15th
February
By Martin Lea
AN URGENT
fundraising appeal has been launched to protect chicks on Chesil Beach.
The
famous shingle bank is home to a rare colony of little terns – one of the most
threatened seabirds in the UK.
The
appeal to support the Little Tern Recovery Project has been triggered due to a
shortfall in grant funding.
The
project, which has been running for ten years, is a partnership between RSPB,
the Crown Estate, Chesil Beach & the Fleet Nature Reserve, Portland Court Leet, Natural England, and Dorset Wildlife
Trust. The Chesil Beach colony is the only one in the south west.
Each year
from April-August the project protects Chesil Beach’s little tern colony from
predators and disturbance, to give the chicks the best chance of survival.
The
project costs £17,500 to run every year which is normally funded by grants –
but this year only £4,000 has been secured. This is due to increasing demand
for grants.
Funding
helps the installation of a 'predator fence' around the colony as well as
24-hour warden patrols protect the birds from disturbance, a project officer
and equipment for volunteers.
Kevin
Rylands, RSPB Conservation Officer, said: “Every April these tiny birds beat
tremendous odds by travelling thousands of miles from West Africa to a small
strip of Chesil Beach to raise their family. With any luck, each adult pair
will hatch two of the fluffiest and cutest chicks you’re likely to see."
He added:
"They have disappeared from our coastline at an alarming rate and need our
help. Rising sea levels, food shortages, predators, extreme weather conditions,
and disturbance to their ground nesting from people, are all factors in their
decline. It’s vital that we continue to protect them and give this summer’s
chicks the best chance of survival."
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