The Little Tern is a rare breeding bird in the UK and the Humber area currently has a single colony that has been present for many years. The colony is at Easington, which is just a little north of Spurn at the Estuary mouth.
After mixed fortunes for many years, the colony has now had five consecutive, good, successful breeding seasons thanks to the hard work of the Tern Wardens and all others involved as well as to the support of the project sponsors and supporters.
In 2015, after a shaky start due to the cold weather, things progressed well with a total of 37 pairs of Little Terns settling down to attempt to breed. Despite all the usual trials and tribulations of predation and disturbance, a total of 30 chicks fledged from the colony. The last chick fledging on the very late date of 23 August, which can probably be attributed to the late start to the breeding season and a pair that re-laid after losing their first clutch of eggs.
The Little Tern protection scheme is a partnership project led by Spurn Bird Observatory and made up of the Environment Agency, Natural England, RSPB, South Holderness Countryside Society and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. The project is part of the RSPB led Life+ Little Tern project and funding has also come from the Environment Agency, Spurn Bird Observatory Trust and Life+ in 2015.
