Rosy Terns on the Rise
The YCN and Wold Ecology teams are always delighted to put some of our profits earned from or tours and consultancy back into nature conservation. We believe investing in wildlife and their habitats improves the quality of all our lives.
Roseate Tern Coquet Island © Richard Baines
This year we are celebrating five years of sponsoring one of Europe’s most beautiful and rare breeding birds the Roseate Tern. In 2014 we were the very first sponsor in a new project launched by the Royal society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). We have kept up our sponsorship every year and are proud to be once again contributing to the conservation of this beautiful bird.
Roseate Tern Coquet Island © Richard Baines
Roseate Terns fly an incredible 4000-miles each spring from West Africa to nest in the UK. 90% of England, Scotland and Wales’s population, nest on Coquet Island off the Northumberland coast.
Coquet Island
Almost all the remaining Roseate Terns in Europe breed on a tiny island called Rockabill, 6km off the north Dublin coast. In 2017, an incredible 1,556 roseate pairs were counted nesting there.
Roseate Tern with Common and Arctic Terns Coquet Island © Richard Baines
The successful breeding of Roseate Terns on Coquet and Rockabill depends on protection from predators and shelter from storms. The RSPB with help from Green Future Building have developed a be-spoke nest box to protect the chicks after they hatch.
Roseate Tern chicks in a nest box on Coquet Island © RSPB Images
These nest boxes have been incredibly successful on both Rockabill and Coquet. The Coquet colony has now risen to over 100 pairs and is thriving. The nest boxes are a simple and effective measure ensuring this wonderful bird can thrive on our coast.
Nest Boxes supplied by Green Future Building
How Can You Help Roseate Terns?
Sponsor a box from as little as £60/year. Everyone who sponsors a nest box will receive a certificate and regular updates on the birds that are using their box.
For further information please email Mike Harris at mike.harris@rspb.org.uk
Richard Baines YCN