100 birds fishing just offshore and roosting
overnight for the past few days. This may be because they’ve had favourable
winds helping them on their way back from West Africa, where they’ve been
spending the winter in the sunshine.
As always,
the section of the beach used by the Terns to nest will be fenced off until the
end of July, and the Wardens will be spending their summer protecting the
colony. It is important to do this because these birds nest on the ground with
no shelter so are very susceptible from disturbance by people and their dogs,
as well as predation and bad weather. They are our rarest Tern and their
numbers have been declining steadily for decades.
But with a
little help, we can make sure that Ireland continues to be visited by these
lovely little birds. Little Terns have been nesting at Kilcoole since 1879, and
it is one of our most important colonies. Last year was a record high, with 155
pairs nesting here! Hopefully they can do the same again this year…
Feel free
to come and visit us down here. The Wardens will be happy to show you what the
Little Terns are up to and answer any questions you may have. We are on the
beach between Kilcoole and Newcastle. Just follow the signs along the path, and
please do keep out of the fenced area. Little Tern eggs and chicks are very
well camouflaged and it is very easy to stand on them by mistake.
If anyone
is interested in volunteering this year, come by and speak to one of the
Wardens or email us at littletern@birdwatchireland.ie.
Any help you can give will be much appreciated.
See you on
the beach!
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