As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Friday 6 September 2013

Hire a bird house to help Coquet Island's rare seabirds

People are being urged to hire a home on a Northumberland island - to help one of the UK’s rarest seabirds.

The RSPB is leasing out nest boxes on Coquet Island off Amble for use by roseate terns.

The wildlife sanctuary island is the only roseate nesting colony in the UK, with pairs travelling over 4,000 miles from West Africa to breed there each year.

In 2000 the RSPB began providing wooden house-shaped nesting boxes in terraces for the roseate terns.

At that time there were only 24 nesting pairs.

But the boxes were such a hit with the birds that last year 71 pairs nested and this summer the figure rose to 78.

The boxes significantly improve the terns’ chances of breeding success by protecting the chicks from bad weather and predation from gulls.

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