Success for nesting shorebirds on the Northumberland coast
In a summer that has been extremely challenging for coastal wildlife, we are delighted to say that shorebirds have had a successful nesting season on the Northumberland Coast! 13 ringed plover chicks and 1 oystercatcher chick fledged from our nest protection sites, a fantastic achievement. The protected areas around the ringed plovers’ nests helped them breed successfully on the beaches
Juvenile Sanderling
Thank you to the volunteers from Coast Care who have dedicated their time to help us throughout the nesting season. Support that local residents and visitors have shown for the nesting birds by giving them space to raise their young has been incredible.
With the nesting season now over, we turn our attention to the shorebirds which are returning to the coast from their breeding grounds. Some have only a short journey to make back to the coast, such as curlew, lapwing and golden plover which have been nesting in the UK uplands. However, others, including sanderling, dunlin and turnstone are returning from arctic Canada, Greenland and Scandinavia! We must do what we can to protect them while they are with us.
Wildlife rangers from Space for Shorebirds will be showing beach users the magnificent birds and explaining why it is important to give them space to feed and rest undisturbed.
We will be running events such as Shorebirds for Beginners guided walks and bird watches over the autumn and winter. We can discuss the birds in more detail and give tips on how to identify them. The Coquet Estuary is one of the best places in Northumberland to see a wide variety of different shorebirds and will be a regular location for our events.
Details of the events will be published on our website over the coming months – www.spaceforshorebirds.co.uk. You can also follow us on social media. Search for Space for Shorebirds on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Katherine Dunsford
Space for Shorebirds
