Protecting nesting birds

A number of practical measures are known to be successful when seeking to protect ground-nesting birds. These include:

• temporary fencing - Nesting sites for certain shingle species such as terns and oystercatchers are typically in beach locations much frequented by walkers and their dogs. Work at Rye Harbour LNR (Annex 04) among other sites has shown the value of temporary fencing in these locations to reduce nest disturbance;
• identification guides - As with plants, a great deal of disturbance is accidental and unintentional, even by scheduled workers in shingle areas. Laminated identification guides of bird species and their eggs/nests can be provided for machinery operatives and others working in 'at risk' areas;
• seasonal wardening - Because of the dynamic nature of tern nesting patterns, it may be necessary to consider temporary wardening of some sites, as occurs at Blakeney Point on the North Norfolk coast.