RSPB ‘exceedingly worried’ by 2019 air show plans

PUBLISHED: 15:20 03 October 2018

Liz Coates

The prospect of next year’s Great Yarmouth Air show being a series of one-off events could be just as disastrous for little terns, it is claimed.

The RSPB says the worst offenders were the Red Arrows which caused the greatest disturbance to nesting birds.

The two day air show was held on June 16 and 17 and was organised by the Greater Yarmouth Tourism and Business Improvement Area, (GYTABIA).

However the festival reportedly made a loss of £582,000 prompting a re-think over what form it could take in 2019.

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Fond farewell as little tern chicks set off on African migration

Anthony Carroll

PUBLISHED: 15:40 09 July 2018 | UPDATED: 16:17 09 July 2018

It is a 3,100 mile annual migration that sees one of the rarest seabirds in the land leave their nests in the Great Yarmouth area and head to Africa.

As these pictures show, little tern chicks are starting to leave their nests and make their way to their West African wintering grounds.

The chicks can be found at the dunes at Winterton and several other beaches in the area and they make up about 20pc of the country’s population of the bird.

Lyn Ibbitson-Elk, a RSPB little tern volunteer who caught some of the birds on camera along with fellow volunteer Kevin Simmonds, said: “I have had the privilege to volunteer on the RSPB Little Tern Project for several years and it is a very special experience.

“These precious little seabirds honour us in Norfolk with their presence for only a few months every year, having flown an astonishing 5,000km.

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Pied wagtail in Tesco store given last minute reprieve from the firing squad

A bird that made its home in a Great Yarmouth supermarket has been given a last-minute reprieve after the store threatened to shoot it, reports the Great Yarmouth Mercury.

Tesco had considered bringing in marksmen to kill the pied wagtail in its Great Yarmouth branch, but have now announced that it will continue attempting to capture and release the bird, possibly with help with the British Trust for Ornithology.

The bird has been flitting around the store for some time, and has become known to customers.

A Tesco spokesman said: “Our goal is always to release any birds which have found their way into our stores, while ensuring we maintain our high standards of hygiene.

“In spite of repeated efforts to free the bird, including laying down traps, deploying nets and opening windows, we have been unsuccessful so far.”

The supermarket chain was granted a licence by Natural England to remove the bird by shooting it, on the grounds of protecting public health.

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